Fork is definitely an Old City staple. I don't understand why this place has 3.5 stars, given its innovative and consistent dishes.
I went here a few years back and had the tasting menu, and up to now, the arctic char I had has become the standard for all fish that I have ever had. The skin was light and crispy, while the inside was seared perfectly such that it was still soft and moist, though not at all raw. It was also very flavorful, presented in such a way that you would bring out the full taste of the char. The accompanying ingredients served to just further bring out the taste of the char, rather than overpower it.
Today, however, I decided to come back for their Sunday brunch. We were quite early, and the place was still quite empty. The jazz musicians were still setting up, and most tables were still empty.
Fork, in my mind, has always been a very vibrant place. At night, almost always full, with the three in the middle lighted up serving to transport you to a different world. The murals of birch trees further reinforce the unique dining experience Fork is about to give. The interior is very typical of a fine dining establishment, with its dim lighting, and its white-cloth table tops. Fork has an open kitchen, which means you can see the chefs as they make your food. WHat's interesting is that given the hullabaloo that goes on in the kitchen, the noise never seems to make it into the main dining hall.
We decided to get the sweets basket, the cured char, and the toad-in-the-hole.
The rise of High Street on Market has led many yelp-ers to rave about the pastries and bread at Fork and High Street on Market, so we thought it best to see what everyone has been raving about. The sweets basket was composed of a chocolate croissant, Kouign Amann, and a spiced peach tea cake. I'd probably rank my preference for the three in that order. The chocolate croissant was perfect - it was flaky, tender, and slightly charred on the outside. The chocolate was more subtle, and did not overpower the taste of the bread, which is something that I prefer. The Kouign Amann, which has a similar texture and feel to a croissant, was the right amount of sweet and crunchy, though if you've tasted Dominique Ansel's DKA, I still feel like this would not compare. However, this muffin-like pastry was still quite tasty. The tea cake was a bit on the dry-side, would have liked this to be a bit more moist though it was still quite delectable. I could not taste the spiced peach as much as I would have liked, but I think the texture of the cake was still quite good. It definitely had a melt-in-your-mouth feel to it. Over-all, there is a reason why High Street on Market has become famous for its pastries.
The cured char definitely ranks as one of the best brunch dishes I have had in my life. This dish is Fork's take on the brunch classic lox and bagels. Instead of the salmon, they use char, which gives it a more subtle salty flavor that's less in your face than salmon. It's also much lighter in texture, which lets it blend seamlessly with the scrambled egg, pickled onions, and creme fraiche that come with the dish. It's very rare that you find scrambled egg that's better than anything you could have made at home. Fork, however, definitely was able to successfully create a scrambled egg that was moist, fluffy, tasty, and creamy all in one. Even the capers were better than normal capers, as Fork takes the extra step to fry them. The onions were also pickled in a different relish, which gave it the sour flavor you'd expect with a salty twist. The english muffin used was also the right amount of sweet, moist, and soft - making it easier to digest than what you'd expect.
The toad-in-the-hole is basically a slice of grilled anadama bread with a hole in the middle for poached egg, topped with pork and mushroom ragout. Anadama bread is a traditional New England bread made with wheat flour, cornmeal, and molasses, which gives it a sweet flavor than your normal breakfast bread. Though I was very full by this point, the dish had a very tempered flavor to it. Though the mushroom and bacon ragout had a strong salty and earthy flavor to it, the bread did a great job at being able to absorb the flavor of the dish. The poached egg was also cooked perfectly. One thing that Fork definitely excels at is being able to combine different flavors and interesting ingredients to create one harmonious dish - which is perfectly encapsulated in this dish. I would highly recommend this.
There's a reason Fork is considered one of the best restaurants in Philly. Even if their menu may seem uninspired and traditional, the way they intrepret different brunch classics is absolutely phenomenal. Will definitely be coming back soon. read more