This past Wednesday found Mrs. K and I looking for a place to celebrate our 29th anniversary. One of our new favorite spots came to mind so we headed up to Fork + Ale House in Carmel. Located just north of Veterans Way, up Elm Street by the Midtown Plaza (350 Veterans Way, Suite 150 officially) – the F+A has a wonderful location. There is free parking in the ramp across Elm Street and the restaurant windows look out on all the activities on the plaza.
We enjoyed the place on our recent Happy Hour (HH) visit because of the friendly staff, the attentive host (Jeff Blair) and the relaxed vibe there. There’s nothing really fancy about the interior, comfort and good food being the main priorities.
Our server this time was Hannah, and she greeted us with a smile, told us the specials and brought waters while we decided what we wanted to drink. Mrs. K ordered the Seaglass Chardonnay ($6 – since it was still HH time) while I chose the Imagery Pinot Noir ($12). They both came out as healthy-sized pours.
Wednesday at F+A House features Create Your Own Burger ($11), as well as half-price bottles of wine. But we opted to see what some of our personal favorites were like a la Blair. My wife loves Grouper fish dishes – and the menu featured a Blackened Grouper Sandwich ($19.50) which came with fries. She requested that it not be prepared blackened and that was no problem as was a substitution of a salad (choice of House, Caesar, or Wedge) for the fries.
I really love spare ribs and ordered the Half-Rack of the House Smoked Jim Beam Ribs ($26) which came with two sides. I chose the Caesar and an item that was touted by both Jeff and Hannah – the Bacon Ranch Potato Cake.
See the entire menu here: tinyurl.com/ForkAleMenu.
Jeff had come by to greet us and talked about how they take their Bacon Ranch Potato Salad (a side made from one of an associate’s grandmother’s recipes) and turn a serving of it onto the grill. It comes out browned on both sides, soft in the middle and quite tasty – as a potato cake.
Our salads came out right away and we enjoyed eating while watching all the activity in Carmel’s Midtown Plaza. Lots of families come out at the end of the day and there are ping-pong tables and a pool table set up outside, plus a nice sized open play area where we often see kids and parents throwing a ball around. It’s a very entertaining view out the restaurant window or from one of the many outdoor tables at F+A House, and is a great feature of the place.
On Wednesdays, starting at 6 p.m., the F+A presents music – a single guitar player this week playing familiar tunes and providing a nice ambiance for the diners.
Our main courses arrived and the celebratory dinner began. My ribs were meaty and juicy, covered in delicious Jim Beam BBQ sauce. And the half-slab was more than enough to please me. Mrs. K’s Grouper sandwich was prepared just right with lettuce, tomato, and a unique Caper Tartar Sauce. A good-sized portion, she was able to take half of it home for lunch the next day.
I talked to Jeff about how they do things a little differently at F+A – such as the potato cake and the tartar sauce. I also learned they run the ribs through the pizza oven to crisp the top – another interesting innovative approach to food preparation.
The house bought us dessert for our anniversary – Key Lime Pie. It was a perfect finish!
Our tab came to right around $70 plus tip. We enjoyed everything about our dinner and will be happy to return again.
Ken Klingenmeier offers this series of columns, called “A Seat at the Table,” wherein he reviews Indy-area restaurants – specifically their Happy Hour offers. Keep reading The Reporter for future restaurant reviews.
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