If you are looking for average food at an above average price, give Fin's Creekside in Calabasas a try.
The Journey:
A jintapracha was almost inadvertently called due to A. Acosta's tardiness. He, however, edged the arbitrary cutoff time set. And so we journeyed towards our destination, King's Fish House. Upon arrival I was setback due to the outward appearance of said fish house. It appeared to be no more than your standard Chili's or TGIF. My philosophy of life is to judge all books by there cover and this one looked to be a sleeper. While not an indictment on the actual food served at the restaurant (as I have yet to try it) the location did not appear to meet the standards decided upon by TALFDC. And so we made an about face towards Fin's Creekside, an interesting looking restaurant we eyed on route to King's.
Breakdown:
Fin's Creekside in Calabasas.
Environment - 3/5 Fish
Service - 4/5 Fish
Food - 4/5 Fish
Value - 3/5 Fish
Overall - 3.5/5 Fish
Rating: Salmon
Environment:
Upon arrival, the place was noticeably devoid of the crowds expected at most standard restaurants on a Friday night. The dim lighting found indoors did not suit the company I kept. Luckily the hostess was far ahead of me and lead us outside where the cold was fended off by the powerful heating lamps scattered throughout the patio. I didn't pay particular attention to cleanliness, but it was dark so there was no problem based on what was visible. As soon as I was seated and scanned the menu I found the dish I was most interested in, the Macadamia Nut Encrusted Halibut.
3/5 Fish
Service:
The waitress was courteous and quick. I ordered a soda which was never left empty throughout the evening. We were served bread, which could have been better, soon after we ordered. Our appetizer was served soon after.
4/5 Fish
Food:
A. Ling opened up with an appetizer of calamari. I am no big fan of calamari, freaky looking stuff really, but it wasn't bad. It was the commonly found battered and deep fried calamari accompanied by copious amounts of dipping sauce which I assumed to be marinara. As far as I could tell, it was good. It wasn't oily and was all calamari with no fillers (I'm looking at you red lobster). Though the taste may have been artificially increased due to the above average price (equivalent in price to a main course you might find in a Chili's). This is not a qualifier, if you believe it tastes good - it's worth it.
The main course was the Macadamia Nut Encrusted Halibut. The fish promptly arrived, piping hot with a side of steamed white rice. The halibut itself was covered in a sweet sauce that contained nutty undertones (think liquid peanut-butter, but not as salty). The fish was, as most good food is, crunchy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. As far as I can tell, based on my extensive fishing background, the fish was fresh. I wasn't able to finish it, but even the leftovers eaten the next day tasted great.
4/5 Fish
Value:
Value is defined as the ratio of the cost to the experience. In other words a high value does not mean a high price, but merely that the food was worth the amount paid. A low value is simply the opposite, the food was not worth the amount paid. The overall price at Fin's was a little bit steep considering the offerings. It seems to me that they could afford to lower the cost per dish or at least enhance the food quality a bit. (Median $30/person; Low $15/person; High $50+/person)
3/5 Fish
Overall:
The restaurant is an overall thumbs up. It's worth making a detour to if you are in the area, but maybe not your destination if you are more than 10 - 15 miles away. A. Ling recommended it as a dating place. I guess there was live music inside, but I don't remember if it was any good. Plus A. Ling's idea of a dating place is the Olive Garden, so take that for what it's worth.
3.5/5 Fish
Rating: Salmon (Slightly above average, but it could be better)
Terms:
Jintapracha - A last minute call to retreat to a predetermined backup location. We always pick a Jintapracha location before we go out.
TALFDC - Acronym: The Anthony Ling Fine Diner's Club
Double Take: Fin's Creekside in Calabasas, Joseph's perspective
Review: Fin's Creekside in Calabasas
The TALFDC was cruising for a seafood restaurant on cold February Friday night - the destination was King's Fish House . Upon arrival we first notice the neon sign - this obviously raised some red flags with some of the members. This didn't stop the TALFDC from doing some observation first - mostly because I was driving. Once we pulled up to the side of the restaurant Jintapracha was named and we went into a contingency plan. We decided to search the well known old town Calabasas. After making some skillful U-turns back and forth to locate a parking spot, we began our search for the perfect seafood location for our meeting. The new location found was Fin's Creekside. This restaurant was pretty much unknown to us so we arrived only to be place in the outdoor location of seating. It wasn't terrible since they provided heating from lamps and the service both from our waitress and hostess was great. It was unfortunate not to be seated inside though - they provide live music both from a small band or a piano player. For appetizers I chose to start with fried calamari. I know this can be generally ordered at almost any type of restaurant, but I'm a calamari fan. Surprisingly the method of cooking was nice - not oily and plenty of dipping sauce. My main dish was called Swordfish Tower - contrary to the name it was nothing but two slices of swordfish on top of each other. The taste itself was disappointing as well - it was very salty and when I attempted to disregard the salt on it the fish itself didn't seem all too great. However the service at the restaurant was excellent - We generally had two or more people help with cleaning up used plates and refills on drinks. The prices for the restaurant was an average of $30 dollars a meal - not extremely expensive, but not worth the hit to the wallet if you just want to have a fried fish. Time for TALFDC breakdown.
Overall Breakdown
Value: 1/5 Fish
Service: 4/5 Fish
Food: 1/5 Fish
Environment: 3/5 Fish
Overall: 9/20 Fish
Rating: Halibut
Recommend: Only for a date assuming you can be seated inside with the music.
