Bonefish Grill - Madison

I had my wedding rehearsal dinner there on 9/30/2016 with Chef Rod. It was hands down, the best wedding rehearsal dinner I've ever been to (& I've been in quite a few). The extreme high quality AND insane quantity of the food they gave us, for the price, was the best I've ever seen or heard about, and this sentiment was echoed by all who were there on both sides of the families. We originally went to Madison's Bridal Expo in late Jan/early February 2015, & walked around looking at the different vendors for rehearsal dinners, as we already had booked with a hotel to do the reception. Chef Rod's Bonefish food at the Expo was wonderful, & my husband-to-be, (who has management experience at other restaurants & sub shops), could tell right away that this guy really knew (and had a passion for) what he was doing. We had already talked in-depth with 5 other restaurants in the same area & visited them too, - no other place had the same bang for your buck as this place. Chef Rod was so genuine & helpful. We ended up booking with Bonefish/Chef Rod. He had a meeting with us to go over what menu we should do & our budget of how much we wanted to spend on each adult, & each kid, then plans with you to make the experience wonderful specifically based on your needs & your quirks as a family. For example, my husband's family/friends were from far out of state, so our families had never met before. Rod suggested a family-style long table & pass-around appetizers & sides to help encourage more interaction with everyone. This insight completely worked - it was elegant & beautiful, yet had this comfortable informal/fun 'feel' at the same time, - everyone quickly got to talking & even joking with each other! (we didn't even have alcohol to get the talking going!) It made a possibly awkward situation unbelievably easy. The room, which did not require a "minimum amount spent" to reserve it (unlike most places), was separate & lit gorgeously with soft beautiful white christmas lights above. Chef Rod takes his time with you to accommodate each guest's specific issues: for example, my sister has recently developed an extreme dairy allergy. She really misses out now on so many foods that she loves. At no extra cost, Rod made her a separate bang-bang shrimp appetizer, and a special pear/apple dessert that actually tasted so good my mom ordered it too. My sister was almost crying when she saw she got to eat the same things as everyone else or even better. We had 16 adults & 3 kids: 1)they brought out at least 3 HUGE platters (much more food than you normally get at Bonefish per person) (as well as my sister's dairy free bang-bang shrimp), 2)salads, 3)a choice of FOUR different high-priced entrees & 2 sides 4)brownies w/raspberry sauce, ice cream, strawberries cut to look like a rose, & a french benign (as well as the special dessert for sister). When I looked at how much these items would have cost normally on the menu, compared to how much we paid for them, it was literally like we got a FIFTY percent discount..I am not joking...It is now 45 days later, & afterwards our families friended each other on facebook, sharing pics, even inviting each other to come visit...(yes this is because of the reception too, but Bonefish SET THE TONE of the WHOLE weekend). Everyone is STILL talking about how wonderful it was, how good the food was, how it was the best rehearsal dinner & wedding ever! We keep thinking about it & still can't believe it.