Fork & Dagger Ale Haus — Restaurant in Kiel

We were entertaining friends from out of town on Saturday night and decided to have dinner at Fork & Dagger as we have been to the restaurant numerous times, including hosting a large table for my husband’s birthday, and have had relatively positive experiences. Unfortunately, 3 out of the 6 entrees we ordered were (or became) INEDIBLE. Two of the inedible items, Prime Rib and Halibut, were featured specials. The Prime Rib was to be served Medium, but it was UNCOOKED and SO GRIZZLED that it could not be cut with a steak knife. The Halibut was overdone and dried out (risotto was excellent). The NY Strip was ordered Medium, but served Blue. These issues are all easily remedied, which is why I am always confounded if a restaurant chooses not to fix the situation as the hill to die on. Given our recent experience, I really don’t expect this place to remain in business much longer which probably makes this review moot, but the ownership may want to consider the following: DON’T condescendingly “serversplain” and argue with your customer about Prime Rib temperature. You never know who you are speaking with and they may know more about proper meat temperatures than you (and maybe more than the person who incorrectly prepared it). DO apologize and offer to either remake the item or remove the item entirely from the bill. I prefer the former and so should the restaurant because it shows that the Cook (“Chef” is overzealous) can properly prepare the item which makes me more than willing to give the place another try. DON’T be snarky, rude and unapologetic and remove ½ of the price of one of the 3 entrees and call it a day after taking the plate back to the kitchen and MICROWAVING the entire thing as your way of solving the problem. It’s a big EFF YOU to your customers and, without customers, well, you know…

Photo is Prime Rib...

We had heard such great things about this place, and were excited to try it ourselves. After our experience last night, we won't be back. When my husband and I walked in, there were a handful of people already at the bar, but it wasn't overly crowded. Upon taking seats at the bar and saying hello, the brunette waitress/bartender stared at my husband, set the menu on the bar, said "Here's the drink menu, food is in the back.", and walked away. We waited, expecting someone to take our drink order. I realize it was near dinnertime, so perhaps the three employees behind the bar were terribly busy elsewhere. But once we noticed a group of four, who entered after us were promptly served their drinks before we were even addressed again, my patience had worn thin. After almost 10 minutes of sitting and waiting, we started to get up to leave. It was then that the young man behind the bar came to take our drink order. We decided to stay, placed our order and asked if we could order dinner and eat at the bar. He said he would have to check with the kitchen. We enjoyed our drink, all the while catching sight of all three employees who were consistently behind the bar, including the young man doing various duties like drying and restocking wine glasses. Never once were we acknowledged or gotten back to about if we could order food. Other patrons came into the establishment, but went back to the dining area. After the party of four who came in after us, there were no new patrons at the bar area, so I can only chalk it up to rude/poor customer service. Fast forward 15 minutes... the young man came back to ask if we wanted food, at which point, we cashed out and left. It really looked like a lovely place, and the food menu looked delicious; but the terrible customer service has turned us off from ever returning or recommending...

My girlfriend and I went here for dinner a few weeks ago, and were blown away by the impressive service and fantastic food. Our server, Brittany, was exceptionally knowledgeable and professional while also exemplifying a friendly and welcoming supper club charm. She explained the specials of the day and various sides, and I risked the steak (which I never order at a restaurant, since I make amazing steaks :) and boy were we pleased! Their talented staff has the ability to make everything taste better and slightly more complex (in a great way!) than you'd expect. Even the vegetables (al dente, perfectly seasoned) were top notch. I wish we'd taken some pics to share. Then she invited us to check out the Bourbon bar in the basement, which we didn't even know existed. Downstairs, we saw a refined atmosphere, cherished by regulars, and met the owner and his wife. He explained that they have hundreds of top shelf bourbons in their collect. We were driving a bit of a distance, so we passed. But we hope to visit again in the near future and order high quality bourbon to accompany our meals next time. Definitely a 10/10 experience and wholeheartedly recommend. We lucked out that they had some availability, so making reservations in advance is strongly encouraged. Thanks again to everyone at the Fork and Dagger that made our dinner one...