Eating dinner in a semi-sketchy neighborhood makes us feel so adventurous. So…rebellious. So…undeniably masculine. At least until the neon-blue colored martini with matching umbrella hits the table. Then, we’re exposed for who we really are: girl-drink drunks.
But we don’t care. We’re not defined by labels. (Unless they’re Prada or Dior.)
We simply love to eat great food and it doesn’t matter whether it’s from a roadside street cart, a small-town café or on the sandy dunes of Abu Dhabi. (Actually, we’ve never been to the Middle East. Damn our Post Traumatic Sex and the City 2 Syndrome!)
While cruising Fitzhugh a few weeks ago, we came across a new gastropub called RedFork. The initial vibe is sports-bar hetero, but we were pleased to see the place fill up with tables of gays (the pastel cocktails gave them away) ordering the dishes we’d already chosen as our favorites. (See, it is in our DNA!)
For starters, highlights include the roasted beet salad with fennel and marcona almonds, or a plate of toasted goat cheese marinated with fresh herbs, mixed greens, roasted bell pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
As we settle into these frigid days of sub-100 temperatures, perhaps a comfort dish like rigatoni Bolognese would hit the spot. At RedFork, it’s easily one of the standouts. But dining at a gastropub benefits from exploration and that’s where “Snout to Tail,” a trio of pork with sides and sauces that change daily, is more off-the-beaten path. It’s a savory swinefest that will satisfy the most carnivorous among us in a very unique way.
Yet it’s the “Fork ‘n Knife Ham & Cheese” (pictured), a breakfast-for-dinner of Virginia ham, gruyere cheese and a perfectly fried egg resting atop toasty bread, that wins our love. When the yolk breaks and melds with the creamy, salty flavors of the ham and cheese, it’s simply addictive.
And because we get to use a knife, we once again feel the testosterone surging through our well-manicured pinkies, raised, as we stab into our meat.
2537 North Fitzhugh Avenue, Dallas
(214) 827-3200
www.redforkdallas.com
