Fork

[rockdoggydog]

After much waiting and anticipation Fork is open. Went there last night with Scarlett and a friend to give Fork a twirl and the twirling was successful. The space is very cozy with some very cool Russian murals on the walls. We started with a charcuterie plate - which had pate, chicken liver mousse, and prosciutto, lobster corn dogs, and a pear and goat cheese terrine. The highlight of the apps was definitely the lobster corn dogs. Light, moist, and crunchy on the outside and studded with nice bits of lobster it came with a mustard aioli and a ketchup sort of sauce. The aioli was much more interesting than the ketchup which was tomatoey but seemed bland next to the aioli which offered a really good flavor to go with the corn dogs. For mains we had Poulet 50/50, Pork, and Fish and Chips. The Poulet 50/50 is a piece of chicken stuffed with duck, the result has a good flavor and is well executed, avoiding the major pitfall of dried out chicken. The pork was a nice pice of Kurobota loin well flavored and render but the standouts in this dish were the accompaniments, roasted carrots and lentils with either ham or bacon. The carrots were tender but still held together and still tasted like carrot, and the lentils were pretty damn good with a nice smokiness coming from the meat. The fish and chips is an interesting preperation, the fish is first cooked sous vide and then pan seared to give it a nice crust, leaving a piece of fish that has good flavor and tender but not overly flaky.

For dessert we had Waterloo on Acid, Pina (I can't remember the rest of the name), and Cup O' Joe. The Pina had a really good pineapple flavor to it both in the cobbler like part and the ice cream. The Cup O' Joe is a coffee flavored creme brulee, it had a good sugar crust, but was a bit mild in flavor, it would be nice to see it either sweeter or with more coffee punch. Overall a very good meal, the service is very nice and into the food, seeming like they've tried just about everything on the menu. The wine list is not super extensive but covers all of the bases at a reasonable markup. After dinner we had a nice chat with Chefturnedbumturnedchef (that's a mouthful, :lol:) aka Scott Simpson, and he's very excited by what he's doing and there seems to be a lot of crerativity going into everything. This place is a winner and I'm looking forward to going back.

Fork info

806 E Roy St

Seattle, WA 98112

206-925-7400

Rocky

[dandelion]

A friend and I had dinner at Fork last night, and I definitely agree with Rocky—this place is great and I’ll be back again soon.

The space itself was great, with those Russian murals and substantial furniture. The chairs are heavy wood with a nice high back; not your typical café chairs so they were very comfortable. They have great dishes and glassware, too. This stuff is NOT from Crate & Barrel.

For food we started with a frisée salad and a bowl of the Royal Cauliflower Soup. The soup, which was the highlight of my meal, was smooth and creamy, garnished with black truffles and diced, poached apples. Absolutely delicious. My friend had the NY Strip, which came with mashed sunchokes (which still give me nightmares from my days as a prep cook) and a balsamic reduction. It was prepared to a perfect medium rare, “like butter.” I tried the vegetarian entrée: cannelloni with wild mushrooms (lobster, I believe), chard and a miniature mountain of freshly grated parmesan. It did have a little sauce, but I still thought it was pretty dry so I wasn’t crazy about it. I definitely have to thank Chef Simpson for remembering to include a veggie entrée on the menu, something that a certain restaurant in my neighborhood did not do (ahem, Veil). As a side note, if you order the “fish and chips” that Rocky described, they won’t look like you might expect. It’s a piece of fish plated on top of some mashed potatoes. The gentleman at the table next to mine actually asked “is this what I ordered?” when his food arrived, and they almost called out the chef to explain. I think he liked it when he actually tried it though. For dessert we had Some Like it Hot, which is a molten chocolate cake served with chocolate chipotle ice cream. It had a great presentation (I’ll post a picture shortly), and was absolutely delicious, with just the tiniest hint of heat in the ice cream. A bottle of MacMurray pinot noir, recommend by our server, rounded out the meal.

Dinner was around $100 and worth it. Great service, food and atmosphere.

[mamster]

Laurie and I had dinner at Fork last night, and it was absolutely great. We really had to strain to come up with anything to complain about.

