iii forks

we dined with a large group on a friday night. therestaurantwas busy but did not appear to be totally booked. they have a trio of piano, standup bass, and drums playing near the bar. the volume is just right. the music ranged from cheesy lounge standards to pop to decent jazz. the wine menu is good and the prices are reasonable by american standards. we got to try several appetizers. the crab cakes and lamb meatballs were the best. the tuna, shrimp, and scallops were just ok. i had a surf and turf with a 6 oz. filet matched with 10 oz. of crab legs (i could have done 6 oz. lobster tail instead). the grab legs were good and the steak was average for a dallas steak. what i really like about iii forks is that all the steak plates (mine included) come standard with a plate of sides comprising creamed corn, mashed potatoes, and snapped peas, all of which were tasty. this means that if the steak you want is listed for $35, you don't have to pay another $20 to get decent sides with it. the service was attentive and the desserts large and yummy. in all we have a very pleasant experience. the food doesn't blow me away, but it is all pretty solid and the prices are reasonable for what you get.

extreme elegance. this place is amazing. i made a reservation online (opentable) and was thrilled with the convenience of it. i had written a note stating that i was celebrating a birthday, and shortly after sitting down, the server and manager stopped by the table to wish me (by name) a happy birthday. service was beyond excellence, and the food was spectacular. i'd definately reccommend thisrestaurantto anyone celebrating a special occasion, or wanting to impress a company executive.

restaurant week – more likerestaurantmonth – continues! next stop is iii forks, supposedly one of the better steakhouses in the dfw area. what did om and nom think?

om: iii forks offered up quite a nice selection on theirrestaurantweek menu, so it we had to give them a try – and glad we did! the overall experience rivaled al biernat’s (our favorite) in many ways! first, the ambiance is excellent and might end up being one of the best that we see. love seeing all the old pictures of famous people on the walls, love the big globe and grand piano when we walked in, loved the fountain’s in the dining area – just wonderful. the food was equally as good, and we got a generous portions of everything! my filet was cooked perfectly – it seems like half of the steakhouses that we have visited manage to get either mine or nom’s wrong, but they nailed them both. the steak was also very tender and high quality. the sides included mashed potatoes, peas, cream corn, and some kind of tomato concoction. all were very good, especially the cream corn. the onion rings served before the main meal were a solid choice, glad they didn’t try to make them too fancy! iii forks salad was one of the better salad’s that i’ve had, and the chocolate cake to end the meal had good taste without it being heavy. all of this plus good service makes iii forks one of our top two steakhouses in the area!

nom: this place is beautiful and expansive! what a great choice to help us on our food journey across the month of august. iii forks is no less than grandeur in the form of a restaurant. it makes the wait a non-issue. we sat in the area that had the fountains and it was lovely. it seemed like each area was very different but equally beautiful. our waiter was very helpful and friendly. i had the iii forks salad and it was delicious, one of the better salads we’ve enjoyed at a high end restaurant. we also started with some onion rings and they were very good, not the kind of good that merits them as their own meal but good none the less. i ordered the filet and it was wonderful, i had hoped it would be as wonderful as al biernat’s and it was close. it was cooked perfectly and it came with delicious mashed potatoes and some amazing snap peas! additionally the cream corn was delicious. i didn’t think i’d have room for the dessert but the cake was too good to pass up because it was the perfect balance of light and chocolaty. this place has earned and deserves the rave reviews it gets! we will be back for sure!!

still a nice upscale restaurant. arriving at the restaurant----there is valet parking at the front of the restaurant.. you can easily park yourself for free in the parking lot to the south or in behind the restaurant. it is very few steps to the entrance of the door and you know that your vehicle has been properly handled and driven plus you save the cost of the valet parking

reservations: depending upon your arrive time you probably need to make reservations. the only time available for this evening was at 5:45pm so we arrived at 5:30pm. like many restaurants you will be ask to wait and sometimes ushered to the bar even though you can see that 90% of the seating in therestaurantis available. we only waited about 10 minutes and were seated in the patio area which is very nice and there were only three couples seated in that entire area. by the time we finished dinner the entire patio area was full as well the main dining room plus there were at least 25 guest waiting for a table.

within the hour therestaurantwas filling up as more and more customers came in. i recall when thisrestaurantwas first opened and this was the place to come and see the well dressed and be seen. coats for the men and nice dresses for the women. not any more as both men and women came in wearing blue jeans and most certainly not designed jeans but work jeans some of which had apparently been worn while doing yard work. there were many children in therestaurantand some were not all that much under control of the parents but them that seems to be a prevailing attitude at many restaurants now days.

the service---the service for our table was excellent. could not have ask for better service. our drink glasses were kept full and he often checked on our table to see if there was anything else that we needed.

a server at the table next to us let some paper catch fire from the lighted candle on the table. the paper quickly burned itself out, however the black residue from the burnt paper floated to the white table cloth with a couple of pieces floating to our table. the table was reset for the next guest who immediately encountered a very dirty white table cloth and it took an extra effort to get someone to change the cloth. while the cloth was changed we noticed that the person doing the changing placed the old silverware and cloth napkins back onto the table. these obviously should have been changed as the table cloth looked like a scene from chick fli a and the “cows” vs the “chicken” ads.

