THIS WEEK'S RESTAURANT REVIEW
>>GO GREEK OR AMERICAN AT THE RELAXED, FAMILY-FRIENDLY FORUM RESTAURANT
BY NANCY DEARING ROSSBACHER AND STEPHEN W. SYLVIA
FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR
She: If anyone is mourning the death of hands-on, family-run restaurants, mourn no more.
The Forum is here to pour your coffee and tea (seemingly bottomless), and ask, with little preamble, "What'll ya have?" (refreshingly, no black-uniformed staff will introduce themselves by name and announce that they'll be your servers today).
Although the white-brick building looks nothing like a dining car, the diner concept is alive and well within it.
He: The decor--comfortable booths, white walls and innocuous artwork--takes a back seat to the menu. In true diner tradition, Forum is about food. The selection is vast, and although owners Elias and Dino Yannitsadis offer Greek specialties, down-home American fare makes a very strong showing.
This menu kicks off with breakfast, romps into lunch specials and sashays into dinner with so many choices that one almost has to say to the server, and wisely so, "I don't know, what'll I have?"
She: One of our server's recommendations--which was spot-on--was a burger. Hand-pattied, perfectly grilled to order, and walked through the garden, it could make anyone swear off drive-through windows for life. The melted feta cheese on the Greek burger ($5.95) added oomph.
Alongside came thick, homey, golden-brown fries that will make you want to pitch limp shoestring fries back into a drive-through window.
He: Another server recommendation was the open-faced roast beef sandwich ($5.95). Layered with beef cooked medium, slathered with mild brown gravy, and sidebarred with whipped potatoes and a small dish of boiled cabbage, it was quintessential comfort food.
She: Not everything is on the heavy side. A small Greek salad ($4.95), while anything but small, was crisp and colorful, and the dressing was so light that it was more a summer shower than a drizzle.
Kalamata olives and abundant feta cheese added authenticity.
That same salad arrived with what amounts to a steal of a deal: a satisfying, bechamel-topped wedge of moussaka ($7.95) that verifies that this kitchen speaks Greek.
He: The portions are large enough that many will want to pass on the appetizers, but the buffalo wings ($4.95) merit mention. They were curiously--and pleasantly--like mini-fried chicken rather than a ha-cha-cha spicy version.
She: Also of note is the French onion soup (cup $2.25, bowl $3.25). It was on the salty side, but our dining companions pronounced it better than any they'd had on a recent trip to France. (Show-offs!)
He: Last thoughts: a wide range of wildly affordable fare in a comfortable neighborhood setting.
She: "What'll ya have?" At the friendly Forum, just about anything you want, and nearly all of it for under 10 bucks.
Nancy Dearing Rossbacher and Stephen W. Sylvia publish a Civil War magazine together. She likes to cook. He likes to eat. To reach Rossbacher and Sylvia, e-mail them at editor@nstcivil war.com. Or call 540/374-5430 with comments about today's review.
| What: Forum Family Restaurant
Address: 3401 Lafayette Blvd., Fredericksburg
Phone: 540/891-0460
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Closed Mondays.
Prices:
Breakfast: $0.95-$6.95
Soups, salads and appetizers: $1.50-$8.95
Sandwiches and burgers: $3.25-$7.95
Lunch specials: $5.50-$5.95
Entrees: $7.95-$14.95
Desserts: $1.50-$3.50
Beer and wine available
The scoop: Casual and neighborly, nonsmoking dining area available, some vegetarian selections available, noise level low, wheelchair accessible, onsite parking.
Payment: Major credit cards accepted. |
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