Fin & Fino
Background:
Fin & Fino opened in April 2018 in Uptown Charlotte in the same building as the Mint Museum, in the space formerly occupied by E2. We checked it out in early May with Rachel, an old Page friend of Jason's and her husband David (yes, Jason was a page, and he did meet Mark Foley, but he was never the recipient of, uh, inappropriate text messages). Rachel and David even brought their sweet baby, Aaron. He was a darling angel, and he enjoyed some fruit and vegetable purrees. I found out that I am not ready to be a mom, though, as I do not own a label maker. Babies require lots of labels, it turns out.
Crisp interior
Baby Aaron + co. and Scallionpancake were thoroughly impressed with the food, service, and atmosphere at Fin & Fino. Read on to see what we ordered!
Eat This:
Sherry & Olives
an amuse-bouche for every table
Scallops & Latke
orange conserva, creme fraiche, caviar, radish, onion
Arctic Char Ceviche
cukes, radish, cilantro, popped sorghum
Lobster & Truffles
celery root brandade, basil shells, shaved truffle
Blistered Tomatoes
mint gnocchi, spinach, mozzarella, lemon
Grilled Tuna
ramp chimichurri, radish, jalapeno-strawberry relish
Cauliflower
gratin with gruyere
Fried Oysters
giardiniera, house tartar
Dessert:
Olive Oil cake
Chocolate Tart
Drink:
The drink selection is on point. The bar is covered by a beautiful oyster shell chandelier, and the bartenders have their own Instagram account, BK & The Clams. You definitely want to follow them. One of the beverage selections is a mystery drink where they don't tell you the ingredients, and I (clam) dig that.
Cheers!
Mocktail
in a fun tiki guy
Adventures in Paradise
plantation rum, amaro, coconut
Atmosphere:
Loved it all. Fin & Fino is clean, white, spacious, and upscale enough to feel appropriate for a special occasion. However, I wouldn’t feel underdressed coming for drinks after work or a casual family dinner. It checks all the boxes.
Check out that oyster chandelier!
Where the magic happens
BK & The Clams Hospitality:
Our server was the cutest human of all time. She was very attentive, explained everything on the menu well, and she was a new mom, so she loved bonding with baby Aaron.
Frankie's Notes:
Baby Aaron gave his purees a 5/5; Real men drink out of pineapples; Jason and I are also not ready to be parents because we are selfish people who like sleeping until 9am on the weekends; Okay, fine, we sleep until 10am; Frankie built that oyster chandelier with his bare pug hands, I'll have you know; We are starting a mixology Instagram account called "Frankie & The Jellyfish;" Ollie is not allowed behind a bar, as he is not yet 21.