The bread basket had some good seeded dinner rolls and some great chive-cheddar biscuits. They offered us more biscuits, and we had to refuse, or we would have made dinner out of biscuits. We had the special appetizer, a gelee of duck confit, foie gras, and granny smith apple on toast points with frisee salad. Perfect, although we could have used a little extra toast.

It's really hard to choose an entree at Fork. I finally went with the Prawn Pot au Feu. Good choice. It was a healthy portion of large shrimp hanging out in a rich lobster-shrimp broth with savoy cabbage and other vegetables. Chef Scott has a real way with vegetables. The cabbage was the perfect flavorful sauce delivery vehicle. Laurie had the fish and chips, which I'm sure she'll tell you about, but I'll spoil and say that her vegetables were even better: a circle of smooth celeriac puree topped with crunchy potato home fries, fried in duck fat.

For dessert, I couldn't pass up the chocolate lava cake with chocolate-chipotle ice cream. The cake was standard, although I always like this cake. The ice cream was special, a slow burn in the back of the throat. My only issue with the dessert is that the cake is so chocolate that it sort of erases the chocolate flavor in the ice cream. Try the ice cream first.

Fork doesn't feel like a two-week-old restaurant. The service exudes confidence, and our food came out fast but not too fast.

The thing I liked most about Fork, and I'll probably expand on this in a blog post, is that it's simultaneously a serious restaurant and a casual one. The food the work of a chef: layers of flavor, concentrated sauces, and playful menu descriptions. Because of the restaurant's location and because Scott is a casual sort of guy, you can wear jeans to fork or take an important date there or both. The portion sizes are just right (I was a little nervous about this, since the BOB was known for gutbusting plates). So was the price: about $75 for the two of us, including tip. (We don't drink much.)

Scott is a friend of ours, but obviously, if I hadn't enjoyed my meal, I'd tell him--and you. But I can't wait to go back to Fork.

[dandelion]

Here's that great presentation I mentioned of the chocolate cake.

[GourmetLight$]

We also ate at Fork last night and found it absolutely charming! The ambience with the murals and the glow of the candles is enchanting. We were greeted by a server that we remember, and remembered us, from Blue Onion Bistro.

I ordered a drink to start while hubby perused the wine list. We got a bottle of the MacMurry Pinot Noir, which was wonderful and fruity. Almost more like a Merlot than a Pinot. We shared the crab salad with romaine, blue cheese, apple slivers and candied pecans, which was sublime, and enough to share.

I ordered the smoked duck with polenta and the chiffonade of brussel sprouts. It was really delicious and the duck very tender. Hubby had the steak frites and declared the steak perfectly cooked and tender. Their fries are really tasty, but hubby is the type that loves a dip for them, and our server very obligingly provided him with some aioli, which was a nice touch.

For dessert we shared the pineapple upside down cake with the intensely-pineappley sorbet. It was perfect!

We loved their tableware and the very nice quality wineglasses too.

We enjoyed chatting with Scott about his new venture, and his pride at the number of local chefs and egulleteers who have stopped by to cheer him on! We'll certainly become regulars ourselves.

Cheers,

Edited January 21, 2006 by GourmetLight$ (log)

[ladybugseattle]

Is there a bar where one could have a drink and an appetizer in lieu of an entire meal? If the space is small I'd hate to fill a table with a small order making my support actually a loss. Or would early or late in the service be an option? (Ladybug is having a tight budget month.)

[GourmetLight$]

Is there a bar where one could have a drink and an appetizer in lieu of an entire meal? If the space is small I'd hate to fill a table with a small order making my support actually a loss. Or would early or late in the service be an option? (Ladybug is having a tight budget month.)

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There isn't a bar. But a little later in the evening while we were there a couple of gentlemen came in and had a beverage and shared an appetizer, and then left. I think if you don't come on a Friday or Saturday night, or if you come early or late as you suggested, you would feel comfortable. Hope you like it as much as we did!

