Fire Up The Grill: Smokey Bones Introduces New Menu Today

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- It's true: where there's smoke, there's fire.

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Smokey Bones Barbeque & Grill, known for its award-winning slow-smoked ribs and hand-pulled pork, today introduced seven new menu items that show the restaurant's passion for open-fire grilling.

Joining the restaurant's signature Baby Back and St. Louis-style ribs are these new unique grilled selections:

* Grilled Oregon Pear and Spinach Salad: A blend of fresh leaf spinach, grilled pears, seedless grapes and mandarin oranges with roasted pecans, crumbled bleu cheese, red onions and tomatoes tossed in light berry vinaigrette.

* Portobello Chicken: Herb grilled chicken breast served over a large Portobello mushroom cap stuffed with spinach artichoke dip and feta cheese, garnished with fresh diced tomatoes and served with grilled flatbread.

* Kansas City Flat Iron Steak: A marinated 10 oz. Flat Iron Steak, hand rubbed with Smokey Bones' signature steak seasoning, grilled and served with roasted Portobello mushroom sauce.

* Herb Grilled Mahi-Mahi Sandwich: A grilled herb and garlic marinated Mahi-Mahi fillet served with a Cajun remoulade sauce on a toasted Kaiser roll.

* Grilled Chicken Club: Herb grilled chicken breast, peppercorn bacon and Swiss cheese on a toasted French roll.

* Smokehouse Burger: A half-pound Angus burger topped with barbequed onions, bacon and cheddar cheese on a toasted Kaiser roll.

* Bleu Portobello Burger: A half-pound Angus burger topped with bleu cheese crumbles, Portobello mushrooms and sautéed onions on a toasted Kaiser roll.

"While barbeque is the backbone of our menu, our guests want a variety of imaginative dishes that keep them coming back to Smokey Bones," says President JJ Buettgen. "We're not afraid to introduce flavors that are new to casual dining."

But, grilled pears?

"Smokey Bones' menu is both about honoring the traditions of slow-smoked foods and introducing new trends," explains John McLaughlin, who leads the restaurant's culinary team. "Adding fruits and nuts to a salad expands its taste and texture. Our new Oregon Pear and Spinach Salad may be the most flavorful salad you'll find in a casual dining restaurant. I also believe the Portobello Chicken will become a signature entrée for Smokey Bones."

Smokey Bones has a reputation for great food. Its barbeque team, which has been featured on the Food Network, has won four consecutive top place finishes at the annual Memphis in May World Championships of Barbeque Competition.

Appetizers like Barbeque Chicken Nachos and Spinach Artichoke Dip are favorites on the menu, which includes side items such as asparagus, broccoli and barbeque baked beans. The restaurant's signature dessert is a bag of fresh "made-to-order" hot cinnamon-sugar doughnuts served with strawberry dipping sauce.

The restaurant also has a catering menu that feeds groups of 10 to more than 1,000 people. To find the Smokey Bones nearest you, visit http://www.smokeybones.com/ .

About Smokey Bones

Smokey Bones Barbeque & Grill features a rustic mountain lodge dining environment, using tall timbers, stacked stone, fireplaces and images you would see in the mountains. The atmosphere is enhanced with television screens throughout the building showing guests' favorite television programs. Each table has an audio box so guests may listen to the television program they choose -- or mute the sound altogether.

One of the fastest growing restaurant companies in casual dining, Smokey Bones opened its first restaurant in Orlando, Fla., in 1999 and has since grown to more than 117 locations across the eastern and midwestern United States.

Smokey Bones restaurants average $3.1 million in annual sales and 100 employees per location. The company is owned by Florida-based Darden Restaurants, Inc. , which also owns and operates Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52 restaurants.

