By Kathryn Matthews

Surprise parties?  Cringe.  Surprise visits (as in “I’m downstairs in the lobby!”)?  Uh-uh. Don’t you dare.  Surprise gifts?  Unless you know my taste and size—I’d rather you didn’t…

Obviously, I’m not big on surprises—unless they’re delicious.

Our recent visit to Another Fork in the Road was just that kind of surprise…

The beet salad…a delicious surprise…

Located in Milan, New York, in northern Dutchess County, the eatery—about a mile west off the Taconic Parkway—is housed in an unassuming low-slung ranch-style building, the site of several diners since the 1940s.  Whether by day or by night, the modest interior, which is open and bright, retains a no-nonsense diner-like feel.

…duck tacos…yet another…

But chef-owner Jamie Parry, who has cooked in Manhattan and upstate, is full of surprises.  Good ones.  For starters, he’s a chef who—especially in season—isn’t afraid of being generous with fresh vegetables, like local leafy greens.  For another, he isn’t afraid to court big, bold flavors, from Korean hot mustard oil and urfar biber, a Turkish chili pepper spice, to savory granola.  One bite can lead to many (good) surprises as I share  here in my review.