By Samantha Joseph
Staff writer
PORT SALERNO - Few things can match the view of the St. Lucie River from Finz Waterfront Grille on a clear day.
Known for its premiere location, the Port Salerno restaurant also boasts some of the freshest seafood in town at competitive prices.
Its newly updated menu is streamlined, so local favorites are easy to find, as are creative and inspired additions.
The superb Mexican-seared ahi tuna tataki tostadas, for instance, are a mini party on a plate. The appetizer is a clever and fun starter, a neatly assembled and more elegant version of a chip and dip. It offers crispy fried tortillas topped with guacamole and ahi tuna, sprinkled with pico de gallo, avocado and chipotle crèmas. With fresh tomatoes, onions, lettuces, and guacamole served directly on the chip, this appetizer is neatly assembled. It's beautifully plated, light finger food that gets the meal off to a great start.
"People are going crazy over this," said Marco Piccoli, general manager of Finz.
It's easy to see why.
Finz Waterfront Grille is home to outstanding cuisine that's easy to love.
Homemade desserts are rich, luxurious indulgences in just the right quantity. They're freshly made and compliment the entrees perfectly.
A forerunner is the amazing piña colada bread pudding, which combines pineapple rum flavors with coconut crème Anglaise.
A great touch at Finz is its suggested wine pairings for each entrée, plus the fact that guests can order from its lunch or dinner menus throughout the day.
That's good news, because the dolphin Crisfield dinner entrée is a good choice, with sautéed dolphin, lump crab meat, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, capers and white- wine lemon-butter sauce.
Also outstanding is the grilled maple-glazed salmon.
The meat dishes are equally exceptional.
A 10-ounce pork chop, served French style with balsamic slaw, baby back ribs and choice sirloin, are among the options.
On Sundays, the restaurant hosts a popular brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., when many guests often arrive by boat. Finz has 23 boat slips available at no charge to diners and a large deck for outdoor dining.
Weekend entertainment includes musicians performing on a barge anchored in front the tiki bar from 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and on Sundays from 2 p.m.
Daily specials also provide regular incentives to take advantage of discounted food and drink prices.
During Monday madness, mussels sell for $6, draft beers for $2.25 and house margaritas for $4. Rum runners and pain killers cost $4 all day on tropical Tuesdays, and guests get a 50 percent discount on select bottles and glasses of wine on Wednesdays. Thirsty Thursdays offer $5 specialty martinis, and on Sundays, Coronas cost $2 and several tropical drinks sell for $4.
Happy hour runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday, offering discounts on appetizers and drinks.
From Tuesday to Sunday, the restaurant offers live entertainment.
An added attraction is Finz Red Eye Café next door, located inside the Fish House Art Gallery, serving specialty coffees, smoothies, beer, wine and fine cigars.
Finz Waterfront Grille is located at 4290 Salerno Road. For more information, call (772) 283-1929 or visit www.finzwaterfrontgrille.com.