Plank - Fort Collins

Had High Expectations. Everyone has been raving about this restaurant. Went for Tapas with a few friends and left, dissatisfied. We tried the yellow tail sashimi with lemon-chili ice. The fish wasnt the freshest. We also tried the Rock Shrimp Pizza. The pizza was a big turn around after sampling not so great fish. The thin crust was very good and the shrimp was cooked perfectly. Only complaint is the sauce could have used some spices. The upside is they do carry some of the more rare types of New Belguim beers. Overall it was a decent expericence and I would go back, yet definetly will not be ordering any raw fish.

Had dinner with 3 friends at Fort Collins’ new restaurant, Plank, last Thursday, July 10, 2008. It was great! Our server was so enthusiastic about the menu that we wanted to order everything. She was very efficient, upbeat and informative. Patrick Laguens is the Exec. Chef and owner of this small finer dining restauant. He has been cooking in and around Fort Collins for 25 years. He uses the freshest veggies, bought locally. Apparently, the menu will rotate often; their tagline is: “Established 2008…reinvented everyday”. We started with the citrus-infused scallops perfectly sauteed and served with a citrus roe garnish. Lovely! My friends had the grape salad, which they loved, and I had the Caeser. The Caeser was delicious, very crisp romaine with a great roasted (maybe? garlicy dressing and whole anchovies on the side. We also sampled the roasted vegetables, which I loved, but they may not be seasoned enough for some. (Patrick used only sea salt. My friend had a lamb burger with pomme frites. He said the burger was divine, and the pomme frites were the best I’ve ever had. We also shared an order of Lobster Crab Cakes. They were so good, real big lumps of each shellfish and a wonderful aioli. The prices seemed reasonable. The decor is very streamlined and calming, yet fun. There is also a patio, which would be quite usable in the summer evenings since the building is located on the West side of College Ave. (next to Al’s Newstand . I would recommend Plank for couples, small groups, singles and foodies. I hope it will be here for years and years to come!