Cheers,

[chefturnedbum]

Thank you all for the great comments. We will try and get better each day for our friends. Also the credit for the Pot au Feu should go to one of my chefs, Tyler Moritz, who is quite an amazing fellow when it comes to food. Jared Stoneberg also is a key force for us at FORK and equally has that magic when it comes to taking raw ingredients and turning them into works of art. Both of them are top notch culinarians and much of the success rests squarely on their shoulders..

[DeannaMartini]

Wow. I can't wait to try out Fork. It's next on my list and the reviews sound fabulous! Congratulations to ChefturnedBum!

[Bruce Burger]

My wife and I were there tonight, and I feel almost silly piling on to all the other positive reviews, but I can say only great things about this place. The poulet 50/50 included the most delicious chicken breast I can recall having (the breast normally not being my favorite part of birds) as well as even better dark meat, onions, and stuffing. And the rolls, the risotto pops, the frisee salad, the pork confit, the ice creams, the molten chocolate cake... just go already, will ya?

Service deserves special mention. The entire team was totally warm and professional -- friendly, helpful, and efficient. And after a family left that had been comically unwilling to control their young child, the waitress sincerely thanked my wife (who along with I is extremely tolerant of kids) for having gently asked the mom to do something.

(I suppose I should elaborate because I know someone will ask. A family of 3 adults and 3 kids -- 2 teens and one maybe 6yo girl -- were seated in the middle of the restaurant. The youngest was repeatedly making loud fart sounds, I think with her arm. We're not talking once or twice, we're talking perhaps 50 times over 15 minutes. The rest of the family -- who were otherwise well-behaved (and for what it's worth, all including the girl were well-dressed) -- were just laughing at her. Now I can understand if a kid is boisterous or whiny, and I understand the limits of parental control. But this kid was being willfully annoying and the parents were just encouraging her. Finally my wife went over to their table, assessed the situation, smiled, and waited a while to be noticed. She was going to diplomatically ask the mom to do something, but the mom immediately said "You want me to shut her up?". My wife pondered the question, replied "Yes!", and then nicely asked the girl to stop making that noise, knowing that a request from a stranger might help. It did, though it was clear that the family thought my wife was overreacting. Let me make it clear that this seemed like just one of those things and not something I'd expect to see more at Fork than anywhere else.)

We spent $102 including for 2 starters, 2 mains, 2 desserts, 1 glass of wine, 1 coffee, tax, and tip. I think the food, service, and prices are better than at Veil. The atmosphere is more relaxed (which isn't necessarily good or bad, though I like it).

I agree with mamster: there is nothing two-week-old about this restaurant. A winner.

A winner.

Edited January 22, 2006 by Bruce Burger (log)

[malarkey]

good gawd, ya'll. I need to check this place out. Congrats chefturnedbum. Maybe you should change your name to bumturnedchef??

[Abra]

This is sounding excellent. I'm looking forward to trying it soon. Is there any sort of tasting menu option?

[dandelion]

Cheers to chefturnedbum in the Seattle Times today for his plan to close on Feb. 5 to throw a Super Bowl party for his staff!

Super Bowl Restaurant Article

[little ms foodie]

Rocky I think that number is wrong? I got Getty Images??

[GourmetLight$]

Rocky I think that number is wrong? I got Getty Images??

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Hi Wendy: it's 206.325.7400.

Cheers,

[kieran]

My husband and I dropped into Fork for a late dinner Thursday night. It lived up to its billing and then some.

I was very impressed with the wine list, even though owing to a late night Wednesday and a skipped lunch Thursday, I couldn't indulge as much as I would have liked. We split a nice bottle of Pinot Gris and had a hard time settling on a choice because there were so many good ones.

We started with the risotto pops and one of the daily specials, a duck confit tart with a side salad of poached pears. They were both terrific, but I especially liked the risotto pops. Perfect taste, perfect texture, and great sauce to accompany them.

For our main courses we ordered the fish and chips that has been written about in posts above and the steak frites. Again, both delicious, with two small quibbles: I would have liked more celery root puree with the fish and chips, and the frites in the steak frites were slightly soggy. Otherwise, everything was superb.

My husband ordered the lava cake with chipotle ice cream for dessert. Not my kind of thing, but he really enjoyed it.

