Dining in Davis: Fins Market & Grill

They have good seafood in the Northeastern United States. I know this fact because my dad is from New York. He loved eating seafood in New York – almost as much as he loves complaining about how seafood here stinks because it’s not from New York.

Last time I checked, Davis isn’t in the Northeast – unless you’re in Hawaii, in which case you have better things to do than keep reading this. Regardless of where you are, the fact of the matter is I’m not in the Northeast.

Until now.

Well, sort of.

Enter Fins Market & Grill, located in the Oakshade Town Center in South Davis – which still isn’t in the Northeast, and I don’t care anymore. This place is good.

I also know the Northeast has good seafood because my friend is from Delaware, and then lived in Maine. She is nowhere near as good at complaining as my dad is – most people aren’t – but is also an avid fan of Northeastern seafood.

After driving around forever because I’m an idiot who’s never been to the Oakshade Town Center – we may as well have actually driven to Maine – my friend and I finally made our way through Fins’ front door.

My first reaction was that I was underdressed. There’s a giant swordfish mounted on the wall beside the entrance, potted plants throughout the building, paintings covering the walls and a nice ambience is created by restaurant’s the teal and tan coloring – or so I’m told. I’m partially colorblind – all I was able to tell is that the tablecloths were white and the chairs were black. I think.

My second reaction was that I wasn’t underdressed at all. From the employees who were wearing “Get hooked” t-shirts to the fresh fish counter, I was starting to see Fins as more of a casual restaurant. I then noticed that a minor league baseball – the San Francisco Giants – game was on the TV, and felt fine sporting my Oakland A’s hat.

Bad baseball on TV or not, it was time to order. There wasn’t a single entrée under the $13.50 mark – most of them were in the high teens – so we quickly turned to the sandwich section of the menu, simply because 17 of the 18 selections in that section cost less than 10 bucks.

My friend went for a salmon sandwich for $7.95, and added a small cup of “Fintastic” – their word, not mine – New England clam chowder because she claimed to be an expert in the department. While she said nothing could ever compete with real New England chowder, she did say that this thick, creamy soup was wonderful – by California’s imposter standards.

I decided on the halibut sandwich for $8.95. Now, I like halibut plenty, but the real reason I went for it was because of my dad. A few years ago, fresh halibut was shipped from the Northeast to a market in my hometown. I know it was fresh – not frozen – for about 16 reasons. Actually, it was more that my dad said some variation of “this halibut is great because it’s fresh – not frozen” approximately 16 times throughout the course of our meal.

Was it possible to eat fresh – still not frozen – halibut twice in my lifetime?

Yes. Yes, it was.

The halibut and salmon sandwiches both featured fresh, juicy fish, and were presented with a side of coleslaw on square plates. The bread was slightly toasted, and a mild, mayonnaise-based sauce complemented the fish. Even the coleslaw was fresh – it wasn’t anything too fancy, but it got the job done, too.

While this South Davis eatery doesn’t quite resemble the Northeastern taste, it’s certainly the best seafood I’ve had in Davis. The service was great, too – I have no idea what the bottom of my water glass looked like because it was always refilled so quickly.

Fins Market & Grill may be a bit pricey, but that’s to be expected for a good seafood restaurant. This is a good place to go if your parents come to town to visit – assuming they’ll pay for you, of course. It’s also a good place to go if they’re from New York, and you want them to stop complaining.

ADAM LOBERSTEIN can be reached at features@californiaaggie.com