Fork In the Road Artisan Diner

Ballin Ass Omelette
I really want to write this review in my colloquial tongue because: Ballin Ass Omelette but I will not because misappropriated idioms by my counterparts… anyway
I don’t typically go for an omelette unless it’s on someone else’s plate. Commitment issues lol. I could not pass up chorizo, onions, peppers and tortillas for breakfast. I took the risk. I was handsomely rewarded. My chorizo frittata tasted nothing like this!
Spice, heat, savory goodness, added hot sauce and BAWSE this was a ballin ass omelette.
I ventured in during the Sunday brunch crowd. It’s a hipster, whole foods, local farming kind of place that I like, but it’s such a toss up with places like this. Many hipster spots just serve regular food with a foreign cheese and a funky name, a cook who is completely tattooed rides to work on a bike with a waitress who smokes and shaves half her head. Not this time.
It’s semi cafeteria style. You walk up to the counter, order, seat yourself and someone brings you your dish. Their teas are phenomenal, cold and hot. I had raspberry and my friend had hot almond tea. Swag
The pricing is reasonable $ 10.50 and you tip up front in the jar. The portions weren’t hipster bites, I took a large portion home and it was still great.
They will be closing soon so if you can, try it and leave with a good memory.

Truly excellent! Great friendly staff, incredible — INCREDIBLE — food. I hear they’re closing soon. May they reverse their decision or reinvent themselves. The folks are obviously passionate about what they do. If the end is here, they should all be so proud of their efforts.
I got the biscuits and gravy with two eggs on top. So delicious. Tried it with some of their homemade hot sauce. Even better.
Please stay open. Please.

I’ve been here twice and both times had excellent service and food. Ballin @ss tacos have a chunk of lime the bursts in my mouth with all the other yummy flavors. The chicken tacos are awesome with the crunchy sweet onion. Both had the tortillas cooked to perfection. The ice tea was great.
I will miss this place!

Fork in the Road really gives Farm-​to-​Table a whole different meaning. Their menu changes every day and everything on it looks divine. I love knowing what I am eating and from where it is coming from, I also love helping out the local community and farmers. I am so sad to say that they are closing on November 23, 2014 and before I go back to visit Michigan again. Extremely sad news but I will not forget having plenty of delicious meals here.

This place has amazing food, great service and literally sits on a fork in the road. All dishes are made using local ingredients. Even the hot sauce bottle said it was not FDA approved (eat at your own risk). I’ve had the pork shoulder burrito and the ballin’ ass tacos. Can’t go wrong with either, but I will say that the burrito has a LOT of flavor so be prepared.

The least flavorful farm-​to-​table restaurant I have been to. I have been to several places around the midwest boasting farm-​to-​table and am aware of the higher prices associated with such a title, but have never had to add so much salt, pepper and hot sauce just to make it taste like something. I was very disappointed with the coffee, I exclusively use french press coffee and this was weak and tasted like cheap flavored coffee. French press should be strong, bold and oily, I am confused on how they could possibly get this wrong. The bacon and sausage were tough and had little flavor, again the farm fresh sausage I usually get is more flavorful, not less.
I am giving 3 stars because 2.5 is not an option, I am happy to see a Lansing restaurant try the farm-​to-​table concept and the food is hot and looks pretty. However, the recipes need some work to incorporate more flavors and that coffee is not worth the $ 2.50 per cup price. Overall, I wouldn’t spend this much $ to get so little in flavor. Maybe the owner should visit some other notable farm-​to-​table restaurants, like the ones in St. Louis, to see how this is supposed to be done.

This place is an awesome addition to the Lansing food scene. I had no idea it was here until I was desperately searching for brunch on a Sunday and everything else seemed to be closed.
The menu is not huge, but everything my party had was delicious. I had the breakfast burrito, and it was unique and full of flavor. Seating is very limited, so don’t tell your friends when you fall in love with this place.
If you’re into coffee, they hand press it here, and it is GOOD.

«Oh, look! ‘Farm to Table.’ Remember how I told you that was a ‘thing’ in Chicago, mom? Looks like it filtered down to Lansing! Haha!»
That’s what I told her about 10 minutes into our wait at Fork in the Road. Our food arrived a full 45 minutes after that. Lord knows I had a lot of time to kill on one of the most uncomfortable «Sorry-​I-​Picked-​This-​Place» brunch waits ever with my mom.
The food, when it came, was good. I enjoyed my scramble. But, c’mon guys, know your market. This is Lansing — more appropriately, west-​side Lansing between Oakland and Saginaw. It’s not East Lansing, and it isn’t even new downtown Lansing. I get hipster cred and «oh, it’s different!» is a wow factor in my hometown, but this place is misfiring on so many cylinders.
1. There is no excuse for breakfast food, no matter how «artisanal» you spin it, taking as long as it does to arrive KITCHEN-​to-​table. «They must be out harvesting the eggs since we ordered! Farm-​to-​Table!» was a variation of one long, running joke to pass the time. At the end of the day, it is eggs, meat, cheese, potatoes, and some spices. My mom had… a breakfast burrito. This isn’t high concept cuisine, and more…
2. This place is more Mexican fusion and, honestly, should be up front as-​such. How Mexican-​breakfast results in near 1 hour serve time, I’ll never know, given they are two of the most quickly-​prepared combos you could imagine. That said, while I was fine with the spice of my scramble, all I could think was how so many of my relatives/​acquaintances would not have eaten the dish. There is no indication on the menu that the dish will be spicy, aside from a few trigger words (mole verde, chorizo) and even then it’s debatable on spice. For most people with a Midwestern breakfast palate, this is too much. My mom said her burrito had «quite a kick.» There was definitely a reason why the «biscuits and gravy» were sold out. When most people’s palates are American scrambles and Tex-​Mex burritos, you should be up-​front about spice levels. Of course, this could be accounted for if they would…
3. Just provide table-​service. If you want to call your food «artisanal» to justify the wait times, do not do your diners the insult of having them pay up-​front and hold your money hostage waiting for their food. Counter-​service works if the promise is fast, efficient food. This is neither. And that’s okay, but allow people who don’t want to wait an hour for the finest artisinal… breakfast burrito… in Lansing, Michigan the opportunity to leave of their own accord. Also, this way, servers and staff could answer questions and inform diners about the dishes, concept, and y’know, germane things such as spice levels. You could also order more food or drinks rather than, y’know, either order in advance at the counter (or go back and wait all over again).
4. Throwback 90’s and early 2000’s hip-​hop and EDM might be fun music for the kitchen staff while they perfectly scramble some potatoes, but it gets the adrenaline going and just acts as an irritant when you’re making people wait. An hour. For food. During Sunday brunch.
It really bums me out to have to write this review, because when I am in town, it’s the time I like to get the parents out of the house and treat them to something local, interesting, and fun. I won’t be back, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend this place outside of the «adventurous» liberal-​arts student crowd that is fine with the wait, too hungover to care, or will just «buy local» for the sake of doing so, common «diner» expectations be damned.
It’s funny, because just two days ago, my mom told me stories of how she remembered going to Olga’s at the Lansing Mall when it opened in the 70s. She and all her college friends flocked to try it because «Wow! GREEK food! That’s fun!»
I guess some things never change, despite the generations. We just now have Unilocal.
It’s Mexican-​fusion breakfast, and, while admittedly good food, is not worth the trip.

Super good tacos! I highly suggest the chicken taco. Spicy and lightly battered onions were superb.

I’m really glad we gave this place a try. The neighborhood is borderline sketchy, but trust me. There’s a nice sized parking lot and a cute garden with corn and sunflowers around the building. The mural on the outside of the building is bright and beautiful. When you go inside, you go up to the register to order (that’s where the menus are) and pay. Then, you sit down and your drinks/​food are brought to you. We had fried chicken (spicy!), shrimp tacos (also unexpectedly spicy), a yummy salad and the olive burger (my favorite dish). We wanted to try the «tots», but they were sold out by 6:00 on Friday night. I’d definitely go back (though dinner for 2, no drinks or dessert, was $ 40).

A place that reminds more of food I’ve found in Portland, Oregon than Lansing, Michigan. Some key things to know 1) they are locavore and menus change depending on seasonality 2) the place is small, but brightly light and worth the wait, 3) order at the counter before seating yourself (little odd, but quickly forgotten), 4) they have a smoker and know how to use it, 5) you can expect generally high quality, but also some experimentation endemic to changing menus.
I had a friend complain about the cost, until realizing he dropped more on a bad trip to a chain. However, even if you can’t beat formulaic, salty, bland chain prices, isn’t an eating experience worth another couple dollars to local restaunteurs?
Best items I’ve had when they appear: pappardelle w/​root veggies in brown butter, grilled wings (addictive), couscous salad, and the bbq duck.

I totally get and respect farm-​to-​table, but these prices honestly are ridiculous and not at all worth it for the poor quality.
We tried:
–¼ fried chicken: this came with 2 pieces of what I think were chicken breasts. The bf loooooved his part. He liked both the flavor-​profile and the texture. I thought mine was bland, flavorless, and super dry and couldn’t get myself to eat more than ½ of it. When he tried mine, he agreed and told me that his piece was better. So meh. I didn’t get the wonderful dish other Unilocalers had.
–griddled cheese: this sandwich was HUGE. Not a fan, however. I think the flavor just didn’t sit well w/​us.
–tots: I enjoyed this but found it a touch too salty. There’s a nice kick in the tots when you eat them.
–shrimp tacos: I LOOOOOVED this… throughout the first taco I had, I kept telling the bf how this was the best shrimp taco I’ve had in the state of Michigan. I don’t think 2 tacos are worth $ 12 though. When we ordered another taco, it came out super salty to the point where I couldn’t finish my taco.
This place has super high prices that don’t accurately reflect the poor quality of the food. Also, service is lacking. One person was friendly and helpful, and the other people I saw there just stood around with a bored expression on their faces. I hear that their brunch menu is much better, but I unfortunately won’t be returning.

I came recently on a Sunday for brunch. I had never been before and was a little taken aback by the system. The staff greets you at the door, gives you a menu, then you order/​pay, and sit. At one point, there was a huge line all the way to the door.
I think the biggest reason I gave the restaurant only three stars was because of the lack of ambiance and also that it was a hot day and there was no air conditioning. It was uncomfortably warm and you’re basically sitting in bingo hall chairs with little tables. The restaurant itself is small, some may say cozy, but I thought it was cramped.
As for the food, I got the veggie tacos and a side order of pork sausage with a glass of orange juice. My boyfriend got the chicken in a biscuit with chocolate milk. My orange juice was fresh squeezed and cost $ 2.50 for approximately 8 oz. It was tasty but room temperature. My boyfriend’s chocolate milk was really, really good. Like best chocolate milk I have ever tasted.
My veggie tacos were flavorful. There was a good combo between the avocado, cilantro, lime, and tomatillos. My only complaint was that the beans were not fully cooked, they were kind of al dente. Too crunchy for my taste. The sausage was very greasy and it looked as though they had drizzled grease around the patty, like a presentation thing. It was kind of odd. It had a nice sage flavor but was really sweet.
My boyfriend’s dish was awesome! The gravy was so yummy and the greens were spicy and seasoned so well. The chicken was crispy and the egg was perfectly sunny side up. So honestly, the food was pretty good but I’d say the Soup Spoon’s breakfast is superior.

Food is always great! The menu changes constantly so talking about what tasty dish you ate will miss the real mark: it’s great food made right.
My only complaint is seating /​serving style. You have to order then wait for your table. The seating capacity of their current location is insanely small and makes for long waits and an awkward dinning experience. Time your arrival accordingly or you’ll be watching everyone at for thirty minutes while you wait for a table.

I love this place for a variety of reasons:
1-​They use locally grown ingredients
2-​They understand flavor and how to create a fun dish that crosses ethnic borders and making it artsy
3-​Choices are limited, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s easy to choose off the menu, and it keeps their menu interesting as it always changes
4-It’s just fun to eat there. There’s plenty of light with windows on all 3 sides of the eating room, and the atmosphere is inviting.
The boy drawback is it’s a but pricey, but then again I’m perfectly ok with paying extra for really good quality food and supporting a place like this :)

If I could give zero stars, I would.
What was ordered for dinner: Shrimp and chips, an olive burger, and 2 iced teas = $ 37.50.
Critique — The shrimp is served on skewers in their entirety (head and tail included). Each piece was about 6 inches in length, but after peeling off the chewy, lukewarm battered coating and discarding the head, what was left resembled a pinky’s length of actual shrimp meat which had an oddly sweet but sour characteristic. Thank goodness the dish was served with fries that were cold but at least edible. Overall…“F” — terrible!
The olive burger was technically a burger, though it didn’t have any discernible olives. I ordered it to be «medium», but what I received was still mooing on the plate. The flavor was okay, but for the hype of this restaurant, I expected much more, the least of which being an olive burger to taste like somewhat like an olive burger.
It took a total of 40 minutes for the order to make it to our table, and since we were so famished, we accepted all of the flaws, ate our meals, and promptly left.
The service was just a step above uncaring. In inquiring about our food, the waitress asked «how’s it goin’?» at the precise moment each of us had food in our mouths. Needless to say, we never got to give any feedback to the meal — though I doubt any action would have been taken to rectify the situation.
Now I’m all about farm-​to-​table and elevating familiar food fare, but this place has it all wrong — at least for dinner. From the other 4+ star reviews, It sounds like it’s best to check this place out prior to 2pm. As a person who is not from the area, I’ll gladly leave that opportunity for someone else.

Unilocal to the rescue! I was in town for a friends wedding and wanted to eat something off the beaten path — I’m a huge fan of not eating at chain places when I’m out of town. Hubby and I went on a Sunday morning and ordered off of their Sunday brunch menu (they do not have the usually offerings that day — only the sunday brunch) We got there a little late and the summer lemonade was sold out – nuts! I’ll have to try it next time. We were greeted immediately upon entering with instructions on what we needed to do.
So when you walk in — order first – then they take your name and add it to a list so that you’re seated as folks leave out not gonna lie the wait was a little on the long side but they have some sort of system that works. Once we were seated it took a while to receive our food — but our waters were consistently refilled — I never had to ask. I was lucky candy crush and my fab companion was there or I might have slightly irritated by the wait.
45 minutes later (after we ordered) we receive our food. I had the Ballin Ass Scramble and hubby had the Breakfastwich — was the wait worth it — -OhEmGee! Let me get a big ballsy hell yeah! All the ingredients were fresh and tasty. The pork belly on the breakfastwich was glorious. We enjoyed every bite and found the portions to be just right for brunch. Next time I am in town I will have to see how the regular menu is — but so far the Sunday brunch was fab — can’t see how the rest could be any different.

Hippie diner gone right. Locally sourced organic foods combine for a flavorful feast.
Ballin Ass Scramble (5)
Chorizo, egg and veggie scramble topped with fresh cut limes & cilantro. Fresh and savory. I’ve come and been satisfied twice now by this dish.
Ham Sandwich (5)
Perfection. The bread is grilled to a brown crisp with pesto on one side, Ham succulent and smoky. A bit of avocado and egg brings it together.
Doughnuts Meringue (3)
The meringue is delicious. It’s a dense orangey mix. The proportion of doughnut to meringue is a bit off for me. There is wayyy more doughnut.

After having heard rave reviews from my friends, I decided to give the «Fork in the Road» a shot (I happened to be in Old Oakland at the time). Unfortunately, to say it was a disappointment would be an under statement. They have a few good ideas just bad implementation… for example, homegrown tomatoes are an excellent idea. Putting them on an overcooked chicken sandwich is bad execution. My girlfriend and I each ordered different dishes, neither was prepared to satisfaction. The food portions were to small and DON’T come with a side, (a garnishing of soggy pickled carrots doesn’t count as a side). That said, side (like grilled potatoes) cost you extra which is ridiculous given the foods cost.
We ate our food and left… I got sick about an hour later (my girlfriend was fine).
Not everything is bad here however: the wait staff is very friendly, the coffee is significantly better than your average dinner’s coffee and it has that comfortable milieux of hipsterdom.
But that said, I can find all those things at other restaurants in the area (i.e, The Soup Spoon) sans the bad food.

Home of the «ballin’ ass taco.» I forgot the name of this restaurant but remembered that. funny how that works. And with a name like that, how can you not try it?
It’s pretty small and has a casual, hippie feel: order and pay first, then they bring the food and drinks out to your table. We shared a turkey dumpling dish that had a fantastic combination of spicy/​sweet/​savory flavors, and everyone enjoyed their main dishes. All the counter people and cooks appeared very enthusiastic about their work. They even have their own vegetable garden. They have maybe 12 tables so get there early or plan to wait. This is the only problem with the place — a line forms and patrons are waiting in line next to the people who are eating. The restaurant bathrooms are two singles and face one of the tables. Hope they can improve the set-​up in the future.
Anyway, glad to have this as another Lansing foodie option!