THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Forks Chop House

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Forks Chop House Restaurant Review:

Restaurateurs Mick and Mark Bollinger are shaking up the Inland Empire dining scene with this ambitious restaurant in Claremont (f.k.a. Three Forks Chop House), inspired by their family’s Montana heritage. Located in a renovated citrus packing facility, the contemporary dining room is lined with Montana aspen and birch, filled with sparingly---but elegantly---appointed tables. An extensive, sophisticated menu from young chef Eric Osley might begin with dishes like Spanish-inspired crab cakes laced with chorizo and served with spring onion aïoli, or Vermont quail with maple gastrique and blueberry compote. Game takes center stage at The Forks: Milanese-style wild boar with potato gnocchi, buffalo tenderloin with Maytag blue cheese butter and a standout elk loin served on bacon and onion latkes with a slightly cloying Syrah reduction. Steaks are treated with exotic rubs, including Hawaiian volcanic sea salt, and can be enhanced with a variety of sauces such as port-huckleberry or lobster-béarnaise. Side dishes (e.g. wild mushroom and pea risotto, mac ‘n’ cheese dressed up with black truffles) are more interesting than those at most steakhouses. Genuine Kobe beef is available---a small rib-eye will set you back $80---while Nebraska USDA Prime represents the Heartland. Among desserts, you’ll find a peach tarte Tatin with Ceylon cinnamon ice cream and a classic chocolate soufflé. The Forks boasts a very respectable, globetrotting wine list balanced between big names and boutique producers.