CUAISR ITNE
BON APPÉTIT RESTAURANT
Creative American Menu
with European Flair
By Margaret Word Burnside and Aaron R. Fodiman
Photography by Shannon Livingston
For four decades, Bon
Appétit in Dunedin
has been the leading
restaurant for the
city known for its dining
options. Its sophisticated
waterfront setting on
St. Joseph Sound gives
diners an opportunity
to enjoy stunning views
of Honeymoon and
Caladesi Islands, while
being served on crisp
linen tablecloths and
sparkling place settings.
For those who want a
more casual experience,
they also offer protected
alfresco waterfront seating
in the adjacent Terrace Cafe.
The same great menu is
available inside or outside.
The menu begins with a classic French
onion soup gratinée, a daily chef’s creation
soup and a New Orleans shrimp and
smoked sausage gumbo. Next are a Caesar
salad to which you can add grilled salmon
or chicken, a gluten-free Greek salad, a
Chef’s 1943 Salad with Swiss cheese, ham
and Genoa salami to which you can also
add grilled salmon or chicken, and a grilled
chicken salad with apples, blueberries,
pecans and blue cheese.
To start, there is a wonderful chilled
seafood sampler with shrimp, ahi tuna,
smoked salmon and bay scallops, a lobster
avocado stack with brandy dressing, a
Maine lobster roll and grilled baguette
with prosciutto mascarpone, onion jam and
truffle honey. The featured entrées include
grilled salmon, an 8-ounce lobster tail, red
snapper, shrimp fettuccine, filet mignon, a
14-ounce chop steak, rack of New Zealand
lamb, veal sweetbreads, sea scallops on
sweet corn broth, grouper Bon Appétit with
capers and feta, and our all-time favorite,
Dover sole that is deboned tableside.
In addition, there are daily comfort food
Seared herb and pecan crusted New Zealand lamb is served with the
vegetable and potato of the day at Bon Appétit Restaurant in Dunedin.
specials. You can order fettuccine pasta
on Monday, then boneless short ribs on
Tuesday, grilled flank steak and frites on
Wednesday and chargrilled herb-rubbed
pork chops on Thursday. For Friday, it’s
shrimp étoufée, and for Saturday, you can
choose roasted half chicken with cranberry
stuffing. Sunday’s special is lamb shank
braised in Merlot.
For light eaters, there are salmon cakes,
snails baked in garlic-herb and curry butter,
steamed mussels in white wine butter,
Mediterranean octopus, a Black Angus
sirloin burger, grilled Gulf grouper on a
brioche and sautéed Gulf shrimp in a sweet
and spicy garlic chili sauce by the half- or
full dozen. Also, you may try fresh burrata
cheese with oven roasted beets, chilled
ahi tuna, cold smoked salmon on potato
pancakes and a shrimp cocktail.
If this is not enough, you can select one
of the three-course specials that begin with
soup du jour or a house salad and continue
with a choice of grilled salmon, roasted
chicken breast with an addictive sweet pecan
butter sauce, a 5-ounce petit filet mignon,
170 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019
a half rack of lamb, or
portobello mushroom
ravioli, ending with your
choice of a petit dessert.
On Sundays, there
is a Bistro Brunch with
grilled artichoke and
kale cakes, eggs Benedict,
cornflake-crusted French
toast, poached eggs
Creole, beef tenderloin
and mushroom hash, a
smoked salmon platter
and egg, cheese potato
pie, which are in addition
to the regular menu.
That is one reason for
the appeal of “The Bon.”
They offer something
to please everyone along
with excellent service in
an ambience appreciated
by those who enjoy the finer things in life.
Their wine list and signature drinks
make the bar inside and the outdoor
waterfront bar lively places throughout
the days and evenings. There is a children’s
menu, and the desserts and specialty coffees
are sensational. Whether you order crème
brûlée, tiramisu, mini pastries, warm apple
strudel, toasted almond fudge, chocolate
trilogy, strawberry coupe with vanilla ice
cream, Key West Key lime pie, coconut
cream pie or flourless chocolate cake, you
won’t be disappointed. We usually do not
have room for one, but we never leave
without having one of their petit desserts
for a sweet ending to our meal.
There are so many reasons why Bon
Appétit is one of our area’s most beloved
restaurants. We encourage you to go and
have your own gastronomically delightful
experience. We know you will be happy
you did. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Bon Appétit, 148 Marina
Plaza (at the Dunedin Marina) in Dunedin, can
be reached at (727) 733-2151.