Salem’s new Fork Forty Food Hall has something for every palate: Gerry Frank’s picks - oregonlive.com

I have long awaited for restrictions to be eased in Marion County, and now that they have been, there’s no better time to explore the new indoor food hall in the Salem downtown area known as Fork Forty Food Hall (440 State Street, Salem; forkforty.com).

Since its opening in 2020, Fork Forty has done its best to jump in and adjust with the times. Folks may have gotten to know this place through the pandemic with their to-go services, while others recently took advantage of their outdoor seating, which has been set up outside of the building with pop-up tents and heaters.

Food hall hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and to 3 p.m. Sunday. If you have yet to go, keep reading for food vendors. (There’s also a bar on-site.)

Uncle Troy’s BBQ (uncletroysbbq.com) serves up topnotch family BBQ recipes. A rotating special of meats includes pulled pork, sausage, slow-smoked ribs, beef ribs, brisket, smoked meatballs, turkey and chicken by the half, quarter and whole bird. Tasty sides include corn bread, mac n’ cheese, black eyed peas, collard greens and more. They often feature a special Sunday brunch menu on their social media, so keep a lookout for that as well as visit their website for current offerings.

Watching your pizza pie get shaped-by-hand, swirled towards the ceiling and then topped with cheese and fresh toppings right before it gets baked to perfection in a brick oven makes it taste that much better. This is exactly what you can expect at La Lucciola (lalucciolasalem.com), an authentic Italian-style pizzeria located in the Fork Forty Food Hall. Phil Golomski, part-owner and chef, has perfected a hybrid of Northern Italian and Neapolitan-style pizza, but that doesn’t mean he’s new to the food scene. In fact, locals may recognize him from his time cooking at Wild Pear, Silver Grille, La Capitale and Andaluz over the years. Visit this pizzeria for yourself to see him in action. The meat lover pizza seems to be the crowd favorite, although the menu features nearly a dozen pizza varieties as well as a few salads.

Whether you prefer BBQ, pizza or one of the other Fork Forty vendors which includes Kings Kitchen and the Chubby Panda Bao House, both serving up their own version of Asian Fusion cuisine, make sure to save room for dessert at Slick Licks (slicklicksicecream.com). This small-batch ice cream shop prides themselves on using fresh, local and organic ingredients to create their scratch-made ice cream – and the outcome is delicious! Although I myself prefer their fully-loaded dark chocolate ice cream, they also serve up a variety of fruity and tropical flavors along with milkshakes, floats, build-your-own pints and their version of a blizzard; vegan options available.

-- The all-new fourth edition of “Gerry Frank’s Oregon” guidebook is available through oregonguidebook.com; 503-585-8411; gerry@teleport.com; amazon.com; Macy’s; and P.O. Box 2225, Salem, OR 97308.

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