Kyle and I quite possibly just ate the best meal, well meals, that we have ever had. I have been talking to Brenda McClean from Fork in the Road Bistro here in Sedona, about wedding catering through email for the past few weeks. She invited us to the restaurant tonight to do a tasting. I fully expected a planned out set up where we would sit down and she would bring us tiny tastes of various things. No, not even close. She suggested a few items, then she brought out Chef Alan and he explained several of the items to us from the menu. We instantly could tell he was passionate about food and what he was doing. He essentially told us he would accommodate any of our ideas or requests. Keep in mind its Friday night in a very popular restaurant, so to talk personally with the Chef was amazing. We selected some items off the menu and they brought us each a plate of our choices. Granted they were split but this was no small tasting. We started with the house salad which really makes it sound like just some basic salad. However it was truly delicious with fresh greens, julienne sliced veggies,and a crunchy potato crisp all tossed in a sherry mustard vinaigrette. I literally could have stopped there and been completely satisfied. Next came the Salmon Roast which was topped with a horseradish marmalade glaze, and a grilled pineapple salsa laying on a bed of mushroom and orzo pasta. The blend of flavors was a brilliant explosion in my mouth. I eat salmon a lot and order it frequently at restaurants. This salmon dish was by far the best I have ever had.
Next up, Chicken. Stuffed Roast Chicken to be exact. The chicken was stuffed with a ricotta spinach blend over the creamiest and most savory mashed potatoes I have ever consumed. There was some sort of sauce over the top of everything which blended all the flavors together perfectly. Kyle voted the chicken over the salmon but I’m still pulling for the salmon.
You thought we were done didn’t you. Not even close. Next up, the Filet. We wanted to try beef initially but decided that likely at the wedding we would have a carving station so there would be no need to try a beef dish. However, Brenda came over after we had selected the other dishes and suggested we really try the filet because it would have a similar flavor to how the chef would prepare something for a carving station. I’m not a big steak eater but even I can say this steak was the most tender steak I have ever had. And, I know this will upset meat eaters everywhere, I asked for it medium well. Yes I ruined it. But this steak was so good, even a Rancher would have appreciated it. Kyle agreed. It was served with tomato basil scalloped potatoes which were to die for. They were layered like a lasagna and simply amazing.
And then, yes there is more. We asked them to suggest a good vegetarian dish or more specifically a vegan dish as we have a few vegetarians on the guest list including one of my bridesmaids who is vegan. I wanted her to be able to eat so we ordered a Gnocchi dish with miso. For those that don’t know Gnocchi is a potato dumpling of sorts. Even after eating all that other food and being completely stuffed, this was amazing. We were fully convinced that vegetarians and non vegetarians a like would love this dish. Needless to say, we took most of it home to eat later.
Ok, so all I wanted to do at this point was lay down and maybe unbutton my pants. Too much information? Well it’s not over yet. Brenda asked what we thought about dessert. We said we will likely do a small cake but that we are open to other dessert choices. She suggested we try the creme brulee and well even after all that food, there is no part of me that can say no to creme brulee. So we went for it. In the meantime I got up to go to the restroom and I returned to this…
There is something about dessert that no matter what, you always have room for it. We ate it all, every bit. The sorbet was tangy, light and refreshing. The Creme Brulee was thick, creamy and decadent. Adios wedding cake, who needs you?
This was by far the most fun wedding related activity we have participated in thus far. Of course it was because delicious food was involved but the service was outstanding also. A couple sitting next to us asked for a dish without garlic. Garlic is in essentially every dish they serve in some form according to the server but he insisted that they could accommodate the man. The server left the table and came back with a list of suggestions from the Chef including sauces that he would make specifically for the man without garlic. Tell me that isn’t amazing. It was truly a treat and made for a great date night. The restaurant was buzzing with regular customers so we realized we were behind the times on trying this place out. So, if you live in Sedona or are planning to visit, make sure Fork in the Road is on the itinerary.
