Earlier this year I rebranded my blog to further expand my reach to include the entire Treasure Coast and not just be limited to Vero Beach and the surrounding areas. While we have a lot of amazing restaurants here, I’m always on the lookout for new, fresh, and exciting places to dine. One of my Instagram followers reached out to me and was telling me how amazing this place was and that I should check it out. With her assistance, I finally got a chance to speak to the chef and we made arrangements for my visit.
I sat down with Chef Ron, Owner and Executive Chef of South Fork Kitchen & Bar and had a chance to learn more about him and how this all got started. He attended the Florida Culinary Institute 22 years ago where he earned his Culinary Arts Degree. His first personal venture was to purchase a food truck and use it for catering gigs. While commissary kitchens work well for catering, his concerns were with transporting prepared foods to location and reheating them and how this affects the integrity of what he was serving. The food truck allowed him to prepare the food fresh on-site for his clients. In between catering gigs, he used the truck at local events and served Burgers, Fries, and shakes. Apparently they were a huge hit because he was recognized as having one of the Top 100 Burgers in the Country by Eater.com. As his business continued to grow, he knew it was time to launch South Fork Kitchen & Bar just a little over 3 years ago.
The drive down to Stuart was only about 45 minutes from Vero, even with moderate afternoon traffic. The building they are in looks more like an office complex than a restaurant, so I didn’t know what to expect. There was plenty of parking spots available at the time I arrived, but I could see it filling up quickly if they had a full dining room. Upon entry, the restaurant had a modern, yet contemporary feel and was very comfortable. With lots of windows at the front and side, it was bright and airy. I took a seat and waited for my first dishes to arrive. I eat at a lot of different places so it takes a lot to impress me these days, but WOW, the food here is truly amazing! Each dish was presented beautifully and truly a work of art on a plate. His use of salty, sweet, acid, and heat was very well balanced and excited my palate with each bite.
Now let’s jump right in and see what this place has to offer and what I had to eat!
South Fork Kitchen & Bar
Address: 900 SE Indian St, Stuart, FL 34997
Phone: (772) 247-7382
Hours of Operation: Tuesday – Thursday, 4:00pm – 9:00pm, Friday – Saturday, 4:00pm – 10:00pm, Sunday, 4:00pm till 9:00pm
https://southforkkitchenandbar.com/
