Our wine director, Alex Halberstadt, was nominated for a James Beard Award today for his profile of Cook’s Illustrated editor Christopher Kimball. Congratulations, Alex! If you haven’t read it, check it out here. I don’t want to brag on Alex, but it’s a journalistic tour de force, a piece that should be taught in classrooms—it’s smart, informative, cutting, elegantly written, and at times really, really funny. Alex Halberstadt, Fort Defiance salutes you!

For my money, Island Creeks are the best oysters on the East Coast and maybe in the country, and I’m thrilled to have them back on our menu. They’re the same oysters they serve at Le Bernadin, Jean-George, Per Se, and the White House. We buy them directly from the good people at Island Creek, up in Duxbury, Massachusetts. In addition to the classic Island Creeks, they’re also selling us some beautiful oysters that they’re calling Brawleys Tumbled. These are oysters grown in the same spot but using a technique called ‘tumbling,’ new to Massachusetts but frequently used in Australia and on the West Coast (famously for Kusshi oysters), that results in a fatter, arguably sweeter oyster.

These things are so darn good that we’re dropping the price of a half-dozen to $15, and a dozen to $29, starting tonight. I want everyone to eat them.

-St. John

Welcome!

Welcome to Fort Defiance’s new website.  Please take the time to browse around, and if you are currently in the restaurant feel free to ask one of the waiters for the complimentary wifi password.  Cheers!