Touch of chic with farm-to-fork at Fuel Bistro & Wine

Why: Fuel Bistro & Wine recently opened in Ridgefield, offering a farm-to-fork-inspired and bistro-scaled Pacific Northwest dining experience. A menu featuring soups, salads, sandwiches, meat and cheese boards, dessert and wine will change monthly, as designed by award-winning Chef Sebastian Carosi.

What I tried: My dining companion and I tried the Cast Iron Skillet Warmed Double Brie, the Bee’s Knees salad, the Northwest Elk Chili, and the Northwest Hipster Sandwich with Kettle Chips. For dessert we ordered the affogato, which combines vanilla ice cream, espresso, whipped cream, and chopped hazelnuts for a deliciously interesting finish to a meal.

The cast iron skillet dish consists of a sun-dried tomato jam that had a delicious, rich tomato flavor, skin-on whole roasted garlic, and warm, gooey double-cream brie cheese served with warmed peasant bread that had a nice firm crust. This was my favorite dish of the visit for its combination of flavors and rustic quality.

The salad is a mix of greens — chopped romaine, cucumber, organic carrots, daikon radish, cilantro, mint, spring onions — with sweet chili lime vinaigrette, sesame-ginger marinated chicken breast and crushed peanuts. The result was very Thai oriented, punctuated by the mint leaves and sesame-ginger chicken pieces.

The elk chili included large kidney beans and generous chunks of ground elk with a flavor that was toward the sweet end of the chili spectrum.

Roasted rosemary turkey breast, wildflower honey mustard, fig jam, arugula, and tomato are sandwiched between two, thick, pillowy slices of country wheat bread to make the Northwest Hipster sandwich, which my dining companion and I found to be quite an agreeable combination – one we would certainly have again.

Atmosphere: The space, which was previously occupied by a coffeehouse, has a snazzy new look with cranberry-colored walls, natural stone, and wood tones accented with black and metallic. Multi-colored LED lighting has been used on the back bar and to define the edge of the natural stone-faced counter. Starburst-inspired lighting sparkles attractively below the black ceiling, and a row of drop lights with silver perforated globes flanks the ends of the bistro. There is a long table that can seat eight people and smaller square tables in front of a high-backed, cushioned bench with several chairs opposite. Other seating consists of round bistro-style sets. A set of gear-inspired mirrors adds interest above the booth, and an electric fireplace creates a touch of coziness.

Menu highlights beyond what I tried: Aunt Bee’s Chicken Salad is made with boiled chicken breast, mayonnaise, red grapes, celery, chopped local hazelnuts, lettuces, and tomato on thick white bread. A Kobe Beef Kimchi Dog consists of a Snake River Farms American Kobe beef hot dog with kimchi relish, cilantro, and provolone cheese on crusty sourdough bread. The Treehugger Salad is chock full of ingredients such as baby kale, organic raisins, heirloom apple, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, Freddy Guys hazelnuts, roasted quinoa, sun-dried Poverty Ridge cranberries, and Farmstead goat cheese crumbles all tossed in a switchel vinaigrette. (Switchel is an old-time drink made with apple cider vinegar, water, ginger and molasses.) I thought the Garden Grown Radishes from the smaller plates sounded interesting. The radishes are served with Netarts Bay sea salt, whipped creamery butter and a drizzle of piquant local olive oil. Soups include a Wild Fennel, Chicken ‘n Rice made with fennel foraged down by the Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at the Quay.

Other observations: The service was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about menu selections.

I found the serve ware unique and thought it added a touch of chic to the dining experience.

Fuel has made the very most of the space at hand and offers a menu and wine selection worth a visit. This place is proof that tasty things can come from tiny kitchens.

In addition to wine, Fuel has a full espresso bar featuring local Paper Tiger coffee.

Cost: Small plates cost $3 to $9. Soups are $6 and $8. Salads are $6 to $9. Sandwiches cost $7 to $9. Meat & Cheese Boards typically range from $9 to $16. Desserts are $4 to $6.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Where: 109 S. 65th Ave., Suite 108, Ridgefield.

Contact: 360-727-3759. More information on Fuel Bistro & Wine may be found on Facebook, such as winemaker dinner events, tasting events, and wild foraged edibles dinners.

Health score: Fuel Bistro & Wine received a perfect score of 0 on Jan. 9. Clark County Public Health closes restaurants that score 100 or more. For information, call 360-397-8428.