Romantic!

The photo of the front doesn't do justice to Fork in San Anselmo. It was dark and rainy, and I wanted to post this soon, rather than wait for a sunny day to go back. The forecast calls for rain for several days. I had a most exquisite dinner here last night. If you're undecided about where to go with your honey for Valentine's Day -- GO HERE! They have a special His/Her Valentine's Menu as well. And I'm getting ahead of myself.

I was greeted warmly upon arrival, and since I was the first guest, offered my choice of seats. I chose a charming window seat in the side room. I was also in time for the prix fixe menu (Tues-Fri 5:30-6:15). Both menus had tempting items, however the prix fixe had original items at a very reasonable price ($29), so that's the one I chose from. Soon this little amuse bouche of fennel soup with lobster salad arrived. It was small and complex and a great start.

This Heirloom Chickory Salad was unbelievable. The ingredients were proportioned so that every bite was a wonderful mix of flavors with no one flavor dominating. This salad was a mixture of Fuji Apples, Hazelnuts, Balsamic, and Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese.

The Papparadelle that I chose as the main dish was over the top. It had Dungeness crab, fennel and frutti de mare gently tossed with house made wide noodles. The mussels were without the shell, and shrimp without its tail, taking away any object that could possibly be in between your lips and the fork. Every bite was tender and flavorful. The small rings of calamari were blissfully tender as well.

I finished with the Pecan Crostata which was served warm with a topping of Hychia Persimmon Cream surrounded by Bulleit Burbon Caramel. Beautiful and delicious, it was the perfect end. There was not even a hint of a misstep in this meal. The service, surroundings and food was perfect. The interior was zen perfect, the floor shone, and the chairs were all aligned perfectly, merely awaiting people to bring the scene alive. It appeared as though the room was freshly painted, although the server assured me it was last painted 4.5 years ago. The space is well cared for and you will be too at Fork.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 1
Noncritical: 2
Last inspected: 6/10/2008