The idea behind Fin N Tonic, Sophia Vidal’s RiNo cocktail and raw bar, comes from years working in the restaurant industry and longing for something tasty after hours. She also yearned for a welcoming spot where any diner would feel comfortable stopping in for a bite or drink any time.
“We wanted to create a place that people can go to on a regular basis that’s not out of everybody’s price range,” said Vidal, who opened Fin N Tonic with her partner, chef Jordan Cruttenden, in mid-November. “You’re able to come and relax and sit with your friends or read a book or whatever you want to do.”
Vidal always wanted to run her own place, but, she said, she didn’t know if it would ever become a reality because of the high cost to open a restaurant in Denver. Lucky for her, an opportunity came up thanks to restauranteur Troy Guard and the time she spent working for the TAG Restaurant Group. For nine years she bopped around the company in a variety of positions, most recently as the director of operations. Turns out the building now housing Fin N Tonic belongs to TAG, which has Los Chingones RiNo right next door.
“Troy kept kind of wanting to put something in this space, but wasn’t sure what to use it for,” she added. “It was underutilized…and it sat empty for most of the time.”
Turns out just talking about the idea for Fin N Tonic created the key that opened the door to making the casual seafood spot a reality. When Vidal worked for him, she and Guard would joke about what to do with the space, which didn’t have its own cooking area with hoods.
“We immediately thought of a raw bar because there’s no kitchen and you’re very limited in terms of the types of food you can do,” she said, while showing off her hand-painted designs of oysters and martinis on the tranquil blue walls. “I wanted the kind of place that I love to go to, where I can have a glass of wine and eat oysters and hang out every day and feel very comfortable.”
With that in mind, an uncomplicated and welcoming spot is exactly what Fin N Tonic has become. Vidal and Cruttenden turned around the space in less than two months, reupholstering furniture, building tables, and painting the restaurant themselves. While they built, they came up with the menu.
To eat, guests will find a daily selection of market-priced raw oysters, oysters Rockefeller, shrimp cocktail with avocado tomatillo cocktail sauce, smoked mackerel dip, snow crab claws by the half and whole pound, and Colorado bass ceviche with mango, cucumber, avocado, red onion, and jalapeño that’s served with kettle chips, plus more. For those who aren’t a seafood fan, there’s also a meat and cheese board, honeydew salad, and dessert, which features a rotating selection from the local Legacy Pie Co.
For drinks, as one may imagine the signature cocktail features lemon-infused Hendricks gin, pentire, tonic syrup, and celery bitters. In other words, a fancy gin and tonic. Pair oysters with the Ship-faced Martini, made with vodka or gin, vermouth, an anchovy-onion-olive brine, and caviar. There’s also a small wine and beer menu, and a trio of mocktails such as the Spicy Cucumber Spritz and Dragonfruit Lemonade.
“We really had fun with the menu and tried to keep it on the simpler side,” Vidal said. “You see a lot of places try to overcomplicate it and all of a sudden [the menu] becomes intimidating for the average person. So we’re trying to make it a little more relatable to where anybody off the street can walk in and everything is recognizable.”
Vidal also stayed true to her original plan of Fin N Tonic being an industry-forward space by offering an early and late-night happy hour. From 3 to 5 p.m. you can score oysters for $1.50, not an easy feat for Denver. There’s also discounts on some other menu items, as well as $5 well drinks, $25 bottles of wine, and, unique to the early happy hour menu, a Mini Blue Crab Salad Cannoli.
The late happy hour proves just as thrifty for customers. From 10 p.m. to midnight guests can get the same oyster and well drink deals, as well as truffle fries, $10 dirty martinis, and $4 pickle shots. But no matter when you go, you can expect the same relaxed vibe, a stiff drink, and friendly service.
Visit Fin N Tonic Tuesday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to midnight. 2461 Larimer St. Denver, fin-n-tonic.com
