TravelNoise: Two Forks, New York City

If you were to judge a restaurant by its name, Two Forks may insinuate some pretentious upscale restaurant that only seats two at a time. But this restaurant is so not what the name implies. In fact, you’re guaranteed to get some kickass food without all the fuss of elegant wear. At Two Forks, you’re treated as a five-star guest, and you’re encouraged to just relax. What. A. Concept.

 

Settled right in the middle of everything (yep, it’s in Times Square), Two Forks is big enough to handle a crowd but cosy enough that you can feel right at home. The high ceilings and gorgeous light fixtures provide an airy feel, and especially when you’re interested in taking photos of your food, the lighting was perfect. A long counter spans almost the entire length of the first floor, displaying fresh veggies and other sandwich toppings, and the open second floor allows for even more room to hang out and eat.

My guest and I were greeted by our host and one of the co-owners, who both warmly showed us to our seat and told us to order “anything we wanted.” They explained that all the meats they offered were slow-cooked and pulled, the way your favourite southern fare is. We couldn’t wait to try.

Upon looking at the menu, they had some very tantalizing combination sandwiches, and then a section where you could make your own sandwich. Though I heavily considered making my own, I couldn’t look away from The Hot Chick ($7.99), which included pulled chicken, harissa buffalo sauce, carrot, celery root, parsnip and blue cheese slaw, while my guest ordered the Pork & Pickles ($7.99), which piled on pulled pork, Korean chili sauce, brussels and kimchi slaw.

When the sandwiches came out to us, they were literally packed with meat and toppings. I watched them make their way to us and noticed the brioche buns could barely hold in my chicken. I know, it sounds slightly sexual, but the visual was that amazing.

The chicken sandwich was juicy, super flavourful from the harissa and cooled down just enough from the slaw, which had nice big chunks of blue cheese. My guest’s was even better, in my opinion, since the pulled pork was even juicier and nicely paired with the Korean chili sauce, which gave it a kick. The kimchi slaw just topped it off to make for a very punchy, yet comforting, sandwich.

Though we would have gone in for more, we just couldn’t eat another bite. We were finished — the sandwich defeated us. We thanked the co-owner and our host and that was that. It was quite quick, and though you’d think we should take our time enjoying those sandwiches, we couldn’t help but inhale them.

Sorry Two Forks, but we had no time to waste. Folks, anyone who appreciates a pulled sandwich will die happy at this establishment. Come hungry and leave absolutely stuffed — and for under $10, we might add.

Address:  119 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018
Telephone Number:  (646) 755-8191
Website: twoforksnyc.com

Sami Allen

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