Inside new Fin restaurant

Seafood focused restaurant, Fin, is now open in the former Chez du Bon space Downtown. "It's something we wanted to bring to Downtown [for a long time]," says FAB Dining Group owner Yavonne Sarber, who also owns De-Novo and Manifesto.

Fin is open for lunch and dinner with a menu featuring all fresh fish. Chef Stafford Listcomb, who worked at De-Novo before heading to Three Legged Mare and P.F. Chang's, is leading the kitchen. "He is classically trained and a brilliant talent and has a special flare for seafood with an Asian influence. You'll find a lot of Asian influence on the Fin menu."

The menu is a collection of seafood-heavy small plates (shrimp cocktail, ahi tuna tartar, cioppino, oysters on the half shell, shrimp wontons), entree salads, entrees (ranging from king crab legs to sea bass, lobster a la minute to bone-in wagyu strip), pasta and sandwiches (including mahi mahi tacos and a lobster roll).

The whimsical purple and silver hues of Chez du Bon are gone, replaced with a cleaner, more contemporary look, Sarber says. The space is now covered in royal blues, silver, white and a bit of ocean green. "We changed out the furniture and we changed all of the paint and some of the lighting," Sarber explains. "We closed the grab and go completely, and you can't see into the kitchen either. The seating has changed. The tall chairs are downtowns, making it easier for large parties upstairs. It appears to be more spacious even though it's the same amount of seats."

As for the closing of Chez du Bon, Sarber says it's only temporary. The concept will return Downtown, just in a smaller space.

"Chez du Bon continued to have its challenges when it came to menu and execution," Sarber says, citing the restaurant's 130-seat size as a big hurdle. "I still believe in the concept, I just believe it will work in a smaller space. It was impossible to execute on that level in a show district. You can't get a party of four in and out in 45 minutes."

Sarber and her team are currently looking for a smaller, ideally 30-seat restaurant in Downtown to revive the French concept. "My focus is just hoping that Columbus sees it as a good thing," Sarber says.

This story is sponsored by the FAB Dining Group.