A New Dining Experience - Even Better, It is Italian Cuisine!

Laurie and I are always looking for a new dining experience within a reasonable driving distance of our home.  'Reasonable' is of course a relative term, but in our case we define the word as about 30 - 35 minutes, with 40 minutes pushing the envelope.  Of course, if we're out exploring an area or shopping somewhere further from home and its time for a meal, our 'reasonable' definition doesn't apply.

We now have several good to very good 'American' and Mexican restaurants in the area, a nice Thai dining destination and, most recently, a reliable Indian restaurant was added to the mix.  What we've really needed is a good Italian restaurant.  As luck would have it, a new Italian dining destination recently opened in Lenoir City...about 20 minutes from home. 

Fork and Vine took over the space previously occupied by Joe's Italian Cuisine.  Joe's had shown promise but the consistency of both food and service was an issue.  Just how new is Fork and Vine?  There is a sign on US Hwy. 321 but the only Fork and Vine sign on the building at this point is that very temporary one above where Joe's sign was located.   

Outdoor patio dining is available at Fork and Vine.  It's surrounded by trees on 3 sides and its far enough from US Hwy 321, that traffic noise isn't too bothersome.

Fork and Vine is not a huge restaurant.  As you can see, the dining arear is long and narrow.  Seating is a mixture of 2-seat tables, 4-seat tables and bar stools in front of both the bar and the stone pizza oven.  We arrived early for dinner but before we left, Fork and Vine was very busy.  My only negative is that the 2-top tables are a bit too narrow to be really comfortable.  Another 3 or 4 inches in width would make a truly positive difference.  

Do you remember when any semi-upscale or fine dining restaurant automatically offered bread without charging for it?  Well, Fork and Vine does!  The bread was crusty and nice and the oil and herb mix was excellent.  It was so good that we were given a second helping of bread and dipping oil.

Before I get into the food itself, I thought that I'd provide the introduction provided by Fork and Vine as regards their menu and approach to Italian cuisine.  Will the restaurant live up to their introduction?

"Inspired by generations of Italian cooking, our menu features handcrafted dishes prepared with passion and authenticity.  From rustic, wood-fired pizzas to perfectly seasoned seafood and savory pastas, every plate is a celebration of flavor and tradition.

Experience the rich tradition of homemade Italian cuisine, where every dish is crafted from scratch using time-honored recipes and the finest ingredients.  From fresh, hand-rolled pasta to slow-simmered sauces, every bite is a taste of Italy's culinary heritage."

Given all the bread and oil, (another reason restaurants don't offer it gratis any longer), I skipped the appetizers but as this was our 'early' Mother's Day dinner (by two days), Laurie ordered a cup of the Italian Wedding Soup...with meatballs, spinach, pasta pearls and broth. ($5.00 cup/$9.00 bowl) She really enjoyed it!  I tasted it and I thought that it was very nice...

There are 9 'shareables'/appetizers on the menu.  They include: Burratta and Ciabatta with roasted tomato jam; Drunken Mussels with vodka, white wine, basil, garlic, tomatoes, onion, banana peppers herb butter and sliced Ciabatta, and; Clams Casino, baked clams topped with bacon crumble and lemon herb compound butter.  Six different salads are also on the menu with a couple of them being 'dinner salads'.  One of them is The Palermo with mixed greens, fresh mozzarella, banana peppers, black olives, croutons, tomatoes, ham, capicola, pepperoni and salami tossed in Italian vinaigrette.

On to our entrees.  This was Laurie's Vodka Di Gallo with Italian Sausage. ($16.00 without the sausage and $22.00 with it) It is fresh Creste di Gallo pasta with pink vodka cream sauce, onions, basil and mushrooms.  Chicken, meatballs and shrimp are also options with this pasta. Laurie really enjoyed her entree although she thought that the sausage would be cut up and in with the pasta.  Still...winner, winner!

Laurie had a tough time deciding what to order.  One of her other options (perhaps next time) was the 1809 Risotto...creamy parmesan risotto, mushrooms, seared scallops, limon wine cream and herb broccolini.  If Laurie's sister Bonnie and her husband Bill were here, Bill would definitely have ordered the Ciopinno Lenoir...with mussels, clams, shrimp and fish simmered in a robust tomato broth served with grilled Ciabatta.

My entree was the Pistachio Chicken. ($24.00) This included fried chicken cutlets (a whole breast), goat cheese, pistachio crumble, and lemon wine cream sauce, served with risotto and herb broccolini.  The chicken was moist, the breading just right and the lemon wine cream sauce put this dish over the top.  I'm not supposed to eat greens but I did consume 4 pieces of the tasty broccolini.  The one downer for me was that the risotto had mushrooms in it and I just don't like mushrooms.  They should be listed in the description. I'll have to see if any options are available on our next visit.  In any case I was very content.  I actually took half of one of those breasts home for breakfast the next day.  I also scored one of Laurie's sausages!

In total Fork and Vine offers 10 pasta dishes, 8 entrees and both 12" wood fired pizzas and assorted flatbreads.  Plus there are a number of Chef's Features.  The current specials included 2 more options for an appetizer and 3 "Main Courses", one of which was the Warm Langostino Lobster Rolls.  I was surprised that Laurie didn't chose this for her entree...

It was Laurie's Mother's Day treat and she wanted dessert.  She chose the Tiramisu...made with lady fingers, coffee and marscapone. ($10.00) She really liked it.  I tasted it and concurred with her, it was very good.

I was going to skip dessert.  Options included Peanut Butter Explosion, Red Velvet Cheesecake, a Tuxedo Bomb and a Fried Strawberry Cheesecake topped with white chocolate, kiwi lime and raspberry sauces.  The 'explosion' and the 'bomb' were loaded with too much chocolate for my taste and I'm not into cheesecake.  Many of you are probably saying "How can there be too much chocolate?!"  

In any case, as Laurie was waiting for her dessert, the chef stopped by and asked about the food.  When I told him that I was skipping dessert for the reasons stated above, he pointed out that the "Chef's Features" included a dessert.  Shown above, this was my Limoncello Marscapone Cake. ($12.00) It was excellent and my opinion was supported by Laurie too...

Service was competent and pleasant.  The chef stopping by was a plus.  The food was very good, some of the best we've had in the Knoxville area in recent years.  We will return...and we will bring others with us.

Fork and Vine is still waiting for a liquor license but you can bring your own adult beverage for the time being.  The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday (11 AM until 10 PM) and for brunch/dinner on Sunday (10 AM until 4 PM) This restaurant is located close to I-70, right off US Hwy 321 at 131 Kelsey Lane in Lenoir City Tennessee.  Phone: 865-317-1098.  They do not take reservations.  Website: https://fnvlenoir.com/, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/p/Fork-Vine-Lenoir-City-61568667290284/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave