The Early Word on Fork & Vine’s Austin-Inspired Cuisine

Fork & Vine, the New American restaurant with an Austin twist, opened earlier this month. The West Anderson Lane restaurant offers plenty of food, a massive wine list, and outdoor seating. Executive chef and co-owner Camden Stuerzenberger of Bess Bistro and Hickory Street and co-owner Brendan Puthoff, who also owns Third Base Bar, Barcelona, and Mighty Bird, created the concept together. Read on for the early word.

The atmosphere — The vibe at Fork & Vine works for Yelper Sarah P.: "It's just the type of restaurant we need more of in North Austin - there's a lot of good food up this way, but Fork and Vine is the type of place you'd expect to find on South Congress or maybe Manor." Another Yelper added, "Great atmosphere, sort of upscale but without the snootiness."

The food — Chowhounder slowcooked felt "underwhelmed" with Fork & Vine and especially disappointed with the short rib beef wellington, which was "both beautiful and tender, but inedibly salty." He continued, "Can't remember the last time I actually couldn't eat food that was presented to me at a restaurant." On the other hand, Yelper Meghan K. thoroughly enjoyed her dish: "Just recalling the myriad of tastes and textures in this dish and thinking of how to describe them has made me salivate all over again." Another Yelper agreed with slowcooked: "Unfortunately, our meals didn't blow us away," and described the goat cheese grits as "congealed, almost as though they sat too long after plating."

The service — Yelper Christine A. adored the service. After telling the general manager she had to leave quickly and was sad to be missing out on dessert, he made sure to give her a to-go box of more than what she wanted. She exclaimed, "THIS is exactly what restaurant management is all about. I'm in love."

The decor — Yelper Jamie G. appreciated the look of Fork & Vine: "The space is really well done - classy, modern, and the garage doors going out the outdoor patio are a great touch," though suggested they "turn down the lighting to create more ambiance - it was very bright." Yelper Saul R. wasn’t a fan: "I noticed the open area seemed like a high end school cafeteria or the food court in Terminal E at IAH."