There’s an unassuming restaurant in Decatur that’s punching above its weight. Fork & Vine Social opened in late January, offering global small plates and carefully crafted cocktails in a 65-seat space. Co-owned by Meha Parikh, Wendel Fernandes, and Rollick Paul, it’s designed to be a modern gathering place, inviting guests to linger over shared tastes.
“Decatur has such a strong food culture and a real sense of community. We want to bring people together,” says Parikh, who also owns Johnny’s New York Style Pizza on the Westside with Fernandes. “It’s about connecting, socializing, and staying as long as you’d like.”
The menu is intentionally varied with dishes inspired by chef Palash Kadam’s travels around the world. (He was born in India, worked in Europe, and cooked on a cruise ship.) Look for brunch items like croque monsieur, eggs Benedict, crab cakes, and toasts, and dinner options such as filet mignon with mashed potatoes and green beans, spanakopita, and jackfruit carnitas tacos. The brussel sprout bhel puts an Indian spin on the vegetable with peanuts, pomegranate seeds, fried noodles, and yogurt drizzle. Similarly, Dusk & Dawn snags people’s attention with its unique combination of pressed cottage cheese, spinach, and cashew sauce.
“We have a lot of different flavors in our food. You are not stuck eating just Mediterranean or steakhouse or Italian,” Parikh says. “We’re not doing everything traditionally. We have our own takes, like pesto made with sundried tomatoes instead of basil on the gnocchi.”
All sauces are made in house, and pasta comes in half portions, enabling diners to try more food. Parikh suggests ordering four to five small plates per couple…