Pitchfork Eatery — Restaurant in Nelson

It is now 2022, I know in my heart I should have written this review earlier. Having just received a note from Google that I now have 10,000 followers of my reviews. Who would have thought? It has prodded me to get caught up on my reviews.

I have been visiting Nelson for the past 60 plus years, I have seen both the good and not so good in the evolution process Nelson is going through and has gone through. Most of my time in Nelson is spent on the grandmother’s farm in Blewett. During my visits I very much look forward to enjoying the many fine eating establishments in the area. Unfortunately, this restaurant The Pitchfork I will not be able review, due to what I believe is Bigoted, Bias, and Discrimatory behavior toward individuals who have physical disabilities.

In August of 2021 I was visiting my grandmothers farm in Blewett. While visiting, one of my favorite restaurants in Nelson is BiBo’s. I was disappointed that it was no longer open, but pleasantly surprised to see that new owners had taken it over and it is now The Pitchfork. I looked online at their menu, it looked quite nice. I proceeded to call, and make a reservation, during this call I asked if they had Handy Cap access, The lady who took my call said No, but that if I wanted, I could get take out. I responded to her, how would that work, as you do not have handy cap access how would I pick up my order. CLICK!! The line went dead. This is the exact same response I received from their neighbor restaurant the Black Cauldron; they must share the same hostess.

The following day I reached out to the City of Nelson. I wanted to know if there were any City Ordinances around handy cap access. As there was a new owner and quite possibly some renovations completed, were there any requirements to provide handy cap access. I will spare you all the details of the conversation. The just of the conversation, is the new owns were fully aware of what could and could not be done with in the building codes, so as to avoid having to provide handy cap access. Yes, the city had a discussion with the owners around handy cap access. The city was open and willing to support handy cap access. The impression the person who was part of this discussion came away with, was that the owners had NO interest providing this access.

I cannot comment on the food here, what I can share is my experience of being discriminated against due to a physical disability. So as 2022 moves forward, and you are making dinning decisions, please know that in patronizing this establishment you are supporting a business that openly and willing/knowingly discriminates against individuals with physical disabilities. They are not alone, their neighbor restaurant The Black Cauldron, I had the exact same experience at. The good thing is that there are many eating establishment in Nelson that welcome people with disabilities. The Pitchfork in my opinion is not...

Oy. This is a very lovely, tree lined location. Situated in what appears from the outside as someone's home, the location tries to make you feel at home. So much disappointment. I was here with a large group and things started very strong, but went downhill very fast. The tuna tatakai was ordered by some and loved by all. An appetizer labelled "duck wings" are in fact drum-lettes. It is beyond frustrating to order something with an expectation and be presented with something completely different. This would be a theme for the night.

There was a very interesting burger on the menu featuring wasabi mayo, kimchi, pickled root vegetables and bacon. I asked the server how it is cooked and his response was that it was "illegal" to cook it any other way then cook all the way through. A lot of word play. I asked if it was pink and I was told it was "juicy". My issue here is the term illegal. Although partially correct, a kitchen can cook burger meat, say medium rare, if the meat is ground in house and not frozen. It is this universal one-size fits all comment that really troubles me. I ordered it anyway as the combo sounded intriguing. I was told the poutine was famous and took that as the side.

The burger wasn't all that it was hyped to be. I couldn't shake from my mind that a place like Nelson couldn't have access to local beef that they could grind in house. The "bacon" on the burger was actually what the UK would call a rasher. Similar to back bacon. Worth mentioning on your menu honestly. The burger was dry. Sorry.That should be illegal. The poutine, in fairness was described as made with duck jus and black garlic, but a good poutine needs lots of hot liquid to turn all that yummy, squeaky cheese very melty. Instead it is a very sparse reduction that leaves the cheese untouched and globular. Unfortunate. It should be noted that 3 people at the table ordered the burger. 2 had the poutine. Same feedback.

Lastly, my mom ordered the special of the night: Arctic char. Arctic char is distinctive mainly for its pink colour. Some how the kitchen ran out and without consulting with my mom served her ling cod instead. Ling cod is a white fish, abundant to BC and the price difference between the two fish is pretty obvious. They didn't even have the decency to tell my mom that she was getting ling cod. Classic bait and switch. Shameful.

I mentioned it started strong. The cocktails are amazing. The fig martini with blue cheese accompaniment was divine. That was the height.

As a side note my wife, mother and others went for breakfast the next day and the although the consensus was the food was better, the meal was still marred by mix-ups. My mom ordered a benny that was supposed to come with an avocado salsa, but was severed a side of sliced avocado.

Sorry Nelson, I get everyone and their dog has a restaurant here, but this 4.5 stars is borderline deceptive. I would stay away....

We were excited to try this restaurant in Nelson, but left disappointed by both the quality of the food and service.

When we arrived the hostess was friendly and accomodating, helping us find a seat on the patio although our initial reservation was for indoors. The patio has a lovely view of the water and the mountains, and were glad to be seated outside to enjoy our meal.

It took a little longer than expected for the server to visit our table, but once we placed our order our wine arrived in good time. We shared the apèro dînatoire to start. The calamari was of high quality, but had clearly been cooked in a fryer that was at too low a temperature as it came out soggy and greasy. We enjoyed the polenta but found the brisket boulettes to be lacking in flavour. While the burrata was delicious, it was a scant portion and the tomato served with it had absolutely no flavour. Our favourite part of the platter was the pickled grapes, which had a great zing and were slightly effervescent. For a $38 dollar plate we had higher expectations for preparation and presentation.

When our server asked how we enjoyed the first course we shared with her that we felt it had been lackluster. There were no follow up questions or conversation about letting the kitchen know, and the rest of her response bordered on rude so decided to end our evening there and asked for the bill. When the bill was brought out our server made a quip about thinking we might run away without paying. This was unexpected at a restaurant of this caliber. We paid our bill and left feeling unsettled.

We wanted to love this restaurant, but given the high prices and poor experience we had it is not on our...