Mark’s Score 8.6
Summer is coming, so I am getting all my beach time in before tourist season. Which means a visit to Chincoteague Island. The island is still ours, at least for a few more weeks, before the tourists arrive. On this visit I had lunch at Black Fin Island Grill.
David Filipic and Joe Bass opened Black Fin Island Grill a couple of years ago. But the restaurant has its origins as a successful food truck operation. In creating the restaurant David and Joe hoped to remain true to their food truck roots by providing approachable bold flavors with a more polished casual dining experience. Black Fin emphasizes fresh ingredients and seafood, with a fusion of culinary styles combining traditional mid-Atlantic seafood with Caribbean and Asian inspired dishes. Their menu rotates frequently offering poke, tapas, and traditional seafood selections.
You get a great view of the tidal marshes and Chincoteague’s lighthouse as you enter the restaurant. Though it was a beautiful day, it is still early in the season so the restaurant only had a couple customers. On this day, the front dining room was closed. So, I walked to the back bar. The black and blond wood interior is a stark contrast to the bright beach sun. Their website claims that their atmosphere is relaxed but refined. The combination of black trim, blond wood, and nautical artwork, to me, says modern beach decor.
I sat at a table and the young waiter brought me the lunch special menu which contained a tapas section, a variety of handhelds, and entrées. The special menu listed a chicken noodle soup in the tapas section. The waiter informed me that the soup had been changed to a lobster bisque. They claim to be a tapas/Asian/Caribbean/seafood restaurant. So, I decided to order the bisque and the Kalua Pork sandwich. In the time that it took the waiter to get my drink he returned to inform me that the soup had changed yet again, instead of lobster, they were now offering a seafood bisque. So, I ordered the bisque before there was another change.
I liked the presentation of the bisque; it was served in a black earthenware bowl with a lightly toasted baguette slice. It was thick, creamy, chock-a-block with chunks of seafood, and perfectly seasoned. The Kailua Pork was served on a brioche bun with a side of french-fries, served on a metal tray. The fries were cooked perfectly, golden brown, crisp on the outside, soft in the middle and not oily. They were truly some of the best fries I have had in a while. The Kailua Pork sandwich was ok, but not memorable.
In the end, I think Black Fin one of the better restaurants in Chincoteague. It is a good restaurant, but I would not classify it a great restaurant. If I were visiting the island, I would happily eat here, but I would not come to Chincoteague just for this restaurant. Next time I think I will focus more on the tapas.
What else is there to do in Chincoteague?
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