The Good Fork - Red Hook - Brooklyn - Restaurants

RED HOOK - BROOKLYN, NY

WHAT

A small Red Hook restaurant serving Asian / European influenced eclectic seasonal food.

WHY

Worth the trip to try the “Steak and Eggs” Korean Style, but don’t ignore the other options made with locally sourced ingredients.

THE GOOD FORK

December 5, 2009

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Often, the best things are born out of necessity. In the case of The Good Fork, Red Hook locals Ben Schneider and Sohui Kim simply wanted a good place to eat in the neighborhood. There wasn’t much around when the couple moved there, shy of hard-drinking establishments and a few mediocre cafes. While they didn’t have much in the way of pocket money to open a restaurant, they both had the right skills to make it work. Sohui was an accomplished chef and Ben was a talented carpenter. With a bit of determination and a kind landlord, they built The Good Fork in 2006. Turns out, it was just what Red Hook needed.

The Food

The cuisine is inspired by the well-known chefs that Sohui has worked with in the past. Taking clean flavors and sustainability from Dan Barber (Blue Hill), bolder Asian ingredients from Anita Lo (Annisa), seasonal freshness from Peter Hoffman (Savoy), and sophisticated techniques from Michael Anthony (Gramercy Tavern). In spite of the variations, Sohui does not want her cooking classified as fusion. Not matter how you classify it, it works really well.

The menu has an eclectic mixture of choices, including dumplings, a po boy sandwich, gnocci, a burger and their signature dish the "steak and eggs" korean style: grilled skirt steak, kimchee rice, and a fried egg. The dumplings are a must-try - Sohui has become famous for them as a result of beating Bobby Flay in one of his TV Throwdowns. We recently ate there with a local couple, one of our roving contributors, photographer Troy House. He had the steak and eggs korean style and we were envious of his choice, it’s a fantastic combination of flavors and textures. Besides the consistent classics, the menu is updated frequently.

No Longer Just Locals

Ben and Sohui describe Red Hook as small town USA. Not in a white picket fence kind of way, but as a close-knit, supportive community However, it’s not just neighborhood folks coming to dine at The Good Fork anymore. With the critical acclaim they’ve received over the past few years, the restaurant has become destination dining, that is in spite of the difficulties getting to Red Hook.

Sohui and Ben may have opened up The Good Fork as a place they wanted to dine at, but now Van Brunt Street has turned into a mini-restaurant row, including Fort Defiance which was opened this year by St. John Frizell, a former bartender at The Good Fork.

The Good Fork is small, just 40 seats when the garden is closed. So plan ahead and make a reservation.