Finz

Reviews 5

PA

Paul Meijer

Finz Seafood & Grill – Salem, MA – 5/4/2016 I suppose you can’t go wrong with a seafood restaurant on the water in a quaint little town called Salem Massachusetts… Located at the end of the little road and as fortune would have it a parking space opened up just as I turned onto the street. They appear to have a vibrant bar scene. The colors Inside... blue and white … Honey wood tables and chairs… And wainscoting throughout… Glass bricks separate the bar from the main dining area. This evening’s meal started with the Finz Wedge… Tomatoes, applewood smoked bacon, blue cheese dressing with crispy onion rings… I don’t particularly care for tomatoes that are somewhat imperfect. You know… The red tomato with the green and white pieces on the end. Trimming those pieces off would show a little bit more attention to detail. But then, I’m not your average diner. Overall the salad was delicious. Next up the Lobster Rangoon served with a sweet soy and hot mustard dipping sauce… A variation on the crab Rangoon theme… I would say this this is the star of the evening. Plating was fabulous and the flavor backed up every bit of its incredible look! For the main this evening… The Sole Meunière mashed potatoes, green beans, fried capers in a lemon butter sauce… So how do I begin to describe this dish..? It doesn’t look very appetizing. For one I think there’s more potato to fish ratio than should be. Imagine putting too many mashed potatoes on your plate and then trying to cover up the evidence with a couple of pieces of fish… The fried caper lemon butter sauce although somewhat tasty, a bit on the salty side. My server was nice enough to offer to replace the dish which I took him up on. For my replacement I opted for the Atlantic Salmon served over green pea basil risotto, strawberry pea tendril salad with a balsamic reduction… Although the salmon was good, the micro greens on top of it were not. I removed them and put them on the side of my plate. They tasted like they were spoiled. The risotto...? I didnt eat that either… Other than forgetting to replace my flatware, my server Andrew was great… Regrettably…, This restaurant did not exactly meet my level expectations… I think its probably a great place to come with friends to have a drink after work and enjoy some appetizers but as far as the rest of the food is concerned…? Im not quite sure Ill be back. You try it and formulate your own opinion… You might like it… Maybe I just caught them on an off night…

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JE

Jen Owens

As a Salem area resident, Ive been to Finz before, but usually avoid it, feeling that their price vs. quality arent generally aligned. My last trip (inspired because their next-door neighbor Victoria Station had an hour wait, Finz no wait) was one more experience in the same exact vein. To be nice, to begin with: our waitress was a sweetheart, water glasses were constantly refilled, and she cheerfully honored my request to ask the bartender for a virgin drink. The rolls that the meal started with were hot and very delicious. Sadly, everything went down from there. I was very much looking forward to my grilled shrimp tacos. They arrived and I was really quite confused. My "citrus-dressed" coleslaw was crudely chopped (and awkward to eat) dry cabbage. The shrimp were okay... but still had their tails on, which were extremely messy and hard to remove, after having been grilled and topped with some sort of sour cream drizzle. The Spanish rice was mushy and looked and tasted suspiciously like a Goya mix that had been sitting too long. The menu-promised fire-roasted tomato salsa was nowhere to be found, and mediocre guacamole mysteriously appeared from nowhere. My dining companions accused me of being hypercritical... but had to admit I had a point when I said, "I could have ordered shrimp tacos at Chilis and at least gotten what the menu promised me, and for $12 instead of $18". To end on a nicer note, the Key Lime pie was really quite good and authentic for a New England version. And, with the water view and delicious raw bar selections, Im sure well return to Finz again. Still, a disappointing meal.

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MU

Munroe Group

One of the top restaurants in Salem, especially for seafood. It seems like the menu has something for everyone, even if with young kids. There are steak and chicken options for the non seafood eaters. Those options are great and prepared as well as the seafood. The setting offers many options. On a weekend night, you can find diners coming in to sit down for a nice meal, while activity at the bar is a bit more on the lively side with people sitting and standing, enjoying their conversations with friends while having a few drinks. The bartenders are always top notch and if you go in for just a few times, they typically remember who you are. The drink specials are always good and there selection of drafts beers does not disappoint. The only concerns I have with Finz is that sometimes on weekend nights, a band plays that can be on the louder side for the bar area, making it very hard to hear people if you are too close. The other concern is that if Finz is busy because of a nice summer day, sometimes they can run out of some of the fish specials as the night goes on. If you sit down for a dinner after a busy day/night at Finz, it could be the case that many of the typically available fish options are out. To be expected with getting fresh fish, but definitely a disappointment after finally sitting down.

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AD

Adrienne Me

We went mid-week. The place was pretty empty and the food was awful. Their Caesar salad is a garden salad (iceberg lettuce, vinegar and oil) with a little cheese on it. The macaroni and cheese with lobster sounds interesting, but it had rubbery grainy lobster that had been frozen and/or microwaved, and the sauce tasted stale. I wasnt going to say anything because I was with a friend, and he never complains, but this time he did. So I did say something. To their credit, we were refunded for our dinners, and offered dessert. This was very kind and generous of them, and I kind of wished it hadnt been as bad as it was because the waiter was so nice. But we wont go back because in spite of the credit, they firmly denied anything was wrong, and I left filled up with bread and wine. If you dont care about your diners opinion, who exactly do you care about? If you cant offer everything fresh cooked when the dining rooms mostly empty, offer a smaller menu. Its that simple. We just wanted something decent to eat and didnt want a fuss - even mediocre would have been okay. It was just sad.

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DU

Dustin Taylor

Judging by other reviews i must have hit an off night. This place was recommended to me by the girl at the front desk of the hotel i was staying at. My sales manager and I had driven all day and were looking forward to a good waterfront meal. It was crowded but we were seated pretty quickly. We ordered some oysters as an appetizer and they were just mediocre, and then i had the grilled Mahi special and it was also mediocre. At this location, mediocre was a big disappointment. The food was not real hot, the potatoes had potential had they been served fresh and hot, the fish was dry with not much flavor. Again, i had high hopes...but i guess i know better than to go in a place with high hopes. I was let down. If ever in town again i will try another for seafood. This was actually our worst meal of our week long trip.

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