Bonefish Grill polished, casual

If you’re not up for the drive to a waterfront seafood restaurant — or the waterfront restaurant prices — a new eatery is on the horizon, just off I-405 on the Bothell Everett Highway. With its upscale feel (without the upscale prices), the food and the atmosphere at Bonefish Grill are likely to make you forget all about a waterfront view.

To walk into its neo-mediterranean ambience, you might think this was the work of some enterprising Puget Sound restauranteur. It might come as a surprise that Bonefish is actually part of a larger chain of restaurants based in Florida. The Bothell location is the second to open in the Puget Sound.

Forget about its corporate overlords. Bonefish is a completely different dining experience from chain restaurants. “Polished casual” is the new buzz word in the industry, and Bonefish has taken the concept and run with it, emphasizing fresh ingredients served in a stylish, elegant setting.

We arrived just as the doors were opening for dinner at 4 p.m. and were immediately whisked to a table in its expansive hardwood dining area with hand blown glass lamps. Our servers, dressed in chef whites, came in quick and regular procession to take our orders, fill our water glasses and bring out our successive courses. The service remained attentive even as the dining room began to fill.

Starting off with an appetizer, we had several seafood choices, among them coconut crusted shrimp, Hawaiian ahi tuna sashimi and bacon wrapped sea scallops. We eventually selected the only non-aquatic offering on the menu, the Cajun chicken egg roll, because the description was far too intriguing to pass up. What arrived at our table met and exceeded our expectations: two large, halved egg rolls (perhaps more of a deep fried tortilla) containing blackened chicken, roasted corn, onions and peppers, served with a tangy mustard sauce and a Thai sweet hot sauce.

A fan of most things spicy, my husband was immediately satisfied by the heat of the Thai sauce. He quickly followed up his first bite with a long sip from his vodka Lemon Drop, one of a dozen tempting martini specialties on the menu. I made generous use of the mustard sauce. We were in agreement that these unconventional sauces added just the right touch to the egg roll. We could have easily ordered a second or third plate, but in the interest of research we composed ourselves and moved on to selecting our main courses.

Although the Bonefish specialty is grilled seafood, there are plenty of other alternatives available. Tenderloin portabella piccata, chicken marsala and Lily’s chicken (fire roasted chicken with Chévre goat cheese, spinach, artichokes and lemon basil sauce) are included on the grilled specialties menu. A “sauté” portion of the menu features rockfish piccata, chicken portabella pasta, diablo shrimp fettucine and pistachio parmesan crusted Idaho rainbow trout.

A seafood traditionalist, I went for the king salmon, passing up Pacific swordfish, Chilean sea bass and Idaho rainbow trout among the nine grilled fish selections on the menu. I chose the lemon butter sauce over lime tomato garlic sauce, warm mango salsa or Pan Asian style. My husband ordered the 11-ounce “center cut” seasoned and grilled sirloin steak with garlic mash potatoes and the house caesar salad. Both were cooked evenly — slightly crisp on the outside, tender inside — and deliciously seasoned.

Although we’d polished off our main courses, we couldn’t pass up ordering dessert. Surprisingly there were only three items on the dessert menu, but between chocolate macadamia nut brownie cake, deep dish key lime pie and créme brulée, it was a difficult decision. Finally, we decided to share the créme brulée, topped with fresh whipped cream and raspberries. The carmelized crust revealed a smooth cream within and was just the right end to a satisfying meal.