Don't Get Me Wrong, If I Fall In The "Mode Of Passion," It Might Be Unbelievable, But Let's Not Say "So Long," It Might Just Be Fantastic

--"Don't Get Me Wrong", The Pretenders

from a recent entry on Yelp...

I love trout. There's no getting around it. When I think of eating fish, it's trout that leaps to mind. If a restaurant doesn't serve trout I seriously reconsider even ordering fish or sometimes seafood altogether.

That being said, it takes a lot for a place to impress me with their trout. I mean--I've had it all the way up and down the California coast. I've had it in places as far-off as Seattle and Boston and Chicago. I don't believe a fish exists that I'm more familiar with how it should taste than trout. For every place that I've sampled a delectable morsel of this freshwater fish I've probably tried a dozen places where I've been gravely let down.

Let me just say, Fish Bonz is one of the good guys.

Their Cajun trout is spot-on sublime. It possesses a good deal of flavor, is pretty hefty for the price, and still manages to squeak in under $9. There isn't anything I can complain about their version of my seafood staple. The fries and cole slaw it comes with also happen to be perfect accompaniments, neither overpowering the fish nor being weak-tasting or forgettable.

I love small seafood places that can offer great deals on their fish. I love places that know seafood doesn't have to be a high-class affair where you break out the china and crystal. I'd much rather eat at a place like Fish Bonz that can bring fish to the people off the street, people who are just looking for a good meal while they're out and not a black tie affair.

I can't say any more about this place except to say that now that I've found it there ain't nothing in the world that can keep me from coming back again and again for their simply awesome trout.

----

One of the best things my parents ever did for me was take me and my brother to all sorts of restaurants. Unlike some of my relatives I had a pretty eclectic culinary education. I'm not claiming I'm the most experimental eater out there, but comparatively I've gotten the opportunity to sample a lot of different cuisines thanks to my parents.

Yet one of my most favorite memories is when my parents, mostly my mom, would take us down to the local Sizzler for lunch. That's where I fell in love with trout as my preferred fish. Before those visits I really didn't like fish much. Aside from the occasional fish sticks and fries we had for dinner, I just couldn't see much of the point of fish. It wasn't the smell like most people complain about since I can't smell. I just found fish rather boring. Because of my inability to smell I tended to gravitate towards foods with a high amount of flavor or seasoning. Fish just didn't meet this requirement. More than that, fish tended to be either dry or severely undercooked, at least in my household.

Then I tried trout for the first time at Sizzler's. Not only did I enjoy it immensely, but with every visit I find it consistently good. Unlike fish at home or the other places my parents had taken us to, I could rely on the trout at Sizzler's being the buttery, lightly salted heaven that I had had that first time.

It gave me hope that other seafood might approach this level of appeasement. Frankly, it opened what up until then was a slowly shutting door on opening my palate to something I thought I would dislike for the rest of my life.


suddenly thunder showers everywhere
who can explain the thunder and rain

I believe that's the reason I like trout as much as I do, because it reminds me of a time where a new world was opened to me. Sure, I might go a little overboard with the trout fanaticism, but without that remarkable fish I might have remained a closed-off individual like I am in other aspects of my life. I truly count seafood as one of my favorite types of food. That condition might have been drastically changed if I hadn't discovered trout.

Besides, I have to give credit to where credit is due. When I find something or someone that has such a huge impact on my life I'll pretty much be a fan for life. That's what I am, a trout fan for life.

And proud of it.

Yours Swimmingly,
mojo shivers