Bonackers
Where: 490 E. Eau Gallie Blvd., Indian Harbour Beach
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. Sunday; bar opens daily at 11 a.m. with happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m.
Call: 321-622-4232
Bonackers is a new seafood restaurant in Indian Harbour Beach, named for the hearty souls who work the water in Accabonac Harbor in New York. As one might expect, there’s a lot of seafood on the menu, but there are choices for landlubbers, too. The menu includes lots of salads, raw bar items, seafood specialties, entrees, sandwiches and salads, along with a Montauk clam bake for market price that serves four, family style. The clam bake includes cherry clams, shrimp, chicken, blue crab claws and veggies, roasted together.
We went for lunch, starting with a couple appetizers. The blue crab dip ($7.95) was certainly tasty, gooey and cheesy, but we couldn’t taste the crab. My husband liked the Accabonac Harbor clam fritters ($5.95), which are deep-fried dough balls studded with a few chewy clams and bell peppers. I liked the tangy mustard remoulade sauce that came with them.
He got the grilled salmon club sandwich ($8.95). While the generous slab of salmon was nicely done and the lemon basil mayo was flavorful and spicy, the bacon was not the crispy kind (the waitress thought it was pancetta), and with the soft roll, the sandwich lacked that crisp contrast in textures one expects from a club. It was a good sandwich, but not a great one.
On the other hand, I loved my excellent entree. The Provencal ($14.95) was a wonderful buttery seafood dish with salty accents from capers and olives. Big scallops, shrimp, blue crab meat and diced tomatoes were served over spinach, and it was delicious. So were the sides: nice, bright, firm green beans, and garlicky mashed potatoes.
The restaurant makes its desserts, including fried banana cheesecake ($6.95), mile-high chocolate cake ($5.95), a sundae and a banana split. We got the blueberry cobbler ($5.95), consisting of blueberries in a thick syrup served with a shortcake (not pastry as the menu says, but one of the owners said they’re still experimenting), along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. I like my blueberries more naked, and they would be served better over the cake, not next to it, but it was pleasant.
Bonackers has promise, the service was cheerful, and the management seems open to feedback. It’s in a great space — the old R.J. Gators on Eau Gallie Causeway — so it has room to stretch its wings. Or fins.
Contact Kridler at 321-242-3633 or ckridler@floridatoday.com.
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