Downtown Italian eatery prepares for opening

Blaine residents will soon be able to get their Italian food fix, from cream-filled cannoli to gourmet pizza, with the opening of a new restaurant on Peace Portal Drive.

The Rustic Fork Eatery is slated to offer indoor family dining, a 21-plus bar area and outdoor seating for community members starting Thursday, December 17.

“We wanted to start out with more rustic and authentic Italian recipes from back in the old country,” said owner Gary Slavin. “From there, we developed the appetizers and the pizzas.”

Every sit-down meal will include a small, complimentary appetizer of antipasta with crackers or Italian hummus, Slavin said. The menu will include appetizers like bruschetta on vegan focaccia locally made by Scott Meaker; authentic five-topping pizzas; and pastas like shrimp and Andouille sausage fettuccine with a white wine garlic and cream sauce.

For desserts, patrons can choose from four to five regular items like Bombolone, an Italian donut filled with lemon cream and topped with pistachio and lemon glaze, or a rotating assortment of cakes and pies.

The restaurant will also serve to-go lunches including sandwiches, salads, pizza slices and antipasta. West Coast craft beers and wine will be the focus of the alcohol selection, in addition to wine imported from Italy.

The idea of the restaurant came to life this August, when Nimbus Real Estate owner Mike Mulder approached Slavin about creating an Italian restaurant at the vacant property at 442 Peace Portal Drive.

They decided there was a need for more Italian food in Blaine, Slavin said. Knowing it would take 90 days to obtain a liquor license, the pair decided on a three-month construction schedule to open the restaurant by November 6, which was delayed after discovering tree roots blocking sewer lines.

Although the restaurant won’t be able to start with indoor seating, due to current Covid-19 restrictions until January 4, they look forward to utilizing the back patio, fitted with a fireplace and three 10-foot industrial heaters.

“It’s one of those things where you can’t let life stop,” Slavin said. “I think we want to get it going; pray for the best, hope for the best coming in the new and see where we can end up with it.”

Once indoor dining is permitted, Slavin said about 40 customers will be allowed to dine inside under previous Covid-19 occupancy guidelines. The covered patio, decorated by hanging photos of American mobster Al Capone, allows for 34 seats, he said.

“We’ve dubbed it ‘Capone’s Hideaway,’” Slavin said. “Back in the day or in the movies when you see restaurants and the mobsters all go through the secret door into the back where they’re counting money, etc., that’s what we did. It’s a hideaway from the street.”

Design was a key element for the restaurant, said Slavin, who previously worked as a graphic designer for Glacier Media in B.C. before moving to Blaine with his wife, Kristen Freeman.

With the help of friends and family, Slavin said he was able to decorate the restaurant with special aspects of the community. The restaurant is filled with elements like a bookshelf that acts as a secret entrance to the back patio, lined with books donated by mayor Bonnie Onyon, and a countertop that is made from Mulder’s father’s cherry tree.

The restaurant will have “10 percent Tuesdays” every week, where customers will get 5 percent off their meal and the other 5 percent will go to a Blaine High School sports team. Two sports groups will be selected every six months and at the end of that time, a check will be given to each of those sports, Slavin said.

“As we get going, I want to give back to the community as much as we can and I thought we’d start with sports,” Slavin said. “I’ve always been in sports, and I know what it takes for kids to be in sports, what it takes for organizations to run sporting programs.”

The Rustic Fork won’t be the last of Slavin and Mulder’s ventures. Slavin said he is already planning Gateway 1890, a tap house named after Blaine, the gateway to the Pacific Northwest that was incorporated as a city in 1890. Slavin said he hopes Gateway 1890 could get going as soon as this spring.

“I think 2021 is going to be exciting here in Blaine with a number of different things,” he said. “When the border opens, the Canadians are going to be surprised by what’s new here in Blaine.”

To make reservations, email info@therusticforkeatery.com. The restaurant will designate half of its patio to reservations during the closure of indoor dining.