Tip: The Korean BBQ beef ribs are excellent.
While in Newmarket, I was looking at Google Maps and saw that there was a Wild Fork roughly five minutes away from where I was. I had no idea that there was a location here.
I went to a Yelp event a year ago and was introduced to Wild Fork in Oakville. I had a wonderful experience and wondered where the closest location was to my home. It's this location by a smidge over the Whitby location.
I drove over here and had no problem finding parking. This Wild Fork is in a plaza with plenty of parking. I parked and walked over.
It looked like there were free samples. I learned that this store was celebrating its one-year anniversary and was hiring staff. Congrats!
I got a small sampler of grilled items. I got some sausage, a slice of picanha, grilled pineapple, and a small corn rib. It was the perfect sampler, as I was heading for an early dinner. Everything was delicious.
I headed inside. The store is set up like its Oakville counterpart. There is so much meat in hermetically sealed packages.
The corn and pineapple that I sampled were available here, too. There is everything for everyone, whether you're a meat person or not. I liked seeing everything from hamburger buns and scones, to frozen fruit and veggies.
The Oakville location had Korean BBQ beef ribs. I loved them so much that I wanted to pick up a package at this store. It took a bit of time to find them, but I did. I was pleased that they were on sale.
It's nice that they are already marinaded. You basically take them out of the bag and cook them. Simple. I pan-fried them on either side for three to our minutes. Done!
The downside shopping here is that it's not the cheapest place to get food. I don't shop here often, so it's a treat when I buy something that I love and is yummy. I was lucky that my beef ribs were on sale. Proteins are by the pound.
The other downside was customer service at the checkout. There was a couple taking their sweet time and then male staffer was friendly and chatty to them. An older woman was in front of me. He apologized for the delay and talked an earful with her.
When it came to me, I got none of that fluff. It was hi, how would you like to pay, and here's your item.
Why did you turn off your charm? You are a black man buttering up a Waspy couple and older woman. Is it because I'm not white that you view me as chopped liver in a meat store?
It was weird and a bit uncomfortable not getting the same treatment.
I paid with a credit card. I tapped and was done. He put my frozen beef ribs in a paper bag. I thanked him and left.
Since I was out and about for a few hours, I put my item in an insulated bag with other frozen items. When I got home, everything was still pretty frozen.
I cooked the beef ribs on Sunday and had them with ramen. Delicious! They were flavourful and tender. It was great having them again.
I'll visit the Whitby location and see how I feel. Maybe it was a one-off incident with this staffer. Perhaps I'll get another one who will treat everyone the same way next time.
Classic Fireplace was also out here, showing off its fancy pizza and the Egg. My friend, Paige, features his Egg regularly when he grills. It was cool seeing the Egg up close. Impressive!
(321) read more