MIAReview
There are combinations that, on paper, should not work. Pineapples and pizza, Johnny Cash covering Nine Inch Nails, your parents. Finka’s menu includes a lot of these. There are “brisket wonton ravioli” with mango-cheese sauce, vaca frita japchae noodles, and a ham croqueta pizza. This Kendall spot mixes Cuban, Peruvian, and Korean flavors - and the best dishes make us ask the same question we mumbled out loud the first time we listened to “Hurt,” why did no one think of this sooner?
That’s what makes Finka a fun restaurant. You can come here and take a leap of faith on food combinations that could so easily be a disaster. Not all of them are home runs, but at the very least you’ll be pleasantly surprised while you spoon more mango-cheese sauce onto your brisket wonton ravioli.
photo credit: Tasty Planet
It seems like a lost opportunity to not try out some of the more unusual things at Finka, but this isn’t only a place for your friend who likes to dip their pizza in soda. You can still bring someone who thinks only three ingredients should exist on a plate at the same time, or a Cuban food purist. Get them the vaca frita tostones or the Islas Canarias croquetas (the family of the chef owns the famous Cuban spot). And then maybe on the second visit, see if they’ll warm up to the round, crunchy arroz con pollo fritters or the perfectly cooked angus churrasco atop a sweet potato mash.
Finka is a big restaurant that’s good at acting like a smaller restaurant. The tall candles dripping wax on the bar and brick walls make you feel like you’re wearing a very cozy sweater, even if you’re just in a t-shirt. It’s the kind of comfortable mood that can help you relax during a first date or forget about an awful day at work over dinner with friends and some cocktails. It’s a unique spot - especially in Tamiami, where you might very well have a friend or parent who only ever wants to eat at Flanigan’s. Hopefully, they trust you enough to not feel nervous when they see a nuoc cham fried chicken breast directly above masitas de puerco on Finka’s menu - just like someone trusted Johnny Cash enough to let him record a cover that now makes us cry by the first note.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Korean Fried Chicken
Fried Alligator Jalea
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Brisket Wonton Ravioli
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Arroz Con Pollo Fritters
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Angus Churrasco
photo credit: Tasty Planet