Grillfish

Father's Day & heard from a close friend that this place was amazing! Jordan our server was & as we got in there at 5p when they open, they said the Lamb didn't show up on the truck & they only had one Lobster. Bizzare!

Ordered the one Lobster Picatta, which by the pix on Yelp look like a healthy serving of linguine & lobster, enough for two, but there was barely any lobster. The creamy caper sauce was absolutely divine, but where was the other half of the meal. I didn't really like having to crack the claws, but no knocks for that.

Started w/ the Mussels in Cream Garlic sauce which was about 12 mussels. Very tiny app compared to other places that the mussels come in a bowl where it's covered in the sauce as well. It was good tho, just smaller than expected.

Also we tried the Seafood Fra Diavolo. Not too spicy & very big. Wish our Lobster came out like that. It had Clams, Calamari, Shrimp & Mussels. It was ok.

Overall, I hoped for so much more for Fathers Day especially the Lamb. I will be back for that & hopefully a better food experience since our friend highly recommended it.

Grillfish is a new seafood and steak restaurant that opened in the Northside District near downtown Lexington in August 2016. Our group came here for dinner a couple weeks ago and really enjoyed it.

The original Grillfish opened in February 1994 in Miami Beach and still exists today. There's another Grillfish in Washington, D.C., but I'm not sure if it's related. The owners of the original Grillfish in Miami Beach also partly own this new location in Lexington (http://www.kentucky.com/news/business/article97550982.html).

I learned about this restaurant through Yelp. I tried to book our group of 5 a reservation using OpenTable, but the restaurant only allows parties of up to 4 book through OpenTable, so I had to call to book instead. Reservations are recommended.

The restaurant is located on the corner of N Limestone and W 3rd St. There's no parking lot. I was able to find free street parking about a block north on W 3rd.

Some may describe this restaurant as upscale, but I disagree. It's one of those mid-tier, casual-but-refined type places which is nice enough for a romantic dinner date (candles, white table cloths), but relaxed enough for a fun meal out with friends or family. The dining room, bar, and part of the kitchen (grill, staging) fill one open space. The bar's got a TV and there's a patio in the back. Along with individual menus at the table, there's a large, blackboard-looking wall menu that overlooks the dining area.

They serve all sorts of seafood including shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari, and lobster (including whole Maine lobster). Fish includes tuna, swordfish, red snapper, mahi-mahi, grouper, salmon, tilapia, Chilean seabass, and whole branzino (European seabass). Meats include New Zealand rack of lamb, Angus ribeye, filet mignon, and NY strip. At dinnertime, prices were about $10-12 each for most starters, $25-50 each for most entrees, and $7 each for a la carte sides.

Here's what I tried:

* Fried calamari with marinara, large - $15
* Classic Caesar salad with shaved Parmesan and garlic croutons - $9
* Harris Ranch natural Angus New York strip (10 oz) - $37
* Grilled Chilean seabass - $42
* Meal-included sides: oven-roasted potatoes, glazed carrots
* Two-cheese macaroni shells and cheese - $7

The calamari was ordered for the table and it was good. At Grillfish, they serve a couple different parts of the calamari including the rings and arms. The breading is relatively light with some pieces served with the breading partially fallen off. Along with marinara, there are pre-sliced lemon halves you can squeeze over the squid. Yummy.

The Caesar salad was fine. Fresh, crisp romaine lettuce and plenty of shaved Parmesan -- almost too much, but I'm not going to complain about that. I do think the dressing was excessive though. That was the only thing I didn't like about the salad.

My buddy let me take a bite of his medium-rare-cooked NY strip and it was terrific. High quality, succulent, and satisfying.

I ordered the Chilean seabass and it was amazing; one of the best pieces of seabass I've had. The fish was grilled to perfection. Both the flavor and consistency were superb. The sauces that came on the side weren't necessary. Like the calamari, the seabass came with lemon which I squeezed onto the fillet.

All of the sides I tried were tasty. I'd choose the potatoes over the carrots. I just like the way they are cut, seasoned, and roasted. The mac and cheese is quite rich, but gratifying.

Service was fantastic. Our server was Lydia L and she did a great job.

Every time my family comes into town, this is where they demand to go for dinner... for good reason. This is the best seafood in town. I have been here several times, and not once left disappointed.

Their clam chowder is delicious, their calamari has been tender and perfectly breaded each time I've ordered it. The bread is always warm and fresh and comes out with a delightful herbed butter. I have had most everything from the grilled fish menu (they prepare a lovely grouper). Their sides are great, my personal favorite are the carrots!

Tonight, at the recommendation of our wonderful server Beth, we ventured out and ordered the special skillet dish. It consisted of mahi mahi topped with a tomato mushroom white wine sauce and fried leeks, potatoes, and their carrots served alongside. It was probably one of my favorite dishes I have eaten here, which is saying a lot.

