The Three Forks Review

🍽️ Some may consider themselves experts in various areas of culinary delights. Others can proudly hold the title of sommelier due to their extensive knowledge of wine. As for me, I’d like to think I have some self-appointed expertise when it comes to quesadillas and French fries. As a teenage server at Friendly’s, I honed my appreciation with my preferred break meal: a chicken quesadilla and a chocolate Fribble. Fast forward a few decades, and quesadillas remain the perfect menu item—equally suited as an appetizer or an entrée.

Ebenezer's Bar & Grill in South Hadley, Massachusetts, appears at first glance to be a casual neighborhood bar, but step inside and you'll find a spacious dining area with a mix of tables and high-top seating. The kitchen stays open until 10 p.m., and all menu items are available for takeout as well.

Ebenezer’s excels in the quesadilla game, serving grilled flour tortillas packed with shredded Jack cheese. Whether you choose the Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla, stuffed with Gorgonzola and buffalo chicken, or the Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadilla, you’ll be enjoying some of the best quesadillas we’ve tasted. The basket of crinkle cut fries at Ebenezer’s is top-notch as well—always crispy, always hot, and tossed in a special spice blend that keeps you reaching for more.

The Cheeseburger Club is a traditional triple-decker sandwich layered with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. It’s enjoyable, filling, and made exactly the way a club sandwich should be.

Ebenezer’s is well worth a visit for its great food, casual atmosphere, and, in our humble opinion, the best fries and quesadillas around. After several visits, the quality and consistency continue to impress. The Three Forks Review awards 2.5 forks to Ebenezer’s

If you enjoy discovering new dining spots, please give The Three Forks Reviews a follow for more restaurant recommendations

We hope your weekend was as delicious as this Lemon Drop Martini was at Fitzwilly's Restaurant.

On to June! ☀️ 🏖️ 🧺 🏔️ 🦞

We always love to hear your recommendations. What are your favorite summer outdoor dining spots?

☀️ The Summer Scoop with The Three Forks Review:

Orchard Run Ice Cream at Atkins Farms Country Market

🍦 Offerings: soft serve, hard ice cream, sundaes, floats, & shakes
🍦Vibes: picnic tables and shaded seating with lovely mountain views
🍦Hours: Open daily 11am-8pm
🍦What we ordered: kiddie size chocolate & vanilla twist with rainbow sprinkles
🍦Rating: 3/3 Scoops

🐟 Nothing kicks off the summer season in New England quite like a seafood dinner. While we love a good meal with ocean views, luckily there are many great inland spots that offer enjoyable seafood when the coast is just a little too far away.

Fishtales Bar & Grill offers “small hometown cooking in the heart of Hatfield.” While the menu includes sandwiches, burgers, and salads, the seafood is the star and is delivered fresh daily. (On a side note, they also offer an excellent prime rib dinner on Sundays and Wednesdays for $21.99 — quite a deal!)

Fishtales is a popular local spot to enjoy drinks, good food, and conversation, and it was hopping on the day we visited. With its casual and comfortable atmosphere, it’s an easy place to settle in for an enjoyable dining experience.

To me, it’s officially summer once I’ve had steamed lobster. What’s better than one delicious lobster dipped in warm melted butter? Twin lobsters! 🦞 Once my metal bucket for the shells arrived — along with the wet towelette and crackers — my summer mode was officially activated. I added a side salad and the daily vegetable, creating a meal I can honestly say I loved.

My dining partner ordered the fried scallops, which arrived as a huge portion of large scallops alongside french fries and creamy coleslaw. They were so good that he said he would definitely order the scallops again.

Our server promptly made sure all of our dining needs were met, which we appreciated. For fresh seafood served in a relaxed and welcoming setting, the Three Forks Review awards Fishtales Bar & Grill 2.5 forks.

If you like discovering new spots to dine, please follow our page 🍴

The Three Forks Review: Snack Edition 🐄

We recently came across a shop that, while not a traditional dining destination, impressed us enough to deserve a review.

