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Guide to Good Dining
Fins-Hawaiian Fusion & Sushi Bar
1629 Crofton Center
Crofton MD 21114
(301) 261-3366
By Gilles and Cathy Syglowski

A casual dining destination for a discriminating clientele, Fins-Hawaiian Fusion is a bright and colorful spot for appetizers and dinner. We're planning a trip to Hawaii, so our visit to Fins was a great way to get in the mood for our upcoming vacation.

Owners Eric and Page Anderson are developing their new restaurant from a previously existing one that focused on Pacific Rim and fusion flavor. The Andersons are enthusiastic about their new venture. Eric is at the restaurant every day and says he can't wait to get to work in the morning.

For our first visit we wanted to try a variety of appetizers so we started off with the fried crab wonton, $7. Beautifully presented on a painted plate, it was drizzled with roasted red pepper puree and was very good. The spicy beef dumplings, $6, were a taste sensation, steamed with smoked chili oil and soy drizzle. Be prepared for the heat of the chili.

We also tried two examples of their sushi. The Fins Roll, at $10 for eight pieces, consists of tempura shrimp, avocado, cucumber, romaine, toasted coconut, mango, and barbecue sauce. A large roll, it was very tasty. Spicy crab lump, $6 for eight pieces, as the name implies, packs a zippy bite, which we enjoyed.

Then it was on to a salad to cool down our taste buds. The baby spinach salad, $6, with goat cheese and sugar-roasted pecans tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette, catered to a sweet palate. The edamame, $4, was a fun little appetizer with just enough fur to tickle your lips! For those of you who don't know what edamame are, they are Japanese soybeans that come in little green pods. Not only are they delicious, but they are packed with soy protein, which is why edamame have long been a treat favored by the health-conscious. The popping of the firm bean inside your mouth when you bite on it is a unique sensation.

Entrées at Fins range in price from $19-26. We elected to try the macadamia-crusted mahi mahi, $22, which is served with orange ginger beurre blanc atop mashed coconut ginger sweet potatoes with fresh snap peas. The plate was arranged to resemble a sea creature, most likely a scorpion, with snap peas arranged to look like legs. We thought it looked pretty cool, almost too pretty a display to dig into. But eat and enjoy we did.

Our other entrée choice was snow crab clusters with Chesapeake butter, $18 for 1 pound. The menu ingredients abound with exotic, fragrant items that include coconut, ginger, and jasmine. No wonder our minds turned to imagining ourselves lounging on a tropical island.

Eric and Page took over the restaurant last July and look forward to continuing to develop their menu with the help of son Eric, who previously worked at Carroll's Creek. Page worked for 10 years at McGarvey's, as the first female waitress and then as the first female manager. Eric's previous career was in construction as a general contractor.

Open 4-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 3-9 p.m. on Sunday. There's live music on Thursday evenings. Most items are also available for takeout. Call ahead, (301) 261-3366, to check the schedule or visit them on line at www.finsonline.net.

Giles Syglowski is a chef, culinary instructor, and food services consultant. He is a graduate of the Lycie d'Eseignement Professional Hotelier in Metz, France. He and his wife Kathy, a member of the International Wine Society, have more than 45 years experience in the restaurant industry.

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What's The DISH?
Gina's Cantina is a Love Fest
By Wendi Winters

Gina's Cantina is a hidden gem worth seeking. The family-friendly restaurant, with its popular bar, is a bright dot on the gritty, industrial stretch of roadway that's an off-ramp away from the polluted cacophony of Route 97. Customers come from all over the county for some fresh, home-cooked food and to gossip with the cantina's resident Earth Mama and co-owner, Gina Parchman.

The small eatery is located at 722 General's Highway in Millersville, on the last lick of asphalt before it joins Veteran's Highway. The restaurant number is (clever!) (410) 923-TACO.

Look for the isolated three-story building standing on a triangle of land. The head of the triangle is decorated with large rust-stained boulders and picnic tables. A parking lot is in the rear.

A chipped and peeling concrete iguana the size of a chicken coop lurks in a side yard.

