January 2019

The Silver Fork – Manchester, Vermont

In researching dinners, it was obvious that The Silver Fork was the place a popular and well loved restaurant in town. When planning this trip, we prioritized making reservations here since we only have two nights for this meal to occur.

After a long day of skiing, we were ready for our evening dinner at The Silver Fork just a short eight minute drive away from our hotel. With only six tables and five bar stools, we were happy to have snagged a reservation at the bar. We loved the cozy nature of the intimate setting. The co-owner, Melody, greeted us upon arrival and told us the background of The Silver Fork. Herself and her husband/chef Mark opened the restaurant in 2011 after experiences in St Louis, Puerto Rico and training with a German chef and the menu certainly outlines these influences.

The menu made every decision difficult. When you sit down you are handed several pieces of papers to sift through. The wine list was killer and the food options were all incredible. We really wished we had more stomachs to try the wide variety of offerings. Depending on your mood, there was a dish for you! One thing we did not expect was the dessert menu before the meal begun but it was quickly obvious why. Half of the desserts (souffles, for example) require a thirty minute pre-order. It definitely makes sense for the restaurant to do this and requires patrons to plan their meal carefully.

For wine we opted on a bottle of Grady Family Vineyard Zinfandel, Lodi, 2015 which was quite delicious!

Bread service was rosemary flatbread with an olive tapenade.

I really wanted to try one of the two goat cheese offerings (roasted pear, goat cheese and lavender honey or a goat cheese souffle with fig jam and toast) but both options would be heavy so we opted for a traditional cheese plate to start.

The plate came with four cheeses from Bardwell Farm, each named from a city nearby (Manchester- raw goat’s milk, firm; Dorset- raw cow’s milk, washing rind; Pawlett- raw cow’s milk, semi-firm; Rupert- raw cow’s milk, firm). While I felt the cheese portions were rather small for the price, the accompaniments on the board were plentiful. I would have also liked a cheese board with more variety in the selection. We have been spoiled by amazing cheese plates in the past so cheese expectations are always high!

After a grueling process of elimination, we settled on the Escargot en Crute with garlic butter topped with puff pastry then baked as another appetizer

Flakey, buttery, garlicky goodness. We enjoyed this dish until the last drop!

For entrees, we wanted to get dishes that we could not get anywhere else- something signature to here reflective of the chef’s diverse culinary background. The menu really takes guests on a trip around the world… on a plate! Where would you like to go this evening?

Kevin chose one of their most popular dishes the Chicarroni de Pollo. This is a lime, garlic, and cilantro chicken chunks (some bone-in) with Island rice and beans.

This plate was massive! Caribbean feel definitely shined in this dish. Chicken was well cooked and very flavorful. So. Much. Garlic! The rice and beans were a perfect complement and reminded us of our time at the Galapagos Islands. It is obvious why this dish is such a hit and the staff fully encourage forgoing utensils and using your hands to get to all the goodness.

While it was on the appetizer list, I could not help by make it my entree- the Lobster “Caribbean” Risotto.

Named “Caribbean” because the risotto uses a Caribbean medium grain rice, add saffron and server over veal jus. This dish was so delicious and I was so happy with my decision. It was the perfect texture and consistency with chunks of lobster in each spoonful. I definitely think they could increase the portion size marginally and add to the entree list but I was perfectly satisfied with the appetizer portion.

We decided to not get a dessert requiring thirty minutes pre-order which left us with a few remaining options. I decided on the Trio of Chocolate Mousse.

The three mousse varietals included swiss white, milk chocolate and dark chocolate all served in an almond brittle cup. Kevin also ordered a glass of sauterne that was on the menu that perfectly complemented the almond brittle cup.

I would like to have this gem close by to be able to try all the options we lacked the stomach room to try. It is very obvious why this restaurant is successful and why getting a reservation is so difficult. Reservations are a must for dining here! The intimate settings works so well for the ambiance and you will probably get to have a conversation with the co-owner, Melody. She was very fun and down to earth. Hearing her story and enthusiasm for the menu with the constant desire to elevate and make the menu better delivers a great dining experience. Thank you for an amazing meal!