III Forks

Sophisticated steak plays with the ponies at Gulfstream...

The dust has mostly settled at Hallandale’s Village at Gulfstream Park. Business is underway (or coming soon) at dozens of new stores like Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn and West Elm and over 20 restaurants and clubs. Judging by Saturday night (the last night of racing season) elegant steakhouse III Forks is an early favorite. A well-heeled crowd packed the 350-seat restaurant, the seventh location for a Texas-based chain that also owns Cantina Laredo, III Forks' next-door neighbor at Gulfstream.

Ambience: III Forks has a sophisticated setting, with dark woods, vaulted ceilings and glass-enclosed wine rooms showcasing 1,500 bottles, from a $28 Chateau St. Michelle reisling to a $1,900 Screaming Eagle cabernet. The sprawling space, which opened Feb. 11, is divided into five dining rooms, a patio and bar. The coziest might be the Legends Room, with beaded chandeliers and black-and-white photos of icons like President Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra.

What Worked

• A terrific III Forks salad -- a summery mix of Granny Smith apple slices, toasted pecans, blue cheese and field greens in a lightmaple walnut vinaigrette
• A rich seafood medley featuring a delicious two-ounce crab cake, bacon-wrapped diver scallop meunière and two chilled shrimp with a zesty cocktail sauce
• An 18-ounce, bone-in rib-eye, perfectly cooked medium-rare with a warm, rosy center, phenomenal charred crust and flavorful marbling
• Juicy and buttery tender 16-ounce Wagyu New York strip
• A glistening, moist & juicy grilled grouper served with a slightly sweet coconut beurre blanc sauce
• A wonderful blackened fish sandwich (lunch only)
• Asparagus with sliced toasted almonds
• A side of button mushrooms in a potent Maker's Mark sauce
• Too-much-of-a-good-thing Six Cheese Potatoes - sliced Idaho potatoes topped with a bechamel sauce plus asiago, provolone, Cheddar, Parmesan, mozzarella and Monterey Jack
• Gigantic six-layer chocolate ganache cake with ultra rich icing and toasted coconut. Heavenly bread pudding – challah in a decadent bourbon-pecan-caramel sauce, served with house-made cinnamon ice cream and strawberries