Inside, the folksy bar that dominates the room is tiled with broken shards of an old glass tabletop and slate. Behind the bar, Gina's Cantina's own beer, custom brewed by Fordham Brewery, is on tap. Other brands of beer are available on tap or bottled. In addition to generous servings of margaritas and sangria, plus an assortment of wines, the bar also offers Gina's Cantina Cabernet Sauvignon.

The menu is a blast of the Southwest with a Chesapeake accent. There's not much children couldn't eat-if they can tolerate spicy food. Expect to find food prepared from scratch, including tortilla soup; Austin's Taco Salad; Chicken Santa Fe, a greens-topped Cajun chicken breast on a bed of shredded cheese, tomatoes, onions, and tortilla crisps; tapas; nachos; tasty poppers; Mexican pizza; quesadillas; and build-your-own burritos and chimichangas. For the burger needy, the menu offers half-pound burgers served with Old Bay potato wedges. There are even the famous Caroline's coconut and caramel cakes for dessert.

The highest priced item on the food menu is $10. Children's menu items are $4.00.

Aqua, adobe, and lemon tones are sponge painted on the walls and ceilings. More aqua was daubed on wood picnic tables, which were then coated with several layers of varnish. The wood and painted-concrete floors pick up the color scheme. Casual arrangements of palm trees and oversized Japanese paper lanterns give the space a sense of lighthearted fun.

Sunlight coming in through the southern exposure windows is diffused by hundreds of aqua sea glass pebbles hand glued to each pane. Here and there is a bleached and painted steer skull or an iguana.

"We opened in July 2004," says Gina. Her husband, Jody Parchman, is a 1983 graduate of Annapolis High School. The two have worked in restaurants since their teens. Gina estimates they have more than 30 years of culinary experience between them.

All of Gina's Cantina's offerings are from original recipes created from scratch and tested by the Parchmans.

Gina, 36, is originally from Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, but arrived here after a few stops in Florida, Texas, and California. The couple lives in Arden-On-the-Severn with their 5-year-old daughter, Maggie, a student at Millersville Elementary School, and 2-year-old son, Austin.

The couple met in downtown Annapolis. "He was bartending at Riordan's Saloon at City Dock and I was bartending at the old Marmaduke's in Eastport. I hunted him down because he is cute." She finally asked him out on a date, then stood him up. Intrigued, he began pursuing her.

"I advise everyone to date that way," Gina chuckles.

The couple opened the restaurant in a space once occupied by a joint called Shoeless Joes. They spent a small fortune cleaning and repairing the space. "When we opened, we had to cut corners," Gina admits, looking at the picnic benches.

"But we didn't chintz on plates and heavy silverware. It's important, aesthetically, that our food is served on plates that are sturdy and beautiful."

Jody came up with the name of the restaurant. "It rhymes!" he says.

The Love Boat Avocado recipe was created by Gina exclusively for What's Up? Annapolis. It's an easy-to-prepare variation on the restaurant's stuffed avocado boat, which is served with Tijuana spiced chicken. You want it, you gotta go to Gina's Cantina to get it.

"We'll be back. Just to eat it again," hollers a Chanel-suited businesswoman, as a group of four ladies heads for the door.

Freelance writer Wendi Winters lives in the Cape St. Claire community of Annapolis and is a frequent contributor to What's Up Annapolis.

Love Boat Avocado topped with Simple Salsa Gina notes, "The hummus counteracts the spices and the mandarin orange in the salsa adds sweetness. I love avocados and a hearty cheese. This dish is tasty and creamy, a medley of tastes." Serves 4 Approximately 15 minutes prep time

