New owners blending a few changes with tradition at Whatcom restaurant

Sometimes a new owner sets out to change a restaurant, but for David Kas, the restaurant changed him.

Earlier this summer Kas and business partner Paul Lawrence took ownership of The Fork at Agate Bay at 2530 North Shore Road. Kas’ wife, Nora, is the chef at the restaurant, which offers a varied menu from southern shrimp and grits and rabbit pot pie to pizza and burgers.

David Kas said in an interview with The Bellingham Herald this week that they spent time looking for restaurants in Seattle and La Conner before hearing about The Fork being for sale. After they received the keys on June 26th, they opened for business two days later with Kas wearing a tie, ready to provide a fine-dining experience.

“I stood out like a sore thumb,” Kas said, ditching the tie soon after and sticking with The Fork’s tradition of offering casual and fine-dining dishes, suitable for diners coming back from a nearby hike or celebrating a special event.

Kas said the restaurant has been busy since the ownership change, with many of the customers coming from the local neighborhoods. Being perched on the northeast side of Lake Whatcom, they are now working on more outreach to let people know what they are offering.

One change they’ve made is offering cocktails at the bar. They’ve made some changes to the menu but have kept several traditional favorites. They also are putting together special events, including a monthly wine dinner.

Mostly the goal is to take a great restaurant and make it better, Kas said.

The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the weekends, dinner only Wednesday through Friday and closed Monday-Tuesday. For details, visit theforkatagatebay.com.

This story was originally published October 14, 2018 at 5:00 AM.