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Cafe Fina Storefront
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| Cafe Fina
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47 Fisherman's Wharf
Monterey, CA 93940
US
Map
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From the outside, despite its freshly painted yellow facade, Cafe Fina looks like its neighbors. Inside the decor is subdued, with framed photos of the owners' family on the wall. At the end of the long, narrow space are tables with a view of the water. Dominic Mercurio welcomes you to taste a variety of cuisine including mesquite barbecue fish, home made pasta and ravioli. A wood burning oven prepares excellent pizza and lamb dishes. A quaint decor and ocean views make dining here a very pleasurable event.
Coming from generations of fishing families, proclaims your host, we know about fresh fish and good cooking. As the son of a fisherman, it becomes a rite of passage to learn those skills firsthand. When I was 13 years old, they were predicting a slow Alaskan season, so rather than having a partner for a full share, a lot of the fisherman took their sons with them instead. We lived all summer in a little place called Egegik. It was fishing village with just a mess hall and bunk house. I loved it so much, I went up for the next 19 years. It was a great way to grow up, spending the summers fishing and the winters working in the restaurants.
It's been known for fish just out of the water and pasta that's rolled out each morning, not to mention Gram's recipe for homemade cannoli, that gives Cafe Fina the distinction of a predominantly tourist neighborhood. Tradition.... something very important that Dominic, along with his wife Naida, will be passing on to their two children, Kathryn and Dominic.
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