You don’t have to ask me twice – I’m ready to go out.

When given the choice between spending half of the day preparing and cooking a dinner and going out, you don’t have to ask twice. I’m out the door, dressed and made up faster than you can say “Which car are we taking?”

So when the Bonefish Grill asked me if I’d like to take the Bonefish Challenge, I replied – hold my reservation, I’ll be there in two minutes. When they told me that I’d have to have dinner at my local Bonefish Grill and then at another restaurant (and they were footing the bill), I was out the door faster than you can say Bang Bang Shrimp.

I hadn’t been to the Bonefish Grill in over a year (maybe more). Since we moved into the mansion, we no longer lived within a mile of a Bonefish and we hadn’t really explored to find where the nearest location was.

How could I not have realized that there was a Bonefish Grill just one city over (in Stuart, FL). No reservations needed on a weeknight, so as soon as the gift cards arrived, I threw my diamonds on, slipped on a pair of Manolo’s, shimmied into a Mark Jacobs number and ran to the Maybach.

One cocktail and a plate of Bang Bang Shrimp and I knew it was going to be a great night. Once our FABULOUS (and cute) server brought over my Rhea’s Atlantic Swordfish – wood-grilled and topped with sauteed spinach, lump crabmeat and a lime tomato garlic sauce over garlic mashed, I wondered

Sometimes you need a not so gentle reminder (or a kick in the dérriere) to put you back on track….and MY TRACK is going BACK to the Bonefish Grill – AGAIN!

I want to thank the wonderful person at Bonefish who sent me these gift cards, but WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? Why would I even want to step foot in another seafood restaurant and when I could be dining on delicious fresh caught fish? Who else offers such a polished casual, warm, comfortable setting with servers who seem to read your mind (I swear, he seemed to anticipate our EVERY need) PLUS he was so charming (um, and I think I mentioned it before – CUTE) that I felt more like an old friend than a customer.

Well, I promised to do the challenge, so I chose another seafood restaurant. It’s a smaller local restaurant, the kind where you’d expect the fish to be fresh, the atmosphere to be friendly and the service to be good. Well, 2 out of 3 isn’t bad. The atmosphere was friendly – but no where NEAR as elegant an interior as the Bonefish Grill. The service, I have to say was very good, but our server only had 3 tables to wait on, so I’d expect that. The food, did not compare. It makes you wonder how a restaurant by the Ocean in South Florida can serve frozen fish. UGH.

The results of the challenge? Bonefish wins HANDS and GILLS down.

My only complaint – there are no Bonefish Grill’s up in New England (and we visit there yearly).