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ASU is a dry campus no longer. College Avenue Commons was dedicated Sept. 3, bringing with it a rising chant of wine, overpriced blazers and starry-eyed freshmen on their first tour of our dilapidated campus.
College Avenue Commons includes, somewhat dissonantly, a wine bar and restaurant named, apropos of nothing, Pitchforks and Corks (get it?). The immediate attraction is obviously the wine, which I appreciate as a stand-in restaurant until Postino opens later this semester in the Art Annex across the street.
observing the beehive-like Postino construction before eating at Pitchforks and Corks.
— Peter Northfelt (@peternorthfelt) September 12, 2014
In what can only be described as a dystopic metaphor for the fall of our fair institution to giant corporate interests, on the day of the grand opening of the building, two yellow inflatable flailing arm tube men shattered the modern and professional atmosphere ASU strives to develop in the building.
Pitchforks and Corks is located, confusingly, on the second floor of this monstrosity. The door to a Disneyland-worthy bookstore was propped proudly open, with "Grand Opening!" plastered desperately over all the windows.
The space is a modern indoor/outdoor arrangement, with beige curtains separating the space. Chairs and tables litter the area, with some egg chairs populating the cafe as well as some IKEA-inspired chairs that look like a geometry teacher took a whack at designing them. The open windows provide a view of "A" Mountain, as well as College Avenue and the Hub. There were four TVs tuned to sports (two to ESPN and two to something called the NFL Network).
The bar, where coffee and pastries can be ordered in the morning and drinks at night, served as the main interaction between customers and servers. After the photographer and I had ordered, we sat down with our numbers and waited for the food.
I ordered a glass of the house's 2012 CK Mondavi Cabernet, priced at $6. The sharp wine was the cheapest on the menu, and it tasted like it. The body of the wine fell after I drank it, and I've always found myself wanting for a more full-bodied taste when I drink a Cabernet. I'm sure if I had the green, I'd be able to buy some better red. Unfortunately, I'm a student and I don't have $12 for a good glass of wine.
The "signature cocktails" are all $8, and most of them are pretty standard, with a few unpredictable drinks such as a Kalimotxo (wine, cola and lemon) and Spanish Coffee (coffee, Kahlua, rum and canela whipped cream).
When the food arrived, I got the chance to try a Salami Bocadillo (basically a bruschetta) which was recommended by our server. The bread was fantastic, while the salami and the pepita pesto combined evenly with roasted red peppers and arugula sprouts. The sprouts seemed to be a few days old and that was disheartening. I'd like to note that neither the red peppers nor the sprouts were listed as part of the dish on the menu.
The plate was served with Queen Creek Olive Mill olives, a nice local touch. While the salami and sprouts were the lesser parts of this dish, the bread and pesto carried the plate home. These spices balanced and created a fullness that I didn't quite expect from such a small plate. I might add that the plate was maybe the size of my hand and it cost $9.
This is definitely not a place for college students to go and have a drink and a salty snack. This restaurant must have been built and designed to serve those of the bourgeois class — say, an ASU administrator, that can afford a $15 appetizer and drink.
The photographer ordered the Pepita Pesto Chicken Torta, which came with a minuscule amount of chipotle potato salad on the side. The sandwich was presented on what looked like focaccia, differing from the menu's description of a baguette bread. He said that while the torta filled him up, it did not seem like it would be a full meal for anyone who was looking for something more substantial.
We agreed that it was instead a place to go to get appetizers and some food, while the people you go with should be the center of attention. The music in the restaurant was faint, while a distinct humming (perhaps of air conditioning or some cooking equipment) was the salient sound in the space, other than the clientele that populated the new wine bar.
The whole restaurant was set up to be at least three things: a lunch spot, a coffee bar and a pub. These three conditions did not make for the easiest eating, as most new-wave restaurants seem to think it OK to put small coffee tables around most of the restaurant while reserving maybe five or six tables to sit down and have a meal. (I'd liken this to the setup of tables, bar and benches at Phoenix Public Market).
When I was done with my meal, I tried to order Pitchforks and Corks's house beer: the College Street Sweet Devil Stout. Unfortunately, the restaurant did not have this in stock. I was provided with a Steel Toe Stout, labeled as a "Working Class Milk Stout." Alas, it lacked the local component; the stout is from Durango, Colorado. The coffee flavor, which I felt was gimmick-y, turned the bitterness I find in most beers into something light and refreshing. I would definitely order this again as a nice post-meal flavor.
A Steel Toe Stout at Pitchforks and Corks. Much coffee flavor very wow. pic.twitter.com/1TVMdLcOtD
— Peter Northfelt (@peternorthfelt) September 12, 2014
The restaurant, going with the theme of doing many things at once, also serves 12 ounce or 20 ounce coffee and smoothies. The smoothie selection entails peach, strawberry, wild berry and mango. The coffee selection is pretty basic, with the options being fresh brewed, Americano, cappuccino, café latte or a café mocha.
The new place (for the right price) is unfortunately not Pitchforks and Corks. If you want to find a neighborhood spot, this is not the restaurant. If you want to impress a new student, a date or your parents, consider taking them to Pitchforks and Corks.
While I was looking for a community spot that could possibly play host to friends after a long day at school, the price is just not right for how close the restaurant is to campus.
The restaurant is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. It's located at 7th Street and College Avenue, just across from the old Art Annex.
Reach the arts and entertainment editor at pnorthfe@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @peternorthfelt
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