Based in Westfield, Mass, Whip City Jerky offers an amazing variety of over 15 flavors and several unique cuts of jerky, including shaved, nuggets, and straws that are smoked right out back.

Inside the store, you’ll find spices, sauces, bacon, as well as a “meat cave.” The best part - you can sample all of the flavors and cuts of jerky. We enjoyed so many flavors, but the standouts were garlic parmesan, Hawaiian, and spicy teriyaki. Whip City Jerky is a fun and flavorful stop that’s well worth a visit — and a great way to support a local business. If you can’t make it out to Westfield, Big Y grocery stores carry Whip City Jerky.

🏡 51 Park Restaurant in Lee, Mass is housed in a charming historic 1800s home that has contained a variety of businesses over the last 200 years. In 2014, 51 Park Restaurant opened as a gathering place for people to enjoy quality food in a welcoming setting, priding itself on a menu featuring fresh, made from scratch items.

The restaurant spans two floors with plenty of seating spread throughout the different rooms of the former house. We started things off with an order of eight jumbo wings — half honey sriracha and half sesame teriyaki. The meaty wings were cooked perfectly with crispy edges, and both sauces were delightfully flavorful and absolutely worth ordering.

The Black Garlic Burger is one of the restaurant’s signature menu items, topped with black garlic truffle aioli, caramelized onions, and fontina cheese, served on a brioche roll with house-made chips. We enjoyed the rich, savory flavors of the burger and especially loved the crisp, freshly made chips.

The Smashed Chicken Sandwich featured grilled chicken topped with a jalapeño popper, garlic aioli, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and onion on a brioche roll. We swapped the chips for truffle fries, which were even better dipped in extra aioli. It’s another solid menu option that combines several favorite flavors into one satisfying sandwich.

51 Park Restaurant offers a casual, relaxing atmosphere and a menu with something for everyone. The table next to us was enjoying wood-fired pizza and raving about the honey butter glazed salmon that we would love to try on our next visit. Our server was friendly, attentive, and offered excellent menu suggestions throughout the meal. With flavorful comfort food and warm hospitality inside a beautifully restored historic home, 51 Park Restaurant & Tavern delivers an experience that is both inviting and memorable. The Three Forks Review awards 2.5 forks to 51 Park Restaurant.

After starting out as a tropical fusion food truck on Boston Road in Springfield, Koqui Restaurant has been cooking up some delicious and creative food at Brookside Cafe in Ludlow. Tucked inside a neighborhood bar, there’s a small window inside at the back where you can order food to enjoy inside the cafe or take out if you prefer.

The menu is filled with classic Puerto Rican dishes alongside standout fusion creations. If you take a peek at their page, you’ll see that “standout” may actually be an understatement — they’ve been known to completely sell out of food because it’s that good.

El Borichino is a plate packed with Puerto Rican and Chinese flavors that may be new to us here at the Three Forks Review, though this thriving culinary subculture has been growing in Puerto Rico since the 1990’s. At Koqui Restaurant, the Borichino plate delivers an immediate wow factor from first sight. With so many options to build your own plate, we went with fried rice, crispy chicken Koqui Krunch Bites tossed in guava chili sauce, and tostones — twice-fried slices of green plantains. It was like ordering a party for your tastebuds on a single plate. Every bite was flavorful, and we didn’t even finish half of it because of the generous portions.

Next, we tried a classic Cubano sandwich - tender roast pork, smoked ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and passionfruit mustard layered on a perfectly toasted roll. Perfection — nothing more needs to be said.

We can’t wait to return and try more menu items, including the mofongo, tripleta, and tamarind BBQ wings. Based on the food coming out of Koqui Restaurant, we’d have to give it 3 forks for serving flavorful dishes that leave us wanting more. Trying new foods at new places can feel like a bit of an adventure. When you discover delicious new bites and something special, it reminds us just how rewarding it can be. 🇵🇷