Finz Seafood and Grill

http://www.hipfinz.com/

Store hours:

Lunch served daily:

11:30 am to 4:00 PM

Dinner:

Sunday - Wednesday, 
4:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Dinner:

Thursday, 
4:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Dinner:

Friday - Saturday, 
4:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Location:

Finz
76 Wharf Street
Pickering Wharf
Salem, MA 01970

“The Feel of Finz” (atmosphere) on the front page of the menu:

'Surrounded on three sides by windows overlooking Salem Harbor, Finz offers guests lively waterfront scenery in a comfortable open concept interior. Of particular note are the copper-topped bar, floor to ceiling glass wall, fire-side lounge with sofa seating and the built-in raw bar. In warmer months, the outdoor patio dining along the water is superb, with spots in the shade or the sun. With events centered around local arts, Finz is the place to experience Salem.'

General Description via the Finz website:

'Innovative and inspired menus, raw bar, carefully chosen wine list all lead to an extraordinary dining experience. Our menu emphasizes creatively prepared fresh seasonal seafood. Our raw bar offers the freshest local oysters, clams, chilled lobster, colossal crab and jumbo shrimp.

For those feeling a little more land-based, we offer an incredible filet mignon, Statler chicken and daily specials from the kitchen and bar, all prepared to reflect the flavors of the season.'

History: 

Menu Analysis:

There are 8 sections of the physical menu.

Two wine menus, one red, one white. Each menu is separated into several sections divided by type of wine (pinot noir, merlot, chardonnay, etc.) Each wine offers the place where the wine originated, and the prices range from $7-14 per glass and $11-75 per bottle. The separate beer menu is updated weekly online. The fact that there are two wine menus suggest that wine is an important part of the menu. The separation of the menus into one "white" and one "red" could be because different seafoods pair well with select wines, along with most meats and dishes in general.

One list of "Raw Bar Selections." The placement of this section is before the Starter, and Entree menus, which entices the customers to spend more money.

The first four items in this section of the menu are pretty classic, house-menu type dishes. Atlantic oysters, 'FINZ Wasabi-Stoli Oysters' (served with wasabi caviar, and a splash of Stoli Rasberry Vodka), 'Gin and Tonic Oysters' (served with Deacon Giles "Original Sin" gin, shallots, black pepper, and tonic), and littleneck clams served with horseradish and cocktail sauce. With the price ranging from $2.75-3 per oyster, and the clams totaling $10.

The middle segment of this menu is titled 'Seafood Towers' and consists of 3 items titled 'The Platter,' 'The Sampler,' and 'The Tower.' These options are typically for family-sized groups, and contain larger amounts of seafood. 'The Platter' contains 6 oysters, 6 littleneck clams, 5 shrimp cocktail and a half lobster. This dish costs $40. 'The Sampler' includes 6 oysters, 6 littlenecks, 5 shrimp cocktail, 1 chick lobster, and colossal crab, and costs $60. 'The Tower' contains 6 oysters, 6littlenecks, 5 shrimp cocktail, 1 chick lobster, 1/2 lb of king crab legs, and seaweed salad, and costs $80.

The remainder of this section of the menu goes back to the house-style foods, with a jumbo shrimp cocktail served with house-made cocktail sauce; a colossal blue-crab martini with a lemon-caper mustard aioli; the "Wakame Salad Bowl' a vegan dish of Asian origin consisting of sesame-seasoned seaweed, cucumber, and carrot; and finally, king crab legs (1/2 lb or 1 lb)served steamed of chilled with Old Bay aioli, market price. The previously listed items range from $5-18.

There is a soups and salads menu. The first item on the menu is a soup du jour (directly translates to soup of the day, French origin denotes a fancy tone to a simple dish, allows for the restaurant to charge more); FINZ (restaurant signature, also allows for higher price) clam chowder; a house salad ("house" denotes a signature, or classic, again allows for higher pricing), which includes cucumbers, tomatoes, crispy (as opposed ot soggy, or soft) carrots, and a balsamic vinaigrette (not the typical dressing involved in a house salad - originality); caesar salad (a classic dish) but with this dish they offer a choice of baby kale or Romaine hearts as the base, along with a distinct red pepper crouton, and bringing back a classic creamy caesar dressing; The rest of the menu is more developed and original: a 'Vanilla Bean' salad containing arugula, boursin cheese (similar to cream cheese), raspberries, almonds, and a vanilla bean vinaigrette; the FINZ wedge (adding a signature to a basic dish again allows for high pricing, and the placement of this dish after a  more complicated dish suggests that it was placed there to bring the customers' attention back to a familiar item because the Vanilla Bean dish was so out of the ordinary), with applewood smoked bacon, tomatoes, blue cheese dressing, and crispy onions; a "Roasted Beet Salad" with fresh mozzarella (the use of "fresh" suggests a need to use this adjective, whether it be because another restaurant had neglected to serve fresh mozz., or because the creator of the menu needed a longer description), crispy (similar to "fresh") parsnips, and a pesto vinaigrette; and lastly, a 'Winter Salad' with baby kale, and arugula tossed (none of the other salads are "tossed" in their dressings) in a fig vinaigrette (vinaigrattes are a common theme, rather than a typical dressing in these salads), goat cheese (not denoted as "fresh"), crispy pancetta (a fancy word for bacon), pine nuts, and pomegranate seeds. Prices range from $5-9.

A starters menu. The placement of this section is before the Entree menu, which entices the customer into buying more food than they may need, typically starters are small, but heavy dishes, and they are used to curb the customers' hunger before their meal, and are also a good way to get the customers to spend more money, similar to the Raw Bar menu. 

An option for "Fresh Fish of The Day," wherein you may choose a type of fish (salmon, swordfish, yellowfish tuna, jumbo shrimp, north atlantic sea scallops or the daily market fish), and the seasonings you would prefer to be used in the cooking process, which may include cajun, Carribean jerk, lemon herb, or brown sugar chili. This option for your meal is served at 'market price."

Underneath that, you will find "Entrees." Several of the entrees have Asian seasonings and sides, this could be because of where the seafood comes from, and what tastes fit with the fish better than others. Other dishes have a very American, or British taste to them (breadcrumb crusts, mashed potatoes, fries, cole slaw, etc.) Several of the dishes that contain fish are paired with other seafoods, which gives off the feeling that the fish itself isn't enough, for example, the grilled swordfish is paired with a lobster-cream sauce; the yellowfin black and white tuna is served with "crab dynamite." The classic "mac and cheese"  and ravioli that most American families have served countless times in their own homes is dressed with a spin- lobster, to continue with the seafood theme. Only a few items lack seafood (sirloin tips, pork milanesa, roasted half chicken, filet mignon), which isn't surprising because it is, in fact, a seafood restaurant. These items were most likely placed there to entice people who don't like seafood, especially for a large party of customers.