If variety is the spice of life, then FINO has mastered the art of living.
I attended the Blogger Happy Hour hour in Jodi’s place, and when I showed up, about 30 people were gathered on the restaurant’s beautifully decorated outdoor patio – the kind of patio everyone dreams of having in their home, with sleek yet comfy furniture as Mediterranean-inspired as the menu. (When I mentioned at my next happy hour that I’d just come from FINO, my friend asked, “Is that the place with the great patio upstairs?” Yep, that’s the one.)
Waiters brought out a dozen or so appetizers, cycling them through one or two at a time throughout the evening. Food bloggers rushed to capture every item that came through the kitchen doors, flashing their cameras (or in my case, my iPhone) while the waiters patiently held out trays of culinary genius. I arrived a little late, so I missed the fried goat cheese with onion jam and honey, which sounded scrumptious and had received rave reviews.
After saying hello to the two people I recognized, I headed straight for the refreshment table and poured myself a strawberry and mint sangria. The strawberries were from the Poteet Farm Strawberries outside of San Antonio, and the alcohol was a mix of white wine, brandy and prosecco. Crisp and refreshing, it was my favorite drink by far.
Other drinks included:
- Bee Sting with vodka, black pepper syrup, lemon-orange juice in a tequila-rinsed glass (I thought it was sweet and tangy.)
- Paloma Flower with tequila, elderflower liqueur, grapefruit and grapefruit bitters (I thought it tasted soapy.)
- Irish Monks with Irish whiskey, chartreuse, earl gray syrup and lemon. (I didn’t try it.)
I piled my plate with a couple of fried anchovy olives, a shot glass filled with tomato gazpacho and a crab-and-avocado bruschetta. I’m not an olive fan, but the little balls of fried goodness were delicious, and the olives were nicely complemented by the anchovy and crispy batter. The gazpacho was not too salty, perfectly flavored. My only criticism of the crab-and-avocado bruschetta was that the crab spread could have been anything. If I hadn’t had a menu to tell me I was eating a crab spread, I’m not sure I would have figured it out.
Out came the pork belly with spring onion and white bean puree followed closely by the coriander crusted tuna with mint tatziki. I’m a carnivore to the core – the kind of girl who will take a medium-rare Porterhouse any day over chocolate or dessert. So I was really excited about both of these menu items. But both, while well-cooked and beautifully presented, were much too salty for my palette. (In FINO’s defense, I’m not much of a salt user and tend to undersalt when cooking.)
The fried anchovies with aioli and lemon were TDF (to die for), as were the fried littleneck clams with paprika aioli served in their shells on a bed of rock salt. I could have eaten those all night. I was also really content with the little glass of za’atar-braised lamb in celeriac puree. Jack Yang
(of Eating in a Box) and I couldn’t figure out the spices, but we were guessing it was seasoned with everything from cinammon to cumin to red curry powder. (Anyone out there know?)
For me, the surprise of the evening was the strawberry semifreddo with rose water coulis and pistachio tuile. Served in espresso mugs, this creamy dessert was a masterpiece – the star of the evening. Heaven in a little white mug. Every ounce of my carnivorous core wanted seconds. A little chocolate-and-dulce de leche cake-y concoction (not on the menu) was the perfect treat end to the very happiest of happy hours.
I’d been to FINO a few times before last night, and I’ll go back again and again (though I may request a dish that’s light on the salt). And I’ll definitely be ordering dessert.
Tags:
fino,
guest blog,
happy hour
