Good Fork was quite pleasant
So I just had my first meal at The Goof Fork in Red Hook at 391 Van Brunt Street. Overall an excellent place.
Lovely room, very friendly people, good vibe with some buzz to the room but not too much as to be problematic.
The three of us ate light. No starters and for entrees we had a braised oxtail special (very nice), the pappardelle (fantastic) and the third member order 4 of the sides (brussel sprouts, scallion pancakes, onion rings, and kale (which were solid, eh, fantastic and very good in that order).
Dessert was some Steve Key Lime Pie (which was one would expect) and a ginger panna cotta (which was a little disappointing). We had a bottle of red which was recommended as well. All told? $105 for a party of 3 before tip. The wine list, by the way, was very refreshing. Very diverse and absurdly affordable. There were maybe 50 bottles on it and the vast majority were under $35 with plenty under $25 and a couple for $19!
Finally, there's a little room in the back that seats 12, maybe 14 in a pinch. It would be a good space for a private party.
Peter
P.S. While The Good Fork was literally full, 360 had only 2 or 3 tables occupied when we walked by. Did they have a chef change or some other event that took them down hill?
P.P.S. Oh, and when we slipped out without the host (owner?) noticing he literally chased us down in the street to thank us. Nice touch!
P.P.P.S. All that said, when I read that tonight, Applewood served skate roasted in maple syrup, served over sweet potato puree I deeply regretted not going there. I think they added that to the menu just to punish me.
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I really enjoyed Good Fork, eating there for the first time last Thursday. I had the dumplings, which were dense and tasty, though nothing truly exceptional. My wife's crabcakes were, "OMG, the best crabcakes I've ever had," according to her. I loved my Steak and Eggs, especially the kimchee rice, which I could see eating on its own for a quick lunch. The steak was done perfectly and was very tender. I thought it was a charming, if slightly cramped, place with extremely friendly service.
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famdoc
Mar 2, 2007 07:01 PM
Hey, Peter...life is full of opportunities. Glad you reported on your experience at Good Fork...it's certainly on my list of "gotta try it" restaurants. On a per-person basis, you spent less than we did at Applewood. As for your observation of 360, we ate there last Friday night. Seated at 7 PM, the room was mostly vacant, but by 9 PM it was packed. As far as I could tell, there has been no change in the kitchen and our meal was fabulous.
Here is my post on that meal: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/374458
Bon Appetit...
