Fargo Cork'n Cleaver — Restaurant in Fargo

How my experience at Cork and Cleaver Went:

The Food: The food was extremely bland, and distasteful. I ordered The Sirloin/Shrimp entrée, with a side of French Onion Soup, and Stuffed Mushrooms as a starting dish. The only thing that didn't disappoint was the soup, and that wasn't anything to rave about. The Mushrooms were very soggy, and the Bernaise was extremely sour, like it was sitting out for too long, or expired. The Sirloin was very dry, surprising for something that was cooked to Medium Rare. The craziest part of all of this was the Shrimp, serving size; 3 pieces. The attached photo is how it was served. The Shrimp/Sirloin dish was $35. That means I paid 17.50 for 3 pieces of Shrimp... And if you see the attached photo, that's how it was served to me, too! I don't want to be to pompous. But I would like some decorum with my overpriced shrimp. Side Note: My date had the Primavera, which tasted like buttered noodles with veggies, no hints of Primavera, whatsoever. $30 for buttered noodles!

The Service: Our server was noticeably untrained. He was a younger guy, who was 100% trying, and doing the best he could. But it was the fact that he acting more like a fast food clerk, instead of a higher end restaurant is what got to me. He gave us his best, but it's very clear he hasn't had enough training with the food or liquor menu, every question we had was returned with either a confused stare, or a quiet ineligible answer. Multiple times we had to ask what he said, and still couldn't understand him. Our bill consisted of a starter, 2 entrees, and 2 drinks, which accumulated to $100 dollars, even after our starter was taken off of our bill. If I was going to spend $100 to eat out, I hope that the service included is somewhat included in the bill. (Still tipped 20%, he's doing HIS best)

The Atmosphere: Beautiful. You can see that the owners put alot of time into crafting the restaurant to be a one of a kind. It feels straight out of a romance, the atmosphere was rich and alluring. I just wish that everything else was better. Walking in and getting seated hyped me up. Even though we were in a corner crammed, the table felt spacious and presentable for dishes. The walls were covered in many interesting items, almost like eating in an antique store. Even after the bad experience, I still walked around and appreciated the craftsmanship.

Sadly, I do not recommend this spot. Maybe if the food and the service got overhauled, I would give this place a second chance, but as of this review, two...

Normally, if a steakhouse makes a great steak, I can forgive lots of other details. However, while the steak was tremendous, there are FAR too many things wrong with this place to ignore.

The service is the first problem. After being promptly seated, we were ignored for at least ten minutes. We saw at least 5 servers in our area, not a single one stopped to check on us. In fact, we didn't know which of them was even supposed to be our server. Once the guy finally showed up, he took our drink and app order, then disappeared for at least 5 more minutes. The drinks finallly arrived, but no app, at this point we didn't even bring it up since we didn't want to be ignored again. We finally placed our entrée orders and went to the salad bar. It was a fairly standard type salad bar, I'd call it better than average in terms of options, but these days ... who even has a salad bar to begin with? So better than average doesn't mean very much as there aren't many places to compare it to.

When the steaks arrived, they were truly great. HOWEVER, nothing else was even tolerable. My wife had rice that almost made her puke, I had a baked potato, it was tiny and red skinned. You NEVER make baked potatoes with red skins, they are the earthiest and driest potato options. I can't believe a "high-end" place like this doesn't understand that. The meal also included a loaf of sour dough. The crumb was soft and very flavorful, except it was horribly under baked otherwise. Even a beginner baker knows that artisan bread, particularly sour dough, is baked at a very high temperature until it is quite dark and very crispy. This was essentially blonde colored, and had no crunch whatsoever.

Ultimately, we were very disappointed, and now I remember why I avoided coming here, despite living in the area for 20+ years. There are so many better options in town. This place charges like a high end steak house but performs like...

Steakhouse Experience Review

City/Location: Fargo Cork'n Cleaver

Date Visited: 3 April 2025

Overall Impression: Cozy ambiance, disappointing execution

Ambiance & Appearance:

The restaurant had a warm, inviting atmosphere. Live music added to the charm, and the interior design had a nostalgic Prairie-style feel reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. This was a strong start.

Greeting Upon Arrival:

Disappointingly, there was no hostess at the post upon arrival. I value a well-coordinated team, but the first impression was lacking.

Table Setup & Location:

Table and chairs were comfortable, and the layout added to the cozy vibe. No complaints here.

Initial Server Interaction:

While the server did eventually greet me and bring my drink, the initial contact was slower than expected and felt somewhat impersonal.

Menu Introduction & Specials:

There was no mention of daily specials or a welcoming offer to answer questions. This is a missed opportunity to connect and guide the guest.

Food Delivery Time & Accuracy:

The steak arrived quickly, but it was undercooked—ordered Pittsburgh-style with a medium center, received rare center. I had to flag someone down to get it corrected, as no one checked in proactively.

Flavor & Seasoning:

The biggest letdown. The steak lacked the depth of flavor I expect. Regardless of cut or preparation, seasoning is non-negotiable for a memorable steak.

Follow-Up & Engagement:

Service follow-up was minimal. No check-ins, no effort to enhance the experience. I asked for a box and left with my meal unfinished.

Payment & Closing Interaction:

No structured close to the experience. No genuine farewell or gratitude until a passing staff member said “have a good night.” Bare minimum effort.

Return Probability:

Would I return? Unlikely, unless invited by someone else—then I’d try a different cut and hope for a...