Fina - Ripon

Fina will be missed . Chef John is very talented ! Good fortune to you and your family

This was the third and final time getting to visit Fina By John Surla. I was sad to hear that they were selling out so I made a reservation as quickly as possible. I had been meaning to come back for quite some time so it's sad that it had to be under these circumstances. Without getting too in-depth, The first time I had gone with a group of friends and it was phenomenal (5 star not sure if I reviewed back then). The second time I went was for my dad's birthday and it was less than spectacular, to the point of disappointing (3 star). Through word of mouth I had heard it was slowly declining in quality. Combine that with my previous experience and you can see why I was waiting for a while to go back. Now for this visit, I ordered the Meatball Polenta Appetizer. The first time that I tried it, it was one of my favorite appetizers. This time around it was pretty good but you could tell it was lacking a little something. It just didn't quite have that X Factor. I will say however that the fresh focaccia paired perfectly with this. On to the main entrees, I ordered the Maine Lobster Ravioli and my friend ordered the Ribeye. My friend who is usually easily impressed did not really have much to say which speaks volumes. As for my Lobster Ravioli, it was so decadent and delicious. I loved it, then liked it. The problem was that it was very one note with nothing to balance it out. So eventually it started to overpower me. We decided to pass on dessert and get ice cream at a spot a few minutes away. Wish they were able to reach the level of excellence that they had when I first went but this visit wasn't a bad send-off at all. Still glad I got to visit one last time. If there's anything one can learn from this, it's that if you've got that restaurant you've been dying to try, that restaurant that you loved but declined, that restaurant you're not sure about, make the time and give it a try. You never know if it will be there tomorrow.

We just heard Fina is closing next weeken We just heard Fina is permanently closing next weekend....love the place, food, ambiance and waitstaff were excellent...

Delicious and Awesome service. Perfect for any occasion or just because. Wished they were in Modesto

Great food and love the music on Sat nights. I love that my small home town has some of these great places to eat! It's a win for Ripon.