May 17 2017

Review: Forage Restaurant

You walk through the front door and what do you see? Curtains. And the excitement begins. What’s behind those curtains? And your mind begins to race with all the thoughts of delicious food you’re about to enjoy.

When you walk through those curtains, you automatically feel welcomed and comfortable. The space is very clean, warm, minimalistic, and earthy. Before the sun goes down, the rays hit the windows adding to the warmth of the space. After sundown, the dim light creates a cozy, relaxed, and romantic environment. Stan, the owner and manager describes Forage as a “passion project”. He relayed his experience of painting the walls himself and fixing things. He wanted to make the space fun and comfortable, tailored to his food offerings. It was very refreshing and impressive to see him serve the food and talk to the customers. Stan and his staff give Forage its cozy and welcoming feeling.

As they warmly welcomed us, the first thing that caught my eye from the menu was the non-alcoholic fresh drinks. Why non-alcoholic? It is hard to find delicious and fresh drinks when you don’t feel like drinking alcohol. If this is the case for you, Forage will not disappoint. These drinks, as well as their cocktails feature a variety of fresh and local ingredients served in a very unique and tasteful way. You may be wondering what about the alcoholic selection? The different drinks that they offer are mostly locally sourced making the selection highly curated.

The food at Forage features delicious seasonal, local, and home made ingredients. The dishes are unique, playful, and very natural. It is obvious that the staff enjoys experimenting with a combination of flavors that results in a welcomed new taste profile. At each course, we were thrilled and filled with curiosity as to how the ingredients work so beautifully. We had many dishes and were delighted with all (see pictures for the meal).

So what makes Forage unique and special? Perhaps it’s the taste of fine dining in the comfort of a friend’s home. Maybe it’s the locally sourced ingredients that when combined with the chef’s skills give delightful results. Perhaps it’s the comfort of seeing the owner (Stan Hilbert), chef (Eric Cooper), and bar manager (Joe Choiniere) include the guests in their roles and process as if they’re part of the extended family. Or maybe above all, it’s the passion of the people at Forage that comes through in all aspects of the dining experience. For a chance to win a $50 gift card to Forage, visit our review post on Instagram and comment letting us know why we should pick you. Deadline to post is Friday May 19, 2017 at 9:00PM.