Grab Your Forks!

For quite some time i had been wanting to check out Roaring Fork. I had heard some good things, checked out the menu which was right up my alley, and at the time we lived in the very lush and beautiful Optima Camelview which was literally just next door to the office building which Roaring Fork resides in. Roaring Fork also happens to be possibly my favorite name for a restaurant. According to their website “The Roaring Fork’s Wood Fired Cooking captures the spirit of bold American cuisine, creating flavors that crackle with a rugged edge.” Sounds good to me. American cuisine, with an Old West touch. They take pride in preparing simple, comforting, fresh food prepared by wood fire rotisserie, open flame grill or wood oven roasting.

A few months back it happened to be Phoenix Restaurant week which Roaring Fork was participating in so we decided it was finally time to give it a try. After the long and arduous 3 minute walk we had finally arrived. The place looked as i had expected it to…warm, cozy, comfortable, intimate, lots of wood and stone and just enough light. (not quite enough for good photos though.) Oh…and very crowded. As i mentioned in a previous post about all the outdoor dining options out here, Roaring Fork has a rather large outdoor seating area which looked like a nice place to relax and enjoy a meal. After speaking to the hostess up front, we quickly abandoned  any hope of being sat outside, or even a table inside in the dining room. The bar and surrounding handful of high top tables were our best bet. We scoped out the crowded area and noticed a couple nice ladies coming towards the end of their meal. Julie approached them with all the charm she could, and they were happy to hand their table over to us as soon as they were done. After a little wait, we quickly took their seats as soon as they got up just to make sure no one else waiting for a table got any ideas. I like Phoenix Restaurant Week because it gives you a little break in the price, and you also get to try a lot of food. For a flat fee each person gets to choose one appetizer, one entree and one dessert. It works out to be quite a bit of food in the end, but if you’re trying a new restaurant for the first time you get to sample a bunch of different dishes to really get an idea of what the place is about. And if you’re like Julie and I, we try to order things we’d both enjoy so both of us get to try everything. Plus, who doesn’t like leftovers? The next day i had a REALLY good lunch.

You can see all of our choices below. This is my kinda food. Not exactly the lightest meal i ever had, i barely even made a dent in my fried chicken and potatoes. Everything was absolutely delicious in my opinion. Warm and comforting and full of flavor. Cooking with wood fire over an open flame really gives all the meat and fish a nice smokey flavor.

Would i go back? Definitely, hopefully i won’t have to wait for the next Phoenix Restaurant Week though! And hopefully we won’t have to stalk people to get a table…

Tortilla Soup with Rotisserie Chicken and Avocado

Rotisserie Chicken Flatbread with Roasted Chiles and Pepper Jack

Wood Grilled Fresh Fish Tacos with Fresh Tortillas, Avocado and Roasted Tomato Salsa

Boneless Buttermilk-Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Chocolate Lava Brownie with Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce

Brown Sugar Creme Brulee