AT-HOME RECIPE FOR SMOKEY BONES OREGON PEAR AND SPINACH SALAD Serves Four Ingredients: 1/4 pound whole pecans 2 Bosc or Bartlett pears 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 bags leaf spinach (9 oz. each), washed 1 lb. red seedless grapes, washed 2 cups bleu cheese crumbles 1/2 medium red onion, sliced 1 cup diced Roma tomatoes 1 cup raspberry vinaigrette dressing (or vinaigrette dressing) 1 15-ounce can mandarin orange segments, drained Preparation: * Chill one large mixing bowl and four large individual salad bowls. * Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and preheat charcoal or gas grill to medium-high heat. * Set pecans on baking tray and place in oven for 10-15 minutes until dark brown taking care not to burn. Remove pan from oven and set aside to cool. * Cut each pear in half lengthwise and remove stem, bottom and seeds. Slice each half into approximately 3/16" slices. * Immediately lightly brush oil on both sides of each pear slice, place on grill for approximately 1 minute per side. Remove from grill, place on pan, and chill in refrigerator. Completing Oregon Pear and Spinach Salad * Cut chilled pear slices in half lengthwise. * Chop cooled pecans into approximate 1/4" x 1/4" pieces. * In large chilled mixing bowl, place spinach, grilled pears, grapes, bleu cheese crumbles, red onion slices, chopped roasted pecans, tomatoes and vinaigrette dressing. * Toss well and portion into individual salad bowls. Garnish each salad with 1/4 of the drained mandarin oranges. AT-HOME RECIPE FOR SMOKEY BONES PORTOBELLO CHICKEN Serves Four Ingredients: Portobello caps (recipe below) Spinach artichoke stuffing (recipe below) 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (approx. 6-8 oz. each) To taste, salt and pepper 1/4 cup diced tomatoes Portobello Caps and Spinach Artichoke Stuffing Portobello caps Ingredients: * 4 large Portobello mushroom caps (approximately 6" in diameter) * 2 tablespoons vegetable oil * To taste, kosher salt * To taste, cracked black pepper Spinach Artichoke Stuffing Ingredients: 1 box frozen spinach, thawed 1 cup sour cream 1 cup grated Swiss cheese 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened 1/4 teaspoon white pepper 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon crushed garlic 1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained 4 ounces feta cheese crumbles Preparation: (at least four hours before serving) * Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While oven is preheating, remove any remaining stem from Portobello caps, then lightly brush any dirt from caps using a dry towel. * Place caps on a baking pan, cap side up. Lightly brush each cap with 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil, then sprinkle each evenly with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. * Flip caps over to the rib side, and without oiling the cap, sprinkle each evenly with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. * With the seasoned caps still rib side up, place the pan in the oven and set timer for 15 minutes. When caps are done, remove from oven and cool 5 minutes at room temperature, then place in refrigerator to chill. Preparation: (to be done while caps are chilling) * Squeeze water from thawed spinach, then chop into approximate 1/2" x 1/2" pieces and place into large mixing bowl. * Chop artichoke hearts into approximate 1/2" x 1/2" pieces and add to mixing bowl. * Add sour cream, Swiss cheese, cream cheese, white pepper, red pepper flakes and garlic to spinach and artichoke hearts, then mix thoroughly. * Remove chilled Portobello caps from refrigerator and top each with approximately 1/4 of spinach artichoke stuffing, spreading evenly to edge of cap. * Place one ounce of feta cheese crumbles on each cap, spreading evenly to edge of cap. * Place in refrigerator until ready for grilling chicken. Grilling and Completing the Dish * Preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat. * Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place on pre-heated grill. * With the chicken grilling on medium-high heat, place the stuffed Portobello caps with the cheese side up on a section of the grill set on low heat. Cover caps with aluminum pan. * Cook chicken approximately 4-5 minutes per side, rotating once per side to create diamond marks. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. * Without flipping, rotate stuffed Portobello caps once during cooking to heat evenly. * Remove caps to plate when heated completely through and cheese begins to melt slightly. Place one grilled chicken breast on each cap, leaving top half of cap exposed. Top each with 1 tablespoon of diced tomatoes.