Update after a few more visits has them down to a 4 based on inconsistency…read more
-- Roast Chicken: Hearty fall/winter dish with crisp skin, herbs aplenty, and gravy underneath, with roasted carrots and mashed potatoes. A little dry in the interior. No longer on the menu as of last week.
-- Grilled Shrimp: Plump shrimp whose paprika-heavy rub and grill flavor balanced the butteriness, with a pepper aioli joining as well. On top, pickled fennel. Underneath, grilled sourdough that soaked in the grill, butter, and seafood flavors. Fantastic but no longer on the menu as of last week.
-- Forge & Vine Cheeseburger: All the same ingredients as on a Big Mac, only of much higher quality, on a thick burger of high quality. I've been hoping to relive the glory of my first burger here (see previous review), but it's been rocky. Good grill flavor and outer crusting, but medium to medium well when I ordered medium rare. (Yes, I mentioned it to the server and manager.) Still a pretty good burger, and the bacon I added this time was thick and walking the tightrope between crispy and bendy. But a big miss on hitting greatness again. So I gave it another chance the next visit, and it was again overdone. But this time I sent it back, and the one they sent out was very good. The most recent visit only required one try: excellent, with the right crust outside and proper pink and juicy inside, along with a solid assortment of vegetables and condiments. An exemplary burger-- when they cook it right.
-- Calamari: An eye-catching appetizer with the mostly thin rings pretty much treated like chicken wings, with a spicy tangy glaze, an aïoli underneath, and some kimchi on top for presentation. Very good crunch and flavor, but thicker pieces would have allowed a better tasting of the seafood itself. Still very enjoyable and I'd get it again.
-- Shrimp Cocktail: Solid job, good size, presented in ice with lemon wedges and a cocktail sauce a little light on the horseradish.
-- Grilled Swordfish Meunière: A thick slab, lightly grilled, fairly. A thin brown butter sauce, capers, and sautéed mustard greens added some much needed moisture and oomph. No longer on the menu as of last week.
-- Jimmy Nardello Peppers: Long, bright red, no heat, slightly sour, and somewhat fruity like peppadew, dressed up with garlic aioli, chimichurri, and coriander seed. Outstanding. Great beer pairing.
Beautiful space. Good to outstanding service. Cody pours his heart and soul into the experience, exuding enthusiasm from the greeting through the check. Some might find it a little overdramatic, but after enduring too many AWOL and near-comatose servers elsewhere, I can't get enough of it.
I like this place, and consider it good to very good, but it seems like the proteins (especially the grilled items) turn up a little too dry a little too often to consider them great. Their pricing is high but well worth it when the execution is there. When it's not, it's a too-expensive just-okay. Despite the inconsistency, going with a 4 based on the most recent visit being problem-free.
