January 28, 2023
Full disclosure, I know one of the owners of Forge & Vine. He’s a great guy. The first time I visited I was his guest and got a tour of the facilities, met the chef (also a great guy), and had some delicious food and drink. So I have a little bias toward the success of the the restaurant.
Last night, I took my wife and son for dinner. It’s a beautiful, open space with a large bar, a bustling kitchen, and a communal table to create a farm house feel. Don’t worry, if you don’t like communal tables, there is plenty of traditional seating. The restaurant is located in a free standing building behind the Groton Inn. The original Groton Inn stood for 333 years before it was destroyed by fire in 2011. Ironically, the center of the kitchen at Forge & Vine is a large, open wood burning stove. You can see flames leaping high for almost anywhere in the restaurant.
The fire plays an important role in the menu. We began our meal with the Shrimp Pil Pil with seven flame grilled shrimp, beautiful garlic toast, and a Spanish pil-pil sauce. After that, I had the pork chop, also cooked on the open flame. It came with a generous portion of carrots and potatoes to match the oversized chop. For dessert we had the caramel apple mousse with caraway and apple compote.
They have a very large selection of reasonably priced wines by the glass. I opted for a ten dollar cote de rhone which was quite good with the pork chop. I also finished the meal with a glass of Buffalo Trace bourbon.
My wife got the rotisserie chicken which was also good and came with some exceptional brussels sprouts. My son got pizza, apple sauce, french fries, chocolate milk, and chocolate pudding all for just $15, which felt like a steal to me.
I was sad when the historic inn was lost, but very impressed by what has taken its place. The new inn has embraced the legacy of the historic building it replaced, and the restaurant is a beautiful addition to the property.
Concord Culinary Lyceum 