cork 'n cleaver restaurant

not bad. i just ate at cork 'n cleaver about an hour ago. found out sounds like reservations are required? thought that was kind of odd. overall experience wasn't too bad. i noticed that all the female employees were required to wear black mid-thigh length skirts (which for a fancier type restaurant like this, i would have expected knee-length) with black opaque tights. never been anywhere where women were required to wear skirts, so that was odd, but the staff all looked very professional and wore ties and button down dress shirts, also.

first impression was good. staff looked great. restaurant looked classy and dim-light romantic type setting. server seemed nice, but iffy, too. "menu" was on a meat cleaver and didn't seam like there was a lot. black cloth napkins with two same sized forks and one butter knife and one spoon. the server explained specialties at the moment, but i didn't have anything to write it down and the specials were not on the menu. she made everything sound so good. when she asked for drinks, my brother ordered a miller light, friend order a mountain dew, and i ordered raspberry tea. i asked the server if their tea was regular tea with raspberry added in. she said it was not and came from the fountain instead. i was a little disappointed with that. i know red lobster (i think olive garden, too) do not have their's in fountains and i've grown to love the taste of their's instead. when i asked if the raspberry tea was just nestea [from the fountain], she said yes, but it didn't taste like it. tasted a little better.

my brother ordered a 14oz center cut ny strip with the salad bar and a baked potato with sour cream, butter, and chives. i ordered peanut thai chicken with new england clam chowder and backed potato as a side. i don't remember what my friend ordered, but it was something with several shrimp and ordered a twice baked potato and salad bar, also. server brought out brown sugar molasses and regular sour dough bread. i didn't care for either. i thought the brown sugar one would have been very sweet, but it tasted very plain.

when the food came out, the assistant brought it out on her arms. she didn't use a tray, which i prefer because it looks a little classier than juggling plates. she brought a gravy boat for my brother which he assumed was just dark gravy, but our friend informed him it was a1 sauce instead, so his baked potato was drenched with a1 since him and i didn't realize what it was. i asked for no carrots on my peanut thai chicken (i like carrots, but wasn't in the mood and didn't sound like they'd do well with peanut thai chicken). i received carrots on top of the dish. i just picked them off to the side. when the server came back and asked how it looked, i did mention the carrots, but she didn't seem like she cared so much. she just said "oh, well huh." i said don't worry about it cuz i used to work in a restaurant and i do know sometimes the cooks/food dressers may not realize/apy attention that something was taken off/made differently, so of course, i didn't know who's fault it was, but i let it slide. our friend liked what she had, but she's been there multiple times and seems biased.

my brother order a total of 2 miller lites and my friend and i each had two refills on our drinks. my brother's total was just over $31. my friend's was about $30 because she got a twice baked potato which was extra. mine came out to just over $20. i noticed my friend wasn't charged for her drinks, but i was charged for one on mine (didn't know if they had free refills, but i guess so) and also noticed mine said "mountain dew" but didn't say anything since they were the same price. i did however, write on the receipt that showed my total "iced rasp tea" and crossed out the mt dew. when she boxed our food she took our food away from the table to who knows where and boxed it there. i do not like that at all. i either want to box it myself or have you do it in front if me.

overall experience wasn't bad, but could have been a little better.

a new favorite!. my husband took me to cork n cleaver for my birthday this weekend - my idea after checking out the top restaurants in fort wayne. we made reservations saturday morning and the only openings were 4pm and 9pm. we chose 4pm. after getting stuck behind a wreck on the way, i called to let them know we'd be late and david said it was fine and he'd let the hostess know. upon arriving, i realized we probably wouldn't have needed a reservation, as the restaurant reopens for dinner at 4pm and it wasn't very busy. however, i wasn't taking any chances :) the place did fill up pretty quick after we arrived. we were greeted and seated quickly. by the way, reservations are not required but they are strongly suggested!

(i wasn't sure what to wear to a place like this, but i was pleased to see that it isn't a stuffy or stuck up. no need to wear your finest, but you shouldn't feel out of place even if you do. we went slightly dressy. i always love a reason to dress up!)

the building itself is kind of small, but they've done a lot with the space! the decor is lovely, and the ambiance was perfect for our special evening. the tables were pretty close together, but it's easy to forget everyone around you.

we were very tempted by the appetizers, but decided on just entrees. i ordered the ahi tuna steak with rice and the salad bar (as well as a tasty - and very pretty - pink pony martini) and loved just about everything. the rice was amazing, the salad bar was as great as everybody said (i tried caviar for the first time!) i was really looking forward to that because i love salad - and variety. my tuna was a little dry, however i wasn't sure what temp is best for a tuna steak so i went with medium-well (i should have just asked). i take the blame for the dryness.. i bet it's perfect a little less cooked. it was seasoned very well, and i loved the side of dip (sorry, i forgot what it's called.) my husband had the ribs with sweet bbq sauce and loved them (his only complaint was that the skin of his baked potato was very salty - and we're not huge salt fans) . we both got so full that we took home leftovers. ohh, and we both enjoyed the two types of bread served with our meal.

our server was very attentive and friendly, too. despite the fact that my husband and i don't do "fine" dining prices very often, we felt this was worth the price (we each had an entree that was priced at $20.95, plus my $7 drink) the salad bar, portions and overall experience.. it was worth every penny. we will be back! (i'm already planning on taking my dad for his birthday, and coming back for my next birthday.) next time i'm getting a slice of mud pie - wow, those are huge and look delicious!

i'm just wondering how i didn't know about this place sooner!

once again, everything was perfect. we both went with steaks. hers was the filet and mine was the rib eye. they were both cooked to order and were excellent. we both went with the baked potato. the sea salt on the skin is nice for those of us that eat the skins. we both had the salad bar. it was well stocked as usual.
also, as usual, the service was great. thanks kelli for making everything perfect!


