Rachel and I arrived at III Forks on a blazingly white, sunny Austin afternoon. As we walked through the two sets of doors, I might as well have been walking into Gollum’s lair. Our friend and PR guru Paula,who was kind enough to invite us to this complementary preview, stood in the entryway repeating, “Can you see me? Can you see me? Follow my voice.”
After a few minutes, our eyes adjusted to the ambience-y lighting and I even managed to not comically knock over a huge vase in the interim.
What had drawn us to III Forks was, that like so many other high end restaurants recently, the chef there has decided to roll out a new happy hour. I’m all for new happy hours.
Mingling in the bar.
III Forks is a small chain Steakhouse with other locations in Dallas, Boca Raton, and Palm Beach. It is a classic-style Steakhouse from the old school, with lots of leather, antler chandeliers, and a Governors’ room. The website actually describes the places as having “luxurious Black mahogany trimmed with triple crown molding and Michelangelo Italian marble surroundings,” just so you understand what I’m talking about.
Oddly though, it didn’t feel stodgy to me. The bar was comfortable, the staff young and friendly, and the dude rocking the piano kept a peppy vibe.
I’ve heard a lot about III Forks in the past. It’s the type of restaurant that’s indispensable when you just have to close a certain type of business deal or when you really, really need to impress a girl’s dad. Unfortunately, the wife and I haven’t found ourselves in either of those situations recently and with $11 onion rings and $50 plus dollar steaks on the menu, we haven’t quite found the proper occasion.
Chef Gutierrez keeps it all in check.
But suddenly there’s a whole menu for five bucks (ok, technically I think a couple things are 6 bucks, but it sounds kind dumb saying, “But suddenly everything is 5 bucks, except for the items that are $1 more. You know?)
We worked our way through the short but diverse list starting with the III Forks Chips. These are nice little bar snacks- thin shaved Russets fried to a golden brown and then topped with sautéed onions, Stella blue cheese and a dusting of herbs. Nothing ground breaking but it went well with my $5 martini.
Next we tried out the Tuna Skewers. These were plump little cubes of seared fish that had been slathered with a tamarind teriyaki sauce and speckled with sesame seeds. Everything was well prepared but it’s not a dish that really does it for me. Tasty, but a little humdrum.
Upping the interestingness ante was the Cured Blackberry Duck. Chef Jaime Gutierrez cures duck breast like you would ham, only he crusts his fowl with coffee and brown sugar. The sliced breast is served on a snappy house-made water cracker, topped with a blackberry, red pepper relish and finished with some spicy Asian micro greens.
This is good. The slightly fatty, salty duck is well complimented by the earthy coffee and sweet tangy relish. Gutierrez said he worked for a long time to pull off the right flavor balance and it certainly shows.
Jeff, the bar manager, decides what to pour next.
Next was probably my favorite dish of the evening, the Golden Sea Scallop. The chef said it was his play on the classic Chinese fried dumplings called Golden Pockets.
Each spoon has a fat chunk of seared scallop marinated in nước chấm with ginger and Serrano. The shellfish is topped with fresh lime and zest, basil, cilantro, and mint, then a nice crunch is added from a mix of toasted coconut, chopped peanut, and fried shallots.
The bite may be a bit large and unwieldy to shove in your mouth, but don’t be shy. Remember, it’s dark in there.
Is that Michelangelo Italian marble?
The last appetizers to make an appearance were the Blue Cheese Beef Croustades. These were garlic bruschetta rounds topped with pounded tenderloin, thyme, garlic slivers, blue cheese and a red wine demi.
Warning: This picture may actually be of a different beef appetizer. I’m pretty sure that in a photographic fever I crawled into a booth with a nice couple trying to enjoy a romantic dinner. At least they’ll have something for posterity.
I certainly enjoyed eating them, but my beef philosophy is that I like beef to taste like beef. The copious accoutrements distracted a bit from the high quality steak niblets. I could see how this would make a hell of a sandwich though.
The other nifty side of their happy hour is that you can play wine-by-the-glass roulette for $5. They call it the Sommelier’s Pick of the Cellar, but basically you pays your money and you takes your chances. I’d say your chances are pretty good though, as III Forks has quite an impressive stash.
Laura in the fun wine room.
What did I get from my experience? Well, first I learned that you don’t have to wear a monocle to get in the front door (but sunglasses will make the transition easier.)
I also learned that if the workweek has been kicking your ass and you just need to feel like a high roller, a railroad tycoon, or an oil magnate for a couple hours, duck into the classy, vaulted chophouse that is III Forks. You may feel a little less poor.
-L. Pants
III Forks
111 Lavaca St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 474-1776
