Bonefish Grill to open

Anthem eatery first of Florida chain to open in Nevada

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Tobias Fox thinks the biggest thing missing from his Anthem-area restaurant, Bonefish Grill, is the typical fish house atmosphere.

He and Bonefish Grill partner Jim Combe are OK with that omission.

In fact, they are delighted to offer something a little different at their joint venture, which was scheduled to open its doors yesterday at 10839 Eastern Ave.

"You shouldn't smell the fish in a fish house," said Combe. "If you're coming in the front door and you get knocked over by fish odor, that's not good. You won't get that here."

What you will get is many species of fresh fish on year-round and seasonal menus, a mix of traditional Japanese and 3-D iron artwork on the walls, and what Fox, managing partner at Bonefish Grill, describes as a "polished casual" dining experience.

"The restaurant and bar have a nice atmosphere," Combe said. "You can be looking for a casual or upscale dining experience and feel comfortable here. We've got a great lounge area and partially open kitchen."

Fox said the most exceptional aspect of the restaurant was its variety of fresh seafood.

"Eight to 10 species of fresh fish are flown in from around the world daily," he said. "Then we inspect and cut them at the restaurant."

The Bonefish Grill menu includes Chilean sea bass, North Atlantic salmon, halibut, grouper, rainbow trout, long fin tilapia and ahi tuna, as well as a rotating list of seasonal fish.

Combe and Fox said educating patrons about fish is important at Bonefish Grill.

The restaurant's Web site at www.bonefishgrill.com carries information about the fish served at Bonefish Grill.

"We like to consider ourselves the fresh fish experts," Combe said. 'The staff are called anglers, and they learn everything as far as the fish is concerned, and they can also advise diners on wine pairing and guide them through the dining experience."

The restaurant has regular, featured and reserve wine lists, totaling more than 50 bottles, and 12 signature martinis.

Bonefish Grill, based in St. Petersburg, Fla., was established in 2000 and expanded through a partnership with Outback Steakhouse Inc. The Anthem-area location is the first in Nevada.

Fox described Bonefish Grill as a "fresh fish concept." He said the menu includes steak, chicken and pasta dishes.

Combe said all items are prepared fresh in-house daily, including desserts such as handmade céme br?ée, deep-dish key lime pie and chocolate macadamia nut brownie cake.

"We import fish from all over the world, and we always have people go and research fish from around the world," Combe said. "We're always looking for fresh, new types of fish of the highest quality."

The interior of the 5,581 square-foot restaurant includes bar, lounge and dining areas. Fox said the fish rubbings adorning the walls were traditionally used by Japanese fishermen.

"They're done on rice paper," he said. "When the Japanese men used to come back from fishing, they'd always have a story about catching a fish that was 'this big.' So they started doing rubbings of the fish on rice paper because otherwise no one would believe them."