Pama Pear Mojito

I love trying new places, so when a friend told me of a "great" restaurant near her home in the Denver Tech Center, I was willing to get on the highway and head down to my old stamping grounds. But as I walked in the door of Bonefish Grill and saw the hostess stand, I had flashbacks to my first hostess job at a now-defunct mid-level chain restaurant that had occupied the same building more than two decades ago. I instantly remembered the smell and stripes of the polyester uniform I wore, as well as my innocent crush on an older man, Gary, a flight attendant who, looking back, I'm quite sure was gay (no wonder that crush was so innocent). And while I've changed significantly since my ill-fated attempt at seating hungry, grumpy people and not pissing off waitstaff, the over-produced feel of a chain restaurant in the suburbs has not changed one bit. If you love this feel, right down to balding suburban divorcés who make Gary look like a good bet, you'll love the bar at the Bonefish Grill — but to me, it seemed like choosing Naugahyde in lieu of real leather. Even so, I stayed long enough to sample the bartender's recommended Pama Pear Mojito ($7.20), made with Grey Goose La Poire vodka, Pama Pomegranate liqueur, fresh mint, lime and too much simple syrup, which wasn't included in the ingredients listed on the drink menu. Like the rest of the place, the drink was tolerable, but not worth a fishing expedition to Bonefish Grill.

E-mail Nancy Levine at drink@westword.com.

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