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Elegant Simplicity - Local ocean flavors are served in an antique upscale Cape Cod setting at Fin
Simplicity pertains to every detail in the restaurant. The atmosphere is elegantly understated. The presentation of food seems effortless. The service is attentive but relaxed. In no way, of course, is any of this an unplanned coincidence.
Co-owner and executive chef Martha Kane, whose culinary expertise has made a lasting impression at the Brewster Fish House for eight years (three of them as executive chef), and her husband Jonathan Smith, who farms oysters at his own grant in Dennis, have taken what they know about local Cape food and the airy feel of sophisticated seafood dining, and created a true sensory experience at Fin.
A carefully constructed menu, featuring seasonal ingredients, has been luring old customers of Kane’s, as well as friendly new faces, since its opening in March.
In the two-story antique home, a sensation of intimacy is immediate. A corner bar is illuminated with candlelight, and a quaint dinning room unfolds to the side. The handful of white-linen tables are spaced far enough apart to maintain privacy. My heels click along the old wooden floor boards as my dinner date and I follow the hostess up the narrow stairs to the second story, where there is another dining room.
Light-toned walls host an array of chic, nautical paintings. Music plays softly in the background, just loud enough to feel undisturbed by surrounding guests. I smile at the vibrant orange-pink tulip that graces our table, as well as every other, standing tall in clear cylinder vases.
The appetizer options are enticing. I notice Smith’s own Dennis oysters on the half shell, as well as in their own chowder, complete with leeks, smoked bacon and white truffle oil. Our neighboring table orders the chowder, and the patron visibly melts upon tasting the rich flavors.
We choose instead to share the sautéed Maine Jonah crab cake, complemented by thin slices of English cucumber and grapefruit mousse. I guide my fork across the rectangular plate, pronging a hunk of fresh crab meat, then adding a dollop of the mousse and a cucumber slice. The flavor combination is like nothing I’ve ever had. It is strangely satisfying and very compatible with the crisp bubbling Italian wine we ordered to toast our evening.
A few special entrées are featured each night, such as sea bass, served whole and crispy-fried, or a fillet of Atlantic halibut, served with a side of the season’s produce from such local farms as CapeAbilities in Dennis and Surrey Farm in Brewster.
But we’re suckers for scallops, so we both indulge in an entrée comprised of four pan-seared day boat scallops. Each are accompanied by crisp waffle chips placed on top of a bed of Brewster asparagus, oyster mushrooms and a thin layer of a chive béarnaise. The mix of flavorful vegetables, a salty crisp chip, sweet delicate scallop, and a light buttery béarnaise (which I eventually sopped up with one of the fluffy dinner rolls) is just genius.
Of course, we couldn’t pass up dessert. The specialty of the night was a homemade vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate hazelnut cookies, perfected by in-house pastry chef Christine Arden. But jonesing for that after-dinner java boost, we order the Zuccotto, a denser type of tiramisu made with bittersweet chocolate mousse layered in with a velvety cake. The combination of the two is a decadent compromise to the creamy coffee and vanilla bean anglaise that is drizzled on and absorbed in the dessert.
Leaving Fin was like leaving a spa. I felt completely satisfied and spoiled with delight flowing through every part of my body.
