PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Val Bay likes to say his new restaurant, The Fin, is bringing the “fish” back to Fishtown.
The Fin is an upscale-casual seafood restaurant at 1000 Frankford Ave., near The Fillmore. It officially opens its doors on Dec. 9, though it is undergoing a soft opening at the moment, with chef Bay at the helm.
He’s been working the Philly food scene for about a decade.
“I grew up in Southern Germany,” he said. “I came here about 10 years ago. I’ve worked a few places on the Main Line. I started in Downingtown. Just recently, Ieft Brauhaus Schmitz. I was the executive chef there for three and a half years.”
The Fin takes surf and turf to the next level.
“You can literally watch us prepare the freshest fish, and you can see it sitting there on ice,” he said.
One of the highlights on the menu is the seafood tower.
“You get a mix of fresh-shucked clams, fresh-shucked oysters, we have scalloped crudo on there, all kinds of different crabs, lobster tail — it’s a lot of seafood,” he said.
Bay and his team also make the desserts.
“I’ve always loved making root beer, so we make a root beer float with house-made root beer, and we will put some bourbon in there if you please,” he added.
For more on The Fin, listen to the KYW Newsradio original podcast What’s Cooking on the Audacy app or in the player above.