Center-city Charlotte’s newest seafood restaurant applies the upscale steak house formula to seafood. GW Fins offers a short menu of tasty appetizers, select seafood entrées, delicious breads and desserts, and sides large enough to share.

The formula is working.
Restaurateur Gary Wollerman and executive chef and co-owner Tenney Flynn opened the Charlotte restaurant – the chain’s second location – in the fall, duplicating the concept they established in New Orleans in 2001.

The unique flip at Fins is the restaurant’s relationship with seafood purveyors from around the world, teamed with the owners’ passion for fine execution. No strangers to upscale dining, Wollerman previously was the chief operations officer for Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Flynn exercised his culinary skills for Ruth’s Chris and the Atlanta restaurant group Panos and Paul. Executive chef Jeff Oliveri of the Charlotte Fins was Epcot Center’s executive banquet chef.

With this kind of expertise comes attention to detail not found at many local seafood stops. Fish comes into Fins whole, and Oliveri thinks nothing of “breaking down” more than 150 pounds of fresh seafood each morning. Breads and desserts are made from scratch, many of them cooked to order. Sides like wood-roasted asparagus, mushroom risotto and superbly seasoned spaghetti squash are flavorful additions to Fins’ appetizers and entrées.

The casually elegant dining is enhanced by beautiful décor, with sea glass and soft lighting creating the mood. Despite Fins’ New Orleans roots, the restaurant sidesteps a down-home, jazzy Cajun spin, although Fins does feature a blackened fish entrée for dinner and seafood étouffée for lunch.

A recent dinner for four revealed some of Fins’ special offerings – and some that weren’t so special.

Irresistible biscuits, dumplings
Fresh-baked biscuits start the meal. With the first bite, we knew we’d want more than one, and so will you. Don’t deny yourself these perfect, slightly sweet biscuits made with, as one server noted, “a whole lot of love.”

Next we opted for several of Fins’ signature appetizers.

The wood-roasted oysters came with high recommendations. We also tried the calamari, the fried lobster tail and the lobster dumplings.

Served sizzling, the oysters were good – rave worthy, in fact, had they been the only woodsmoked item we ordered. But the big bowl of calamari and a side order of asparagus also were smoked. After a couple bites of each, the smoky flavor dominated the palate. A little guidance from the waitstaff could have ensured us a more balanced menu; we’ll know better next time.

The Canadian fried lobster tail was good, albeit smaller than expected. And the lobster dumplings were nothing short of delicious. Served in a rich, creamy sauce, the succulent lobster meat was tucked into about a half-dozen tender pastry packages. The flavor and texture combined to create melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

Complex, intriguing entrées; sensational sides
The yellowfin tuna wrapped in toasted seaweed called nori, seared and served with sticky rice, took top honors as our favorite entrée. A close second, the Kona kompachi features another relatively unique tuna variety served in an oversized bowl of piping-hot broth studded with wild mushrooms, baby bok choy and sautéed spinach. The seafood broth was a spicy contrast to the rich fish, resulting in a captivating experience.

We also sampled the pan-seared, wild striped bass topped with a slice of seared foie gras and served atop a bed of creamy Yukon gold mashed potatoes drizzled with a truffled balsamic-vinegar glaze. The fish and surrounding flavors were good, but the truffle taste, which I love, was lost to the strong vinegar. It was a rich combination of food and, despite the misplaced truffle taste, one I would order again.

The evening’s final entrée was the least impressive. The spicy, blackened red grouper fillet, served with sautéed spinach, fried oysters, chili hollandaise and mashed potatoes, had a lot going on, but none of it really stood out.

In contrast, several sides boasted bright flavors that grabbed attention. The wood-roasted asparagus (apart from the several other smoked selections we’d chosen) was a tasty foil to many of the entrées’ rich, creamy textures. The mushroom risotto was perfectly pre-pared, but the side that stole hearts was the spaghetti squash, an unusual find in restaurants. Oliveri’s preparation, finished with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts, was not lost on us, but another side dish certainly was. The baked sweet potatoes mashed with bananas, bourbon and vanilla is incredibly popular at the New Orleans location, Oliveri said; for us, it was a decided disappointment.

Sweet treats
A little foreshadowing at evening’s start culminated in a delightful conclusion to dinner. The waitress mentioned the chef’s signature desserts – individual apple pies with a cheddar crust and a Godiva chocolate cake with a praline crème anglais – noting that these were both baked to order and would take at least 20 minutes. We ordered both before dinner and they came perfectly timed at meal’s end, accompanied by several scoops of vanilla bean ice cream. Delicious! Even if we hadn’t ordered them in advance, both would have been worth the wait.

Well-known Charlotte restaurant critic, food writer, cooking instructor and connoisseur of food and wine, Heidi Billotto writes "The Charlotte Weekly: Culinary Corner," a restaurant review or food feature that appears weekly. Contact Heidi with questions and restaurant, food or story ideas by email at heidi@thecharlotteweekly.com.

This article first appeared in "The Charlotte Weekly" on January 25, 2008. "The Charlotte Weekly" is a free, locally owned, independent newspaper that's "About the Community, For the Community," available every Thursday in North and South Charlotte and Uptown.

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