Finn McCool's Fish House, Newport News

Fresh fish and hearty comfort food: these are the specialties at Finn McCool's Fish House. The chefs make the just-netted seafood the star on each plate, simply grilling, broiling, or pan-searing rainbow trout and flounder, and stocking a raw bar with clams, oysters, crab legs, and mussels. But land-locked southern flavors are also well represented. House-smoked meats?including turkey and Carolina-style pork?fill hearty sandwiches, while still other dishes offer the warming tastes of shrimp and cheesy grits and hush puppies with honey butter. Just like its menu, the decor at Finn McCool's artfully blends the nautical and the homey. Model fish and photographs of seafaring vessels adorn the cream-colored walls, and flatscreen televisions stream surfing footage and knot-tying tutorials.