The kitchen for the restaurant is complete but work on the dining room hasn’t started ... yet. There have been various reasons for delays (including a lawsuit with Spooky Nook’s former general contractor) in getting the Forklift and Palate constructed, but in the next two to four weeks, work will begin on the 240-seat dining room.
Since the kitchen is functional — and Spooky Nook hired Matthew Rowland, the former executive chef at Tano Bistro, in recent weeks — the space outside the Hydraulic Bar was cordoned off to create a temporary 140-seat dining area for the restaurant.
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
“We are really excited to open our temporary space. Our full dining space is getting ready to start construction, and hopefully will be open at the beginning of next year,” said Sarah Awsumb, director of food and beverage for Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill. “This is kind of our crowning jewel, something we’ve been anticipating for several years.”
The restaurant dining room will be to the left of the Hydraulic Bar, which opened in March 2024. Awsumb said they figured, “We have this amazing space, so why not put a dining room out here and open the restaurant?”
The Forklift and Palate is Spooky Nook’s upscale casual dining experience, described on the restaurant’s website as “where modern comfort meets chef-driven creativity.”
In addition to having a large dining room, there will be patio seating, and there will be some dedicated parking spaces for the restaurant. Awsumb said she’d like to have the dining room open sometime in January.
Chef Rowland said the menu will be similar to what people experienced at Tano Bistro, where he had been the executive chef for three years.
“I wanted to bring more of that caliber of food at Tano Bistro to Hamilton,” said the Georgia transplant. “I like this kind of food. It’s not too fancy, but it tastes real good.”
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
The menu offers a variety of options, from a cheeseburger to grilled chicken and seafood. It also has vegetarian and gluten-friendly options. Most of the entrees cost between $17 and $21. However, the grilled pork chop, pimento salmon, and surf and turf cost from $30 to $45.
Shared bites, such as the burrata bruschetta, Korean-style chicken tenders and the seafood tots, range from $14 to $18, though the assorted bread bin comes in at $6. They also have typical kids menu fare, like a burger, hot dog, chicken tenders, grilled cheese, and mac and cheese.
Forklift and Palate is currently open at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays to Saturdays, closing at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Reservations are accepted, but aren’t necessary. The restaurant will soon be on the reservation app OpenTable, and people will soon be able to DoorDash food in the next couple of weeks.
“We have a phenomenal executive chef who developed the menu so we have something for everyone,” Awsumb said. “We just want people to come out and try us.”
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
About the Author
