The Red Fork — Restaurant in Erwin

Seemingly out of place, yet wonderful expression of creativity. Had the pleasure to dine here for a date recently, as it happened to be the perfect middle meeting point between her and myself. When I saw the middle was Erwin, a place I learned of during the Helene aftermath as I hunted for cell signal before being turned around with the bridge collapse, I was a bit worried that there probably wouldn't be many options to that met the vibe I typically aim for. I was surprised to find it in the Google Maps listings and it immediately became my first suggestion for an easy night out. I offered up driving up to Johnson City for a more fine dining experience but the date reciprocated that this sounded like the best option. (Crafty vs a somewhat over refined and fake dining experience, which I appreciated.) Overall, sincerely impressed with the execution of the restaurant, from the entry patio area to the interior. Quaint small town feel with the execution and attention to detail of hot larger city spots. Interesting options on the menu, some of which I've never seen, always a plus. I was compelled to try a little bit of everything so I went for several of the snack and small plates over an entree. They were out of a few options at 7:30 on a Saturday and that was a little bit of a disappointment as trying to find a balance out of several of the smaller plates that leaned fried-heavy was already a dance that I had to execute. Even still, everything was paired with lovely sauces/dips and plated beautifully. I thought about going for the steak dish but saw some plating photos prior to arriving and wasn't overly impressed over the other photos that I saw. Draft beer list was small but had nice options for most styles. I'm still into the hazys and they chose well. Apparently they are known for being the first cocktail provider in Erwin and the list looked great. I only do cocktails late night but my date did have one. Unfortunately, she was not the type of person to express their culinary appreciation so I didn't get to hear how it tasted but it looked nice. They closed at 9:00 so we were kind of rushed out and then the tap room on the same block was closed for renovation, which left us nowhere to go but a city bench for another hour or so to finish up the conversations we had started.

Only actual let down of the night was that my date didn't have any passion for this kind of thing. While my date was a non-starter, I do hope to return to The Red Fork for more...

We were very impressed, we both ordered the chicken sandwhich and wasn't in the mood to share. Let me say it was fat like super chunky and dipped in batter fried to perfection. The meatloaf ball things in Blackberry BBQ sauce were mouthwatering I had to beg hubby not to polish them off so I could have some for lunch next day. We had no room for dessert. We will be back. Prices were very comparable to any of the other restaurants in JC. Anytime we need to celebrate this will be our go to place, or whenever I don't want to do dishes, which is often. Sweet tea and Shirley Temples hit the spot.

In my opinion way better than Tupelo Honey in Knoxville. We also love Rocky's in Asheville and most certainly have decided we now love both places chicken sandwiches equally. The meatball balls reminded us of the Bouillon Balls at Harry's in St Augustine and we dream about that place all year, till we visit again.

This place could really put Erwin on the map, by the way one of my teacher buddies brought her family in from Cali and they were raving...

New to the area I naturally was eager to try out the local restaurants and see what they have to offer. I was pleasantly surprised to see the variety of unique items on " Red Fork's " Menu. The appetizers offer a unique blend of complementary tastes. The entrees also serve up a variety of great, well thought up choices. Our group has always been served by " Kristin". She is always so friendly, informative, professional and attentive. Moving from Florida, and the vast number of choices to eat there, we were naturally concerned about the options we would have coming to a smaller populated area. Having the choice of enjoying a cocktail or glass of wine with our meal is certainly a nice addition to have. We try to dine at " Red Fork " at least every week or so. The quaint town of Erwin, with all the magic it already possesses, is fortunate to have this restaurant a new member of its community. I encourage everyone to check it out. You won't be sorry! Trust me, you WILL keep going back. It IS that GOOD...