As we were out of town for our anniversary and would be flying back on the actual day, we decided…read moreto have dinner at Bimini.
The decor of Bimini Steakhouse is colorful and flamboyant. The red curtains in the window were sending me! Such a beautiful restaurant! The big windows overlooking the Peppermill pool give it a gorgeous view, and they have the signature Peppermill flat screens playing relaxing landscape videos throughout the restaurant.
The décor is pretty, modern, and tropical, with artificial greenery, coral-inspired lamps, and a really nice bar right at the entrance but there are only six seats, so get there early if you want to camp out there. There's a good mix of table and booth seating, and everything feels comfortable and inviting. We were seated at a four-top right next to one of the flat screens. Not sure how others feel about this location, but I loved watching the different scenes pop up and loved seeing Chicago up there.
We started out with the Half Dozen Fresh Oysters (cocktail sauce, Mignonette Granita, Tabasco) and the Charred Octopus. I have to say that while both were delish, that Mignonette Granita was mind blowing! That was my first time having it and I have to say it elevated the oysters to a new level. Now I am not sure if I will be able to eat them without the Mignonette Granita. Mignonette Granita is a frozen version of the mignonette, using red wine, shallots, sea salt, sugar and peppercorns and it was amazing. When it first came out I though it was Pink sea salt, but when I put it on top of an oyster, that initial cold plus the flavor profile on top of the oyster was lovely. The Charred Octopus (ponzu dipping sauce, Okinawa yam puree, pickled vegetables) was also yummy. I wasn't sure what to think about the yams, but they worked with the octopus.
Before I get to the main course, I want to speak on the bread basket that came out. The sourdough was out of this world and it was so good. It was so fresh and had that nice twang to it.
For our entrees, I had the Braised BBQ Australian Wagyu Boneless Short Rib (caramelized onions, mashed potatoes, root vegetables, cooking liquor, crispy fried shallots) and The Doctor had the Black and White Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna Loin (warm rice noodle, Shiitake mushroom, Shishito peppers, mini bell peppers, wakame seaweed, honey soy garlic broth). Both of these were very good. The short rib was very tender and the only reason I needed a knife to cut it was to make the the piece smaller. Unfortunately I was not able to finish the dish as there was a lot of meat on that plate and there was no option to do a doggy bag as we were leaving the next day. The Ahi Tuna was delish as well, very well prepared and the noodles were great but definitely on the spicy side, so beware.
In between the starters and the entrees, we were presented with a palate cleanser of lemon sorbet and prosecco in a martini glass and that was yummy and should be a real dessert on the menu.
Our servers John and Jacob were wonderful and took good care of us and the meal was simply great. The only reason this review is not a five star one is because when we got to our table and were shown our seats, there was a drinks tray in The Doctor's tray. The hostess that showed us to our table immediately took it and apologized, but for a restaurant of this caliber it should not have happened, so what should have been a five star review was dropped down to a four. That said, the rest of the experience was great.