The Bent Fork The DREAM lives

Photo

Photo by: Rebecca Nieminen

The peach cobbler at The Bent Fork is topped with ice cream and whipped cream to make the perfect end to a meal.

Rebecca Nieminen

GREENVILLE - Everybody loves a story where the hero rises from the ashes to beat the odds.

Mark and Monica Mazzeo-Brest, owners of The Bent Fork on Sixth Avenue, have that kind of success story.

Before they created their restaurant, the couple was faced with numerous heart-breaking obstacles. Mark was battling cancer; a downturn in the economy had caused their food truck business to decline and collapse; they had to declare bankruptcy; and they were struggling just to keep the utilities turned on.

Amid these struggles, though, the couple had a dream to build a thriving restaurant — a dream they never lost sight of.

“We envisioned it and stopped at nothing to make it happen,” Monica said.

Part of stopping at nothing included recycling and salvaging architectural items to decorate their restaurant building. Monica relied on her artistic genius to transform unlikely objects into delightful works of art and functional d cor.

Spindles from an antique rope bed, former nesting boxes from a chicken coop, corbels from a 19th century building, antique stained glass windows, a child’s firetruck fastened to a ceiling beam, a whimsical wooden fish — every eclectic item has a special spot in the dining area and creates a colorful, one-of-a kind atmosphere.

For patrons, this feast for the imagination and the eyes is unparalleled by only one thing — the food.

The Bent Fork serves up some amazing cuisine!

Specializing in burgers and chicken, the portions are big and the recipes are familiar yet peppered with unexpected originality.

I started my dining experience with the stuffed mushrooms ($6.99). These hand-breaded beauties are stuffed with cream cheese, scallions and bacon and then deep-fried to perfection. Wow! Even if mushrooms aren’t your favorite thing, I bet you will approve. The crisp, deep-fried coating pairs nicely with the pliable softness of the mushrooms, and the creamy yet spicy filling is scrumptious.

Next to arrive at my table was one of the restaurant’s huge specialty salads — the Bushel and a Peck ($10.99). This gigantic salad features grilled chicken over mixed greens blended with strawberries, mandarin oranges, candied pecans, red onion and feta cheese. The crowning glory is a cranberry-citrus vinaigrette. This salad is the perfect combination of sweet, spicy and hearty.

If you enjoy flatbreads, you won’t want to miss the restaurant’s chicken flatbread ($8.99). Grilled chicken, roasted red bell peppers, feta and mozzarella blend beautifully with a pesto spread. Warm, flavorful and filling, this dish is a real winner.

The Bent Fork also offers a veggie flatbread, meatball flatbread, Reuben flatbread and buffalo flatbread.

In addition to flatbreads, the restaurant serves up several melts. I was lucky to sample the Quirkey Turkey ($7.49). This melt features oven roasted turkey, red bell pepper, mozzarella and mixed greens, but the most special ingredient is the spinach artichoke spread. The ingenious blend of flavors is outstanding.

All sandwiches include a choice of French fries or homemade potato salad.

The Bent Fork is known for its specialty burgers, and I was bowled over by the Moo-Pig ($9.99), a big, fat angus burger topped with barbecued pork, Applewood bacon, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato and garlic mayo spread. If burgers are your go-to, you won’t want to forgo this one. The Moo-Pig is served medium-rare (unless otherwise requested), and will fill you to the gills.

Other Bent Fork burgers include the Delmont, an angus burger with American cheese; the Black ’N Bleu, an angus burger with bacon and gooey bleu cheese; the Dumpster Burger, which features cheddar, pepper jack, fried onions and a special hot sauce; the Bleu Cajun, an angus burger with a special blend of Cajun spices; and the Whattafunguy, which features Swiss cheese, mushrooms and bacon.

All burgers include a choice of fries or homemade potato chips.

The restaurant also offers several chicken sandwiches including the Mother Clucker, which blends pork, bacon, barbecue sauce and pepper jack cheese with your choice of hand-breaded or fried chicken; the Hawaiian Clucker, featuring pineapple, avocado and cranberry mayo; and the Buffalo Cluck, which includes hand-breaded fried chicken dipped in buffalo sauce with melted cheddar, avocado and spicy ranch dressing.

Although I barely had any room for dessert, I wasn’t about to say no to the warm peach cobbler served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. The light spongy cake and delicate peaches were the perfect end to my meal.

In addition to a variety of fruit cobblers, The Bent Fork also serves brownies.

All food is made from scratch and fresh. The restaurant, which opened in December of 2010, offers a kids’ menu, is family friendly and seats about 100.

About Food:30

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