I love the update to the space, and service was friendly and knowledgable. All in all a great dinner. We'll definitely go back!

[Abra]

Hurray, I get to go to Fork for the first time on Friday night. I see above that there isn't a bar, but I also see a reference to getting a drink. My guests love martinis - could one be had at Fork, or should I take them somewhere else first?

[GourmetLight$]

Hurray, I get to go to Fork for the first time on Friday night.  I see above that there isn't a bar, but I also see a reference to getting a drink.  My guests love martinis - could one be had at Fork, or should I take them somewhere else first?

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Hi Abra: while there isn't a bar (where one can sit), they do indeed have cocktails! Karen made me a "sidecar" a couple weeks ago, now that a certain woman named TamIAm got me hooked on them!

Cheers,

[kieran]

We went back to Fork again last night with a couple of friends. As good as it was the first time, this time was even better. They are definitely hitting their stride. There are more good options on the menu than we had room to try, but especial favorites from last night's meal were the mushroom bisque (love those fried risotto balls accompanying it, too!), the duck BBQ, and the mushroom and onion brioche bread pudding.

My husband and I bought a house in Greenwood and will be moving in a few weeks, and I'm really going to miss being within walking distance of this place.

Go!

[tsquare]

Anyone know when the episode of Opening Soon featuring Fork is to air? And if it available to view in Seattle?

Food Network

[GourmetLight$]

Anyone know when the episode of Opening Soon featuring Fork is to air? And if it available to view in Seattle?

Food Network

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I'm pretty sure that Scott said it was around the beginning of February. I didn't remember on the actual date to watch - darn it! He said it was a pretty interesting process and more low-key than he would have thought. Maybe keep an eye on the website and see if they'll show the re-run.

Cheers,

[Peter Johnson]

Going tomorrow night for the first time--I can't wait! I'll report back with details...

[Peter Johnson]

Had dinner at Fork, as planned--it was very good, but not earthshattering.

No starters, unfortunately--although I would have had the foie gras if I'd been hungrier.

I had the scallop entree--perfectly-cooked scallops on a white bean ragu of some sort. The white bean ragu was surprisingly--well, bland--although it looked like it was going to have more flavor than it did. Oh well. Also on the plate was a "smear" of pureed squash (not sure what kind), with bits of bacon on top. Nice combination!

DC had the steak frites, which she asked for "nearly well done" The frites were well cooked, perfectly crispy. I tried a bite of the steak, and it was in fact (as the menu promised) "garlic-infused". Don't know how, but it worked.

A bottle of Willakenzie Pinot Noir was a good overall match, perhaps a bit-over-marked-up, but c'est la vie.

Service was great, not invasive. Re-lit the oil-lamp without incident four times due to laughing through my nose. No comment and bread basket whisked quickly away when I set the bread basket napkin on fire!

The interior is a bit gothic for my taste, but I can see how others might like it. The chairs and table, though, reminded me of that hilarious date scene in Fast Times where the kids are on a date and their chins are barely above the table!

Good addition. I'd like to try more of the menu.

(Oh yeah--AMAZING biscuits! DC said they reminded her of the biscuits at "Town House" in San Francisco, which meant nothing to me but quite something to her.)

Going tomorrow night for the first time--I can't wait!  I'll report back with details...

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[LEdlund]

(Oh yeah--AMAZING biscuits!  DC said they reminded her of the biscuits at "Town House" in San Francisco, which meant nothing to me but quite something to her.)

I used to love those biscuits (RIP). Lucky for Quince, which took over the space) that it's very good!

I can't wait to try Fork. I see that it is reviewed in today's Times but I haven't had a chance to read it.

[tighe]

(Oh yeah--AMAZING biscuits!  DC said they reminded her of the biscuits at "Town House" in San Francisco, which meant nothing to me but quite something to her.)

I used to love those biscuits (RIP). Lucky for Quince, which took over the space) that it's very good!

I can't wait to try Fork. I see that it is reviewed in today's Times but I haven't had a chance to read it.

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Only 2.5 stars from Nancy. Based on my meal there, I think they deserve much better and the other reviews are a better reflection of what Fork is doing