So Fourking Delicious!

Happy New Year, Biggest Little Foodies!

I am so excited to start a brand new year with all of my fellow food enthusiasts, where I will continue to share with you some incredible places in our community for top notch hospitality, atmosphere, and (of course) food! We have already started the year off strong with this blog, as we were kindly invited to dine at Fourk Restaurant in Reno.

Let me begin by saying, this restaurant fully encompasses what I adore about food blogging. I get to tell the stories of restaurants that have something to say, and oh boy does Fourk have something to say! Fourk is an ideal place to go if you'd like to experience a night out with a thoughtfully curated menu, staff who care about service and connection, and want to hear the story of how this incredible local restaurant came to be.

While I cannot give you the full experience of Fourk here on a screen, I am happy to share the general importance and excitement of this restaurant with you! Jessica, the operations manager, invited us in for the December menu experience. Thank you again so very much, Jessica!

First and foremost, it is important to note that Fourk changes their menu on a monthly occurrence. They stick to themes, and highlight ingredients that shine for that time of year! This alone is something to be intrigued by, as it's likely you will never dine the same at this restaurant in a similar fashion, so each experience will be a unique adventure. Paul Jansen, executive chef, is a 24-year military veteran and the creator behind Fourk Restaurant. He loved the idea of a prefix menu and he wanted to create a monthly date night experience that was elegant, yet affordable. His focus was "fun dining, not fine dining".

Paul also created an amazingly unique theme for the restaurant, any guesses? I'll give you some hints... Fourk is open 4 days a week, there are 4 prongs on the fork, they operate in a 4 person team, and their menus are $54. Figure it out? ;-)

My favorite part of this, though, is the incredible attention to "theme" detail. I cannot give away what/where these are, because it is just too fun to go in and experience for yourself. You will get to hear Paul's story, along with discovering the fun innuendos during their comfortable happy hour from 5:30-6:15 before dinner service officially begins. We enjoyed our happy hour with a delicious house made sangria, while we perused the menu for the evening and just enjoyed each others company before dinner.

With that, let me walk you through the delicious December menu that was experienced at Fourk!

~ It is also worth noting that we enjoyed our dinner with the wine pairing. My fiancé and I couldn't decide on the classic or the reserve, so we splurged for both! I would sip on his classic, and he would sip on my reserve, and we would end up trading glasses almost each course. It worked out beautifully and I would highly recommend that route.~

Course One: Spinach Cranberry Salad With a Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

This salad was an incredible way to start the meal! The earthy spinach was the perfect bed for the salty bacon vinaigrette. I mean, have you ever had bacon vinaigrette before? Because I hadn't before this and it was Fourking amazing. there were constant pops of flavor in every bite! The sweetness from the onions were a perfect accompaniment with the sweet cranberries. To put it into perspective of how much I enjoyed this salad, I am *slightly* allergic to raw onions and I usually just push them to the side or give them to my fiancé. However, it was so delicious atop this salad that I just went for it. I love an occasional onion risk, and in this case, it was heavily rewarded with flavor! It was the perfect winter salad.

Course Two: Lobster Bisque

Listen. I lived in Maine for a few months in my early 20's. The routine was: eat, sleep, breathe, lobster. THIS BISQUE WAS TOP TIER. ELITE. Upon the first bite I was immediately transported to the coast, cozied up by a window watching the rain pour down over the dark ocean waves while enjoying this soup. The lobster was a perfect first bite! It was luxurious, cozy, and somehow, sexy? Hard to explain, but you must believe me. Each bite left me wanting more. The hint of paprika was a flavor dance on the palate. It was a mysterious, warm, velvet, combination reminiscent of curry and Japanese ramen. Jessica, if you are reading this, I BEG you for this recipe... I promise I will not share!

Course 3: Deconstructed Beef Wellington

Ahh, Beef Wellington. I have a love/hate/love relationship with this specific dish. Love? Gordon Ramsay and Hells Kitchen. Hate? That on New Years Eve of 2023 while trying to impress my boyfriend (now fiancé, thankfully I still managed to cook my way to his heart and we got engaged this Christmas Eve, woo-hoo!) I tried to make an exquisite homemade Beef Wellington dinner, only for our entire house to lose power to the INSANE snowstorm for 2 whole days. Yep, right as I was popping that perfectly wrapped baby in the oven, the power went out for two days. Devastation. Beef Wellington-less. The final Beef Wellington love? You guessed it! This deconstructed version turned me into a lover once more. The filet mignon was perfectly medium rare! It cut like butter and melted on the tongue as such, too. The mushroom compote was savory and earthy, just as it should be. The perfect bite was each component together for a delectable, flaky, buttery medley.

Course 4: Peppermint Cheesecake

Dessert just does not get more festive than this. It was simply a delicious cheesecake with a crispy layer of peppermint! the cheesecake was rich and decadent, and the graham cracker crust was as wonderful as could be. It was masterfully paired with a pomegranate mead, and let me tell you... that was the only correct way to top this amazing dinner off!

I hope you all are able to join Fourk Restaurant sometime in the near future, so that you may experience a deliciously fun filled night for yourself. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, please share with all who enjoy eating amazing food. Here's to a memorable 2024, may you all enjoy some delicious food, drinks, and company. I hope you all have the best Fourking year yet!

x The Biggest little Food Blogger