the food---i ordered with caesar salad which was nice and fresh and contained about as much lettuces as one would fin in a very small salad. there were six croutons placed on top of the lettuces. there were no other ingredients other than the dressing. i would estimate the cost of the salad had to be less than 50 cents as the lettuce was “fluffed” up to give the appearance on the plate of a lot of lettuce. it was $9.95. my spouse had the garden salad which was a little more complex and could have been prepared for less than $1.00. it too was $9.95. bottom line is that the salads are way overpriced for the small serving you receive.

i ordered the 12 oz new york peppered steak cooked medium at $38.95. i actually received the new york strip steak (16oz ) at $48.95. perhaps there was a mix up in my ordering. the steak came out well done and was one of the most difficult to cut and had i not had that large steak knife on the place setting there would have been no way to cut the steak. just overcooked and not the finest cut to begin with. the taste, once you got the piece cut, was actually very good. would i order this agin. no way! my spouse ordered the 6 oz fillet cooked medium and it was perfect. very good taste and tender. in addition to the entrees on the menu the waiter will quite four other entrees available at prices to $75.

with your order comes some standard side dishes. i picture the kitchen as having three very large pots of corn, snap beans and mashed potatoes and that is what comes with each and every plate unless you want to pay for a change and/or side order. we just accepted the standard veggies. the potatoes were excellent. the snap bean okay and the corn had an unusual spice in it that was not to my taste. i left the corn and most of the snap beans. my wife loved each of the veggies.

we finished the meal with a cup of coffee ($3.50). it was very strong and robust and would make a starbuck cup look timid.

therestaurantis nice although it has lost some of it’s “glow” from times past, food good, service outstanding and prices too high.


-----07 oct, 2009-----

three forks. this one of out three favorite quality restaurants in dallas. greta food and great service. this is a largerestaurantthat does fill up on some evenings. reservations should be obtained. this is a place you can take guest and out of towners and feel very comfortable that you will be getting great food and service.

a classic. iii forks is a classic location in dallas and i hope and expect it to be here for many years to come. the food was absolutely perfect, the service was on point, and the atmosphere of therestaurantis one to remember.

one of the bestrestaurantexperiences and meal i've ever had. the food was dynamite... the decor on the other hand... not so much. could userestaurantmakeover but some argue it's part of the charm. best after dinner drink... a secret recipe. ask for the 'juice'. try the sole and the iiiforks salad... absolutely superb!

great steak. look people, three forks offers prime beef and prepares it perfectly, i've been there at least a dozen times and never been disappointed, occasionally the waiter talks to much or there is a crumb on the floor, big deal, they know how to cook steak, ( do you know how to order it, and which cut ) probably not, oh yeh, it costs money to eat here, a lot, this isn't fast food, three forks is a greatrestaurant, great food and great people, if you don't like it, you either 1, can't afford it and shouldn't be there anyway or 2, you just don't know what a good steak is, you ordered a sirloin and got it well done, great place to eat !

iii sporks. wifey and i were out of town for valentine's day so i thought i would make it up to her by going to a nice restaurant. well, iii forks is pleasing to the eye and the service was outstanding. that's where the good ends.
drinks:
rum and coke for me. weak. more like water and coke.
amaretto sour for wife: devoid of amaretto and all sour. they didn't bother to stir it either. horrible. wife would not drink it. i did and couldn't finish it.

apps:
onion rings: plenty of them but mediocre. totally devoid of flavor. did they order up extra bland onions? far better at other fine steakhouses.
"the medley": two jumbo shrimp. one with cocktail sauce and one with spicy horseradish. a small crab cake and a bacon wrapped scallop. the crabcake was mush. horrid!! flavorless. couldn't taste any crab. watery. the shrimp was ok but frankly had better at pappadeaux's. really. the scallop was fine and bacon was soggy.

the entrees:
i got the 16 oz prime rib. came with tasty mashed potatoes. veggies (crisp). corn was ok, very sweet and crunchy. the horseradish was great. nice and strong. the meat? medium rare and temp was perfect. flavor? pretty bland. much better at outback steakhouse for half the price. much more flavor.
chilean sea bass for the wife. she always gets this whenever offered. iii fork's version ranks all time last. no flavor and rubbery. every one she has ordered at good restaurants has been much better than iii forks. came with wild rice which my wife felt had a very strong flavor. i thought it was ok but not a good match to the fish.

dessert: creme brulee. excellent. very good.

coffee: regular for wife. full of chicory taste. two sips and she was done. double espresso for me. tasted like maxwell house without the house. weak and flavorless.

tab: 147 bucks. i left 28 buck tip as julie the waitress was outstanding. the hostesses, managers everyone, very polite and concerned. therestauranthad piano playing, very nice ambiance. clean. just the food isn't worth it.
go to ruth's chris, bob's or my favorite..nick and sam's.

unique experience and great value. some people think iii forks is over the top texan, but having experienced many of the dallas area steak houses, i can guarantee you will get no better value for your money anywhere in town. here, your sides are included with the price of the meal, and they are superb. the steaks are always cooked perfectly and are the highest quality. frequently the owners circulate and chat you up and this is a big place. the decor is big texas but tasteful and an experience you will never forget. a special treat isrestaurantweek if you can get reservations. a great way to sample the best for less! one of our favorites.

went forrestaurantweek. lentil soup was a bit bland and under-seasoned. main course, a bit of filet, was tasty, and the creamed corn was amazing. the whole meal was good, but the non-restaurant week prices are crazily over priced. it was tasty, but i don't know if i'd go back for the regular menu.