Fork- formerly known as Fiddlehead

I was taken to Fork last night for a lovely Valentine's surprise dinner. I had only been to Fiddlehead once for brunch and never was interested in going back for dinner. When it was SquareKitchen I went quite often, I found it to be a reliable casual place. I was excited to try the "new concept", they are now trying to be a more beer focused gastropub.

Because it was Valentine's Day they only offered a 3 course Prix Fixe menu with an optional wine or beer pairing for $16 extra. My date and I both chose the wine pairing because we weren't in the mood for beer. We didn't know they were only offering the limited menu before showing up, but since the options looked good we were not disappointed.

Sorry I did not bring my camera, but I was very impressed with most of the food. We decided to pick different course options and share:
Course 1: Oysters Rockefeller and Braised Beef Cheeks
The Oysters Rockefeller was a large portion, 4 large oysters, they were delicious and the champagne sauce was excellent
The Beef Cheeks were very tender, prepared with bacon and spinach I believe, over creamy polenta. It was a little salty for my taste, but I still enjoyed it
Course 2: Lamb Duo (Rack & Braised) and Beef Duo (Beef Pot Pie and Petite Filet)
The lamb was excellent...the braised lamb shoulder prepared with a Moroccan spice mixture and candied oranges was very good; the rack of lamb was perfectly cooked and the glaze was delicious
The beef pot pie was made with braised short rib and had a great puff pastry top on it, I didn't try the petite filet but was told it was a basic filet, nothing too special
Course 3: French Chocolate Cake and Apple Tart
Both were good, but I was so stuffed I could barely eat much of it. The French chocolate cake was a typical flourless chocolate cake, the apple tart was quite good, though I didn't love the cinnamon ice cream.

I have to say that the pairings with each course were excellent, particularly the 1st and 3rd courses, I was very impressed. I believe the apple tart was paired with a sparkling muscat and the chocolate cake was paired with a special Semillon.

Service wasn't great. It took nearly ten minutes for the waiter to come over after we had been seated (he stopped by briefly after 6 minutes or so to say he'd be right back); he didn't really check on us after our courses had been delivered until we were at least halfway through and our 3rd course arrived several minutes before our pairing. It wasn't really very busy, so I'm not sure if they were just adjusting to the new format or if it was because we were way in the back. Also, my date was told they only had 830pm available for reservations, we showed up around 8pm thinking we could grab a drink and at least try to get seated early and the place was only 1/2 full. We were seated immediately, but were wondering if they were trying to purposely only partially fill the place.

I would definitely go back again and check out their regular menu, despite the kinks in service, the food was very good!

Forgot to include address:
Fork
4600 N Lincoln Ave
(between Eastwood Ave & Wilson Ave)
Chicago, IL 60625

Having been to both Square Kitchen and Fiddlehead and been largely unimpressed, I didn't expect anything other than sustenance when I dined last night at Fork, the latest inhabitant at the corner of Lincoln and Wilson. But I must say that their terrific poutine and nice beer list will have me sampling more of their menu this summer.

The poutine was excellent - delicious, crisp fries topped with rich duck confit (with some nice crispy bits), then topped with an herby (mostly rosemary) and thick duck gravy and an aged cheddar sauce poured tableside. I might have preferred curds instead of sauce, but as for flavor this was the best poutine I've had in Chicago - pure, artery-clogging joy!

I also had some of their shrimp and grits, and while the grits were beautifully creamy and the shrimp were perfectly cooked, I didn't care so much for the sauce, which seemed to contain a bit too much citrus perhaps (even though the menu described the sauce as a lobster saffron sauce - I detected neither . . . perhaps overshadowed?). Still, very well cooked and not bad at all, just not one of my favorite versions. My dining companion had the chicken burger (which also had brie, apples, fennel, arugula and a dijonnaise) which he enjoyed . . . I also thought it was pretty tasty based upon a couple of bites.

There were a number of items on the menu that really interested me, including a vast cheese and charcuterie list and a number of dishes that seem far more ambitious than what I previously witnessed in this location. And from what I tasted, I'd be happy to return and try more of the menu, particularly on a beautiful night either out on the sidewalk or dining by the open windows.

Fork website

Fork is now our regular stop before shows at the Old Town School (which, in my view, has the best concert hall in town). I like a light meal before a show, and Fork as a nice menu of small plates and appetizers. Great place to relax, have a beer or glass a wine, some excellent snacky stuff, and then walk to the show. Last night I had their root vegetable hash, which is a simple dish of cubed root vegetables with a fried egg (soft yolk) on top. Simple, creative, and quite tasty.

Jonah

Nobody's been here in 6 years? We had a great meal before a show at Old Town School. Their charcuterie and cheese are too notch (don't miss the iberico chorizo which may be the best dry sausage I've ever eaten), on a platter with sliced pear, grapes, dried cherries, candied pecans, pickled onions, mustard and cornichons. Along with that we had the brussels sprouts - terrific pieces of bacon in there - a flatbread with butternut squash, and bacon wrapped dates that meet or beat Avec's. Extensive wine, beer and cider list, good coffee.