-----23 apr, 2010-----

it is a great place to eat. super food, excellent service. i ask for either suni or karen. i think they are two of the very best servers anywhere. the salad bar is excellent. there is someone close by ensuring that the items are fresh and plentiful. i think they have the best steaks in town. great food and great service. they are well worth the money spent.

there's a reason this place is busy. one of my favorite spots in town. salad bar, squaw bread, and only a few menu items make this a great place to go. when a restaurant offers too many menu items, then they can't pay attention to details, cork does this perfectly. make your reservation a few weeks in advance!

what the teriyaki?. i had to give this a "like", because the food is good. i had the prime rib and it was delicious as were the sides. the salad bar was above average and fun. i have one huge issue with the place though and that is the menu is outdated. they need to step into the new millennium and try a little innovation. i mean do they have stock somewhere in a teriyaki sauce company? holy moly that stuff is gross and it is slathered on 50% of the menu.

classic. best steak and prime rib in town, best service in town. this is the restaurant all other are compared to.

i can see why people in fort wayne flock to cork 'n cleaver. the service was very good, the food was good, definitely above average. i've had better steaks at other places, but the steak i had at cork 'n cleaver was tasty enough.

best salad bar in town. cork 'n cleaver has the freshest vegetables that i have ever seen on a salad bar and it has a great selection of things to choose from. if you want to try it, but don't want to spend a lot of money, their lunch prices are much lower than their dinner prices.

favorite lunch spot. simple enough, one of my favorite lunch stops.. staff is always top notch and the food consistent from week to week.

probably one of the nicer (if not smallish) salad bars in town. can always count on expertly prepared ahi tuna

cork just doesn't disappoint. i have been to cork 'n cleaver a number of times, the most recent being monday (feb 6, 2012) for dinner. on this visit, i was accompanied by four friends. i arrived first, confirmed the reservation, and proceeded to the lounge for a glass of wine while i waited.

the staff was knowledgable about their wine selection and, based on my tastes, recommended a delicious dry red blend. the bartender offered to attach my drink to my bill at our party's table.

after my friends arrived, we were seated. the menu, printed on the metal faces of a large meat cleaver, was fresh as usual.

i told the server i was torn between the ribeye (daily special) and the coffee-crusted filet. attentive and knowledgeable, she offered to have the chef prepare the ribeye with the crust at no charge. she informed us that once we got our salads, she would bring fresh baked bread, and then would give our dinner orders to the chef.

in the meantime, my party proceeded to the salad bar, complete with gourmet cheeses and fresh ingredients (including caviar). while i prepared my own salad, i happened to notice the mayor was just behind me, doing the same.

the server brought a few different delicious hot breads as well as their fresh-made butter which had a smooth walnut flavor. entrees came thereafter.

my steak was cooked absolutely perfect. it seems increasingly difficult to find a restaurant that can get a mid-rare temperature just right, so i was pleasantly surprised. the coffee crust on the ribeye added just enough earthy flavor to counter the rich meat. it was awesome. i capped off my meal with an 'aspen coffee' ...coffee, bailey's, frangelico, & grand marnier.

i cannot recommend cork 'n cleaver enough. if you're celebrating a special occasion, it's a great place to get a fine meal at a decent price. don't pay attention to the people calling this place 'overpriced'--this is not a pre-packaged, reheated, run-of-the-mill applebee's. having eaten in 3-, 4-, and 5-star restaurants around the world, i thought my $47 dinner (including drinks) was very reasonably priced considering the atmosphere, quality of food, and level of service.

honestly, a restaurant that has been booked solid every weekend for 30 years must be doing something right.

can't get a good steak here.... i love cork's salad, but you cannot get a good steak here. we have tried the last two times, ordering different cuts and both times they were bland and tasteless. their menu is and specials are the same time and after time. there is no creativity, it's like a common chain restaurant with high prices. service used to be great, but last time it was slow and inattentive .

i had dinner about a week ago the staff was very friendly i had the ahi tuna and it was very good but what impress me the most is there manager i think his name was don or dom but he came out and talked to us and just made us feel like we were the only ones in the place and i would have thought nothing of it but the restaurant was full at the time. so over all the staff very good the food good the drinks very good and the management tremendous.

i was very impressed with everything they had to offer. i was not disappointed at all.

elegant dining done right. on our first visit to fort wayne we decided to treat ourselves to the cork 'n cleaver restaurant and we were certainly not disappointed. steak was delicious, cooked to perfection and the salad bar is amazing, never seen anything like it. everything from jelly beans to caviar! not the cheapest place to dine in fort wayne, but its worth every penny for the dinning experience, fine wine and food. ideal for that special occasion!

delicious!. mud. pie. need i say more? the food here is fantastic! they have wonderful fish dishes, great appetizer ideas (coffee-encrusted filet skewers - yum), and some of the best desserts. it can be a little pricey, but it is considered a "fine dining" restaurant, so i can't complain too much. my only complaint is about the salad bar. the selection is tasty, but it is situated in a very bad spot in the restaurant. the line at the salad bar is usually so long, it wraps around into the dining area. if you are seated near it, be prepared to have people standing by your table. it'd be great if they could revamp the layout, allow people to take food from two sides, and help control "traffic flow."