Boat Topping Ingredients: 3 cups canned chickpeas, drained 2 tablespoons sesame oil (can substitute olive oil) ¼ teaspoon ground ginger 1 bunch fresh cilantro (¼ cup) 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice (or bottled equivalent) ½ tablespoon freshly minced garlic OPTIONAL: ¼ cup canned jalapenos and 2 tablespoons of the juice salt and pepper to taste Preparation: Whirl in food processor until creamy, but not completely smooth. This is a hummus mix. Peel and cut in half 4 avocados (Green skinned, preferably the Haas brand. "Be picky," Gina says. "Use only a perfect avocado.") (Toss the pit or make it into a garden project.) Put the avocado halves on a baking sheet and fill the cavity of each with the hummus mixture. Mound it a little. Place a slice of Havarti cheese atop each "boat." You can substitute cheddar or some other form of cheese that will melt. Gina prefers Havarti because it is "buttery. Bake at 375º for 15 minutes. Simple Salsa Ingredients: 2 large tomatoes, chopped ½ small purple onion, chopped ¼ cup mandarin oranges (canned is fine) splash of extra-virgin olive oil 1 heaping tablespoon chopped cilantro juice of two limes, plus some of the pulp salt and pepper to taste Combine all ingredients. Purchase flour tortillas and rip each into 4 pieces. Brush both sides with a little olive oil. Bake at 375º until crisp. Or simply purchase a bag of corn chips! When the Love Boats are removed from the oven, place a Love Boat (or two) in a bowl. Dot with the Simple Salsa and arrange chips around the bowl on a plate.

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Taste
Viet-Thai Paradise
2625 Riva Road, Suite A & B,
Annapolis 21401
(410) 266-8222
j.s. houck

Welcoming, warm, vibrant, and sunny best describe the atmosphere you'll enjoy when you step through the doors of Viet-Thai Paradise-an invigorating ambiance that allows you to forget you're in a cookie-cutter shopping complex. The bright yellow walls are complemented by floral arrangements, stylish lighting, and a centerpiece, faux-stone fountain that murmurs gentle aquatic distraction. The layout of the tables and booths is diner friendly, offering casual comfort amid elegance. Once seated by the staff, you'll have a moment for pause to soak in this inviting establishment before diving into a robust menu that features lunch specials in addition to its atypical dinner selections.

Viet-Thai Paradise is the area's best new ethnic offering, not only in style but also in taste, presenting East Asian specialties that sit quite well when you've finished your meal. The draw here: rich, flavorful dishes plentiful in portion yet fresh and healthy. From Hanoi to Bangkok, Viet-Thai Paradise draws widely for its selection and offers authentic cuisine abundantly. The menu features the standard and exotic fare of the two countries and is divided neatly into appropriate sections: appetizers, soups, salads, poultry, pork, beef, seafood, noodles & fried rice, and vegetarian selections-it's all here. And yes, dessert is served-the specialty is flan.

Appetizing starters include a variety of fresh or crispy rolls (spring, summer, veggie) depending on your preference, pillow-like pot stickers, skewered satays, and an assortment of brothy soups. Try the Tom Kha Kai soup (a Thai favorite) or the Ha Noi Pho (a Vietnamese standard) to launch your meal with delicious satisfaction.

True to Vietnamese and Thai cuisine, the entrée recipes favor vegetables, rice, and noodles, giving second nod to meat as almost a condiment. But don't let this generalization fool you. Meat is incorporated into most all of the dishes, just not as heavily as in American cuisine. Take pad thai for example-a dish most have heard of, if not eaten. Viet-Thai Paradise's recipe strays little from the successful formula of rice noodles, shredded egg, sprouts, and crushed peanuts. But its presentation and inclusion of not only chicken but also shrimp (four jumbo shrimp at that) make for rewarding comfort food that isn't too heavy on spicy heat. If, however, you want to "take it up a notch," try the Bangkok Ka Prow, a zesty dish that combines sliced, tender pork, slivers of red onion and bamboo shoot, and fresh basil, brought together with a jalapeno-heated sauce. For soothing relief from the heat, a mellowing Thai iced tea with milk does the trick.

Lucky for all, you won't have to rely on instincts alone to guess the spicy heat of your order. Chef and owner Henry Pham eliminated the guesswork by indicating the degree of spice in each dish by use of small chili symbols. Take it from me: at one chili, you're having fun, but at two, you're having quite a party in your mouth. More often than not, though, you won't have to worry about too much of a good 'n' spicy thing. Most of the dishes on the menu offer subtle heat. The joy of such dishes, whether, caramelized pork, Viet-Thai steak, or crispy whole red snapper, lies not only in their exotic yet mild taste but also in their presentation, which favors original artistic touches, such as vegetables sculpted into flowers and various ornaments. The lasting impression of Viet-Thai Paradise is that this restaurant offers a tempting marriage of aesthetics and quality recipes that will have you coming back time and again.