Trailside ‘gastropub’ offers fresh, unique fare
Fork & Ale owners say Schuylkill River Trail was part of the appeal
UNION » Most who have tried can tell you, it’s hard to open and maintain a successful restaurant, but Melissa and Gary Fry have done so with Craft Ale House in Limerick for about 10 years now.
While that might be success enough for some, the couple is at it again with the Fork & Ale on Route 724 east of Birdsboro.
Some things are the same — like the couple’s commitment to a dizzying assortment of quality beers that made Craft Ale House famous.
For example, the Fork & Ale beer list provided to a reporter on a recent visit boasted 16 beers on tap, each a different style.
“Each night, we’ll have one beer for every style, one lager, one saison, one pale ale, and that let’s people explore,” Gary Fry said.
And some things are different — like a chef exploring fusion cuisine with a focus on local ingredients; local wines on tap; signature homemade cocktails — all made with fresh seasonal produce.
It is, according to the restaurant’s
“Seth tries to craft specials based on what is fresh and in season.” Melissa Fry, Fork & Ale co-owner
web site, a “gastropub.”
But perhaps the most significant difference is Fork & Ale’s connection with the Schuylkill River Trail, whose Union Meadows East trailhead is just steps from the front door.
“We’re avid outdoor people and the trail was a draw for us,” said Melissa Fry. “People like to go for a walk, or jog or ride on their bikes, and then they also like to reward themselves.
“So we adopted a section of the trail for clean-ups and we sponsor a charity 5K once a month in partnership with Alpha and Omega Sports. We give free beer to the participants and, if you don’t like to run, you can donate part of your bill to the charity during the fundraiser,” she said.
“Last month we did one to benefit Monocacy Hill and it was our biggest one yet. This
month, it benefits Toys for Tots, a kind of ‘Christmas in July’ thing,” she said with a laugh, adding that other runs have benefited the local theater group called First Street Players.
“We’re also dog-friendly on the patio,” said Gary Fry, noting how many people bring their dogs along for a trip on the trail. “We partnered with Hidden River down the road and we use their spent grains to make our own dog biscuits.”
In addition to helping local dogs get a snack, the Frys are also dedicated to supporting local farmers, wine makers and other businesses and so is their chef, Seth Arnold.
A resident of Stowe, Arnold was the chef at EatNic, a Paoli restaurant twice named to Main Line Today’s best “Farm-to-Table” restaurant, but which closed due to the owner’s illness.
But Paoli’s loss is Berks County’s gain as Arnold is now even closer to the farms which grow some of the best produce in the world — like Broad Wing Farm nearby and Fisher’s
in Oley.
“Seth tries to craft specials based on what is fresh and in season,” Melissa Fry said. “He really believes in merging sweet and hot,” she said.
This leads to such specials as “stuffed broad wing farm squash blossoms,” “summer nicoise salad,” and “crispy pork belly” using corn from Frecon Farms near Boyertown.
This is in addition to staples like one of the few carry-overs from Craft Ale House, the grass-fed beef burger and chicken wings, a menu item Gary Fry said he finally caved in to customer requests and agreed to provide.
He said Fork & Ale has the same interest in promoting local wines as in taking advantage of local produce.
Pennsylvania wines, he said, “have a reputation for being sweet, but not all of them are and we’re trying to educate people about some of the excellent wines grown around here.”
It may seem unusual to get one’s wine from a tap, but not only is it more environmentally friendly because no bottles are required, “but it keeps the wine under pressure so it doesn’t oxidize like it does
after you open a bottle and it comes into contact with oxygen,” Gary Fry explained.
Much like the food menu, the “craft cocktails” are based on what ingredients are in season, and the liquor is chosen for what blends best with each cocktail recipe.
“Some places you go in and see a whole shelf of different vodkas. That’s not what we want to be,” Gary Fry said.
It is Melissa Fry who concocts the cocktail recipes,
with such names as “Inside Job,” which uses 10-yearold Russels Bourbon, maraschino, absinthe, Angostura bitters and, most importantly, a large ice cube.
“I’ve got cocktail books all over the house and the restaurant,” she said. This has given rise to such combinations as “Garden Party,” which uses lavender-infused Stateside Vodka, elderflower, hibiscus syrup, pink grapefruit juice, lemon, rosewater, egg white and something called “hopped grapefruit
bitters.”
“We don’t want to be the place where you go for shots or Alabama slammers,” Gary Fry said.
If you’re a tequila aficionado, Tuesday night is the time to stop by for Taco and Tequila Tuesdays. The various tequila cocktails all use Olmeca Altos Plata Tequila to produce such unusual delicacies as cilantro lime margarita, a tangerine-thyme margarita or something called “Stranger Things,” which combines the tequila with red wine, cinnamon bark syrup, lime, tonic and egg white.
These are matched with things like the jerk chicken taco, which also includes cucumber, chili salsa, salted cabbage and pickled red onion; or the skate wing taco, made with sauteed skate, coconut infused rice, strawberry jicama salsa and fried basil.
“We want this to be something totally different from Craft Ale House,” said Gary Fry. “We still have the same commitment to fresh ingredients, but we want to let people try new things.”
And to make that experimentation more palatable, “we try to keep most entrees under $30,” with a lot of things much cheaper, said Melissa Fry.
Appetizers include an artisan cheese plate with a selection from local creameries; steamed mussels in Thai green curry broth with local bell peppers, shaved fennel and pickled red onion; or braised short rib poutine, homemade fries with mozzarella curds, short-rib gravy, carmelized onion and horseradish cream drizzle.
Even the snack menu is diverse.
Not only does Fork & Ale make its own pretzels, but includes such intriguing titles as grilled peach bruschetta, candied bacon and a pickle jar of seasonal vegetables.
“We don’t want to do everything,” said Gary Fry. “We offer a few things done right.”
Fork & Ale is located at 1281 East Main Street, Route 724, in Union Twp. The phone number is 610953-FORK (3675).
The restaurant is closed Mondays and open from 5 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday when only dinner is served; from 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday and from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays. Lunch is served on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.