They have great desserts here as well, my favorites being the key lime pie and the creme brulee cheesecake.

Add good cocktails, a nice wine selection, and a good happy hour to their list of attributes... as well as a fabulous and always friendly staff. We never feel rushed or hurried when we eat here, which is greatly appreciated. Finally, this place has my favorite back patio in town (equal or better to their other restaurant portofino).

This place will continue to be a favorite for all of us!

Amazing dinner- great atmosphere
I was looking for something quaint and local and this surpassed all my expectations. The service was spot on.

My family and I came here for a going away dinner as I'm off to become a real person, and I must say it was without a doubt one of the best meals of my life!!!

We had a reservation for 630PM on Thursday and we were the only people in the restaurant when we arrived (it did fill up quite a bit throughout our 1.5 hour meal). We sat in the outdoor area where there was also live music! The music was fantastic, and not so loud that we weren't able to have a conversation. The service was soo fast and our waitress was incredibly friendly and all around wonderful. I couldn't even believe how quickly our food came out!

My dad and I split a bowl of the new england clam chowder - my dad said it was the best he'd ever had! It was my first clam chowder, but man was it good and oh so thick! I got myself the grilled grouper with glazed carrots and Mac and cheese. The Mac and cheese was good, but the carrots were even better!! They might be the best carrots I've had. Then there was the fish... HOLY COW was it good!!! It was so nicely seasoned and perfectly cooked. It came with a sauce, but it totally didn't need it. The flavor is so good on its own. It was a generous portion of food too!

I was told the mango key lime pie is the star dessert, so obvious I had to get it! Warning: it's huge!! The mango adds a new sweetness and cuts through the tart lime flavor. It was lovely!

I can't wait for another excuse to eat at the Grillfish. Until then, I'll just dream of the incredible food they serve.

Grillfish was great. If you like seafood, this place has lots of delicious options.

I was pleased that the bartender knew how to make an extra dirty gin martini. It was excellent. Good wine list too.

Service was extremely friendly and attentive. Ambiance and decor was nice, relaxed, modern but upper class. So glad that something has opened up in this great location.

Food was excellent. I had scallops picatta with a side of pasta. I enjoyed every bite. Seriously. Calamari appetizer was great. Home breaded and delicious. Clam chowder was hearty and flavorful.

Give Grillfish a try. Great addition to downtown Lexington.

I was lucky to find parking right next to the restaurant. I ordered the grilled shrimp entrée and it was served on top of linguine pasta. Loved it! They also have an outdoor patio area which is where we sat, great place to hang out on a beautiful day. The down side is there's carpenter bees flying around near the corners of the outside little shack they had and I'm afraid of bees so that didn't do too well with me.

The waiter was really nice and informative. Kept our drinks full at all times. The grilled shrimp pasta was delicious, full of flavor! My coworker had the filet and unfortunately most coworkers that ordered something beef related, it was overcooked. Only one of my coworkers spoke out since it bothered her. She ordered medium rare but her steak was medium, no signs of redness. The waiter immediately brought it back to the kitchen and had a new one made for her. There was no fuss about it.

Tip: If you order steak, order a little more rare than you normally would.

Wow! I wasn't prepared to be this blown away!!!

My husband and I sat on the patio, which by the way was so inviting and charming. The music creates a nice environment to sit and enjoy the evening with a great meal.

We started off with the Steak Satay skewers with peanut sauce and Spicy Mussels in Garlic- Tomato Fra diavolo sauce. Both were incredible, but the mussels were out of this world. This was our first time trying mussels and I'm not sure we would try them anywhere else now. Our expectations for what a mussel is have been set and the bar is very high. Set very very high. I thought about ordering seconds (and thirds) but we'd ordered dinner already.

For dinner my husband got rack of lamb, and while I've never been sold on lamb... this lamb was fantastic. It was super tender and perfectly cooked. His sides were green beans (haricot verts) and creamed spinach.

I got the whole lobster with piccata sauce on the side and green beans and carrots for the sides. Their lobster is really good. I don't like getting my hands dirty but it was definitely worth all of the buttery grease stains.

Also the bread was perfect. I do wish they had their own compound butter. Annnnnd something on tap (draft beer is really much better than bottled), but no real complaints.

This place is fantastic. We will be back, heavenly food, pleasant waitstaff, and a really fun atmosphere.

Generous portion. Seafood stew entree was excellent with just the right level of spiciness. However the grilled Mediterranean sea bass was burnt slightly. The price is high but not unexpectedly high given the decor and the aim of the restaurant.

Service was very professional but the server did not come to refill any wine glasses. Perhaps it was a deliberate effort of leaving the patrons at peace?

A delicious fresh seafood option in downtown Lexington. I had the red snapper entree and mussels as an appetizer. I ordered linguine with white clam sauce and creamed spinach as my sides! Very flavorful and extremely fresh fish. Nice ambience. Some of the best creamed spinach I've ever eaten!