FINS Ale House & Raw Bar — Restaurant in Rehoboth Beach

I have heard good things about this place but considering our recent experience I have no idea why. Our waitress was terrible, she could not have cared less about us. It was as if she was just there to make time with the bartender. My oysters took over 20 minutes to get. We watched the kid shuck them and then they sat there for 15 minutes. We were going to order more food but had had enough of the bad service, and the noisy which we could not get past. I couldn't even hear my boyfriend sitting directly across the table from me unless he shouted. No thanks Fins, there are better places in town. EDITED TO UPDATE: Well, the above review was from 4 months ago. So we decided to give his another chance, and go for lunch. Sorry to say but still terrible. Issues with both service and our food: We tried the scallop sandwich, which was a pretty good idea, except it was slathered with peppers, which totally obliterated the delicate taste of the scallops. Order without the peppers, and you'll be happier. Still a little pricey for $15. They need to add an extra scallop in there for that price . That was the good news. We also tried the fried oysters, and they were miniscule. Also $15, but there were only five and they were all smaller than the end of my thumb. They were supposed to come with grits and a remoulade sauce, but it was just merely the five eenie weenie teeny fried on a plate. Definitely not worth $3 a piece, that's for sure. We also decided to try the baked oyster sampler, which included three Oysters Rockefeller and 3 oysters asiago. I don't know where these people learned to cook, but the Oysters Rockefeller is supposed to be made with spinach, shallots, and Pernod. There were a few tiny flecks of green, I assumed they were spinach bits, but they were hard even to see. No shallots, no Pernod, only a mouth full of chopped celery... there were 10 to 12 pieces of celery on each oyster shell. Who puts chopped celery in Oysters Rockefeller?

Worse were the oysters asiago. Instead of a mouth full of celery, you got a mouth full of chopped fennel, and a smattering of asiago cheese. Not a good combination.

Not wanting to go any further with the menu at that point, we asked for our bill. The waitress talked us into trying dessert. She recommended the tres leches cake. Another mistake. It was merely a yellow layer cake, dry and flavorless. It had a cream cheese filling in between the two layers, and some whipped cream on the top. That's it. No resemblance to Tres Leches, the three milks - soaked cake. If I made that cake I would be embarrassed.

We had a cute and enthusiastic waitress, but sadly she knew little to nothing about the menu. She thought the Asiago oysters had feta cheese in them. She knew nothing about the in-house beers or any of the other beers on draft. She really was pretty Clueless. She said that she was new. But when we pressed her further when she said she had a lot of restaurant experience, she admitted that she had actually been with the Fins restaurant group for 4 years! Say what? 4 years, and even if some of those years were as a Hostess, she still knew nothing about the menu.

Fins, you need to get your act together. and get someone in the kitchen who knows what...

I visited Fins a few weeks ago when I was in the area. I've been to this location before, but with so many great restaurants in the area to choose from, I don't see any reason to go back here again.

It wasn't just that the waitress was terribly incompetent - from bringing the wrong food to one of the four people at the table (which forced the rest of us to wait, out of politeness, to eat, so all of our food got cold in the meantime), to then putting the wrong (more expensive) meal on our check - well, she got the minimum tip of 15%, and that's just how that goes.

The real problem was with the manager. We asked for bread and butter, which was provided at no charge. The bread was fancy, multi-grain, with a flour dusting. I was enjoying it until I bit into a piece that definitely tasted like mold. I know what mold tastes like - it has a very distinctive taste. I stopped eating the bread and looked at my piece, and the one remaining piece in the basket - sure enough, green fuzzy spots. I informed the waitress, mostly so they would stop serving this to people, as sometimes mold can cause digestive issues. She sent the manager to our table, who then proceeded to argue with me that the green fuzzy spots that taste like mold were, in fact, just flour dusting. I know the difference, thanks a-hole. Flour dusting doesn't taste like mold.

Once I told him that I was not trying to get anything for free out of it (I mean after all, the bread was free), he calmed down a bit but I really resent being told that I'm wrong when I'm not wrong. It was mold. I am 100% certain of it, both because it was green, and because it tasted like mold. This is the kind of thing that happens at a restaurant that is in trouble. The rest of the food was mediocre at best (except the oysters, which were very good). So I have no reason to go back here again, after that experience with a disagreeable, argumentative manager. Don't eat their...

We ordered clams on the half shell, the crab dip, and the Soft shell BLT crab sandwich.

I had never had clams. So this was my first experience. My first taste had me thinking of the entire shore. Eating one was like taking in a whole vacation at the shore. And for that, I love them. That being said, I'm not sure claims are my thing.

The crab dip was served with corn chips and (since we asked) a small loaf of fresh bread. DIVINE. Full stop. That was delicious!

The soft shell crabs were also a first experience for me. And they were served on a fresh brioche bun with lettuce and tomato and crispy bacon. Spicy tartar sauce made the sandwich complete. I live over 2 hours away. But I would go back for that sandwich.

I ordered a beer flight and was delighted with my entire selection. I also took a four pack to go of the coconut mango beer. It is made on site and was also DELICIOUS!

We finished it of with the blueberry pancake torte. I cannot say enough about this. The cinnamon mousse in between the blueberry coffee cake layers is mind blowing. And it is just heaven.

And the last thing that makes every dining experience is the service. We were seated immediately. Our server, Mike, was knowledgeable, kind, funny, and quick. All of that and he was training another server who was also incredibly helpful and quick.

All five stars are well earned and deserved. I can definitely recommend. Tell them I...