Taster Twins Foray Into Forage Public House

A current trend in restaurants is the farm to table movement and sourcing of local and/or sustainable ingredients. Lakewood is fortunate to have Forage Public House as a leader in this type of cuisine. Located on the first floor of the Lakewood North office building in the space formerly occupied by Pacers, Forage provides beautifully prepared food that you can feel good about choosing. Each selection on the menu mentions the source of the meat, cheese, or greens in the dish. While this knowledge is mollifying, the best part of the Forage experience is tasting the interesting offerings and fresh combinations. Their menu is quite innovative and enticing!

On Tuesdays, tacos are the special of the day; for only $3 each, they have wild yellow perch with Asian slaw, arugula, lime crema, and baby radish or grilled Amish chicken tacos with white cheddar, roasted onions and chiles, chipotle crema, and chef's garden micro cilantro, not to mention the zesty pulled pork tacos with slaw and crispy greens. We ordered these as appetizers, preceding another appetizer of plump, meaty duck fat chicken wings, slathered in tangy barbecue sauce and accompanied by celery shavings. Of course, when our entrees arrived, we were already full--but not too full to indulge in a few bites of the scrumptious osso bucco: Berkshire pork shank with preserved lemon smashed potatoes, organic wild arugula, and natural pan gravy. We also sampled the Berkshire pork souvlaki kebobs surrounded by toasted orzo pilaf, tomato relish, and Greek yogurt tzatziki. Our gracious server, Madonna, kindly boxed up our ample leftovers because we couldn't deny ourselves the Belgian chocolate creme brulee. This exceptionally velvety-textured treat is topped with Amarena cherries and is so rich and smooth, we were tempted to lick the bowl. (We resisted, but it wasn't easy.)

For those so inclined, Wednesdays offer wine specials, Thursdays feature vegan dishes, and a "Hoppy Happy Hour" is available from 3 - 6 p.m. every weekday. To be honest, we would love the food, no matter where it came from, but knowing that it is sustainable augmented our enjoyment even more. We are looking forward to returning and trying even more tasty creations and we wholeheartedly recommend that our readers do the same!