The Good Fork

391 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn, NY

7.9

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Neighborhood
Brooklyn
Red Hook

Cuisine
American
Korean

718-643-6636

Official Website

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By Andrew Steinthal
February 6, 2012

Red Hook isn’t exactly an easy place to get to, unless you have a solid knowledge of New York’s ferry system or your own personal sea kayak. But there are a few excellent neighborhood restaurants out there, and assuming this isn’t your neighborhood, it’s worth a trip from time to time. We wanted to come check out The Good Fork, and decided to travel via Uber car rather than a rickety boat. In the process, we managed to convince Uber to hook up a discount for Infatuation Nation. Use the promo code “Infatuation” when you sign up and you’ll get $10 off your first ride. Who wants to meet us at Ikea?

The Good Fork definitely isn’t the best restaurant we’ve ever been to, but it might be the best restaurant in Red Hook. It’s a cozy little eatery with a old timey vibe and rounded ceilings that makes it feel like you’re dining in an old train car. The people here are also very nice, which we are noticing to be the case with all of our Red Hook trips. But what makes The Good Fork particularly intriguing is that their chef is Korean, and she adds bit of Korean flair to classic American favorites like steak eggs with kimchee rice or a crab cake with daikon radish sprouts. There’s a pork chop and a burger on the menu, but there’s also some tasty pork and chive dumplings. These flavors may not warrant an Authentic Ethnic Eats tag, But they definitely do make The Good Fork stand out in a crowd, even though in Red Hook, it’s only a crowd of about three.

Food Rundown:

Dumplings
Start off your meal with some plump homemade pork and chive dumplings for the table. You won’t regret it.

Crab Cakes
These cakes were great. Lightly fried on the outside, the lump crab meat inside was moist and extremely flavorful. The chili aioli and radish sprouts also added nice flavor. Order with confidence.

Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad
This preparation took the typical side of roasted sprouts with bacon and made it next level. The Good Fork sprouts are actually salad with some arugula, caesar dressing and parmiggiano. There’s a poached egg on top too, and that’s a nice touch.

Berkshire Pork Chop
I thought this chop was good, but not great. The preparation was well thought out. The pork comes served over a bed of spaetzle with creamy leeks and persimmon compote, and is topped with kale chips and a mustard sauce. The fixins were all good and delicious, but the chop itself was a little too fatty. That was a surprise, considering Berkshire is the gold standard. Either way, we’d skip this next time.

Roasted Sullivan Farm Chicken
This is a very solid roasted chicken dish, served with mashed potatoes, glazed cipollini onions and a black bean sauce. It’s a safe order, but we won’t judge.

“Steak and Eggs” Korean Style
This right here is the reason why you’re coming to The Good Fork. Skirt steak is served over a kimchee rice and topped with a fried farm egg. It’s amazing. It’s simple, but all the elements work together magically and this is the best dish on the menu.

Duck Leg Confit
You won’t go home hungry after this meal. These are some heavy entrees. This huge duck leg sits on top of an impressive sweet potato gruyere gratin, grilled broccoli rabe and pickled AV radishes in a port wine sauce. It sounds intense, but it all works.

Burger
This burger is a fan favorite at The Good Fork, and it gets our seal of approval. It’s a medium build beef patty on a soft, buttery bun. It also comes with huge, crispy onion rings – one of our favorite things to eat.