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| - Reading the previous reviews, I'm at a loss. Either there were some kinks with the opening, or people have some really bizarre expectations. The restaurant is "vanilla?" I don't know about anyone else, but when I go to a place that bills itself as a bistro or grille, I'm not looking to be wowed by their decor. But that said, what was wrong here? Nothing that I could see. The large photographs of the farm were beautiful and created a homey environment that was well in keeping with the "local real food" concept of the place.
But that's just it. This restaurant is more than just a place to eat out. It's a place to go to support a CONCEPT, and the sad thing is, it's a concept that shouldn't NEED so much "support" from us diners, it's one that ought to go without saying, that ought to BE the standard not be fighting against the standard. Right now in America, most dining-out experiences are an adventure in self-poisoning. You're served meat and veg-of-unknown origin, harvested or butchered who-knows-how-long-ago, possibly even frozen for months before it was prepared for you, in portions so large you really OUGHT not eat them even if they taste good enough to try (which is rare).
Not at Harvest Moon Grille. Your vegetables were in the ground no more than a day or two before you are eating them. Your meat wasn't frozen in pre-fab cuts, and you can bet your sweet sausage it wasn't raised in a 10x10 foot pen and force-fed hormones that you'll be lucky enough to consume TOO when you eat it. And you can TASTE the difference.
My meal here was nothing short of perfection. Was it "simple?" Yes, I suppose so, in that "there was no 'bathed in a reduction of exotic, delicately infused with ingredient-I-never-heard-of, and scented with spice-I-can't-pronounce" kind of way. In other words, it was "simple" as in "unpretentious," as in "your self-image as a person who can splurge on expensive fancy food will not be enhanced by dining here and dropping the name." I don't know about anyone else, but that alone gets them the extra star from four to five in my book! I am SICK of restaurants claiming to be "fine dining" that are really nothing more than "pretentious" or "expensive" dining, with food that--packaged differently--would cost a whole lot less and tastes like it.
Harvest Moon serves food that just tastes GOOD, no, tastes BETTER than other restaurants, *just as it is.* Case in point? My husband ordered the Pork Chop which was not only cooked to perfection, it came with a plate of sauteed vegetables (that was large enough for the two of us to share, thank goodness b/c I pilfered about half of it from him it was THAT good) that tasted so sublime, I had to ask the server what type of oil was used. I was SURE it was something exotic it was just so flavorful. To my surprise (and pleasure) it was just plain old EVOO! That and salt and pepper. Done. So why did it taste like heaven? Because the VEGETABLES were so fresh and sweet and colorful! That's it.
Same for the Carrot soup I ate (which, by the way, was the best soup I've had anywhere of any flavor). Every part of it was fresh and homemade, the chicken stock, the carrots, everything, and the result was so good I seriously contemplated licking the plate. As it was not THAT casual a place, I opted instead for another one of their HOMEMADE rolls, and the plate appeared as to have never contained food when I was done with it. I had to practically stab my husband in the hand to keep him from stealing too many tastes, and that's from a guy who said minutes before ordering "Meh, I don't really like carrot soup."
It was drizzled with just the smallest touch of molasses, and that was that. But wow, blew my mind.
But even that was nothing compared with the Brisket "starter" I had (which incidentally was large enough for a smallish meal, so I just had that and the soup and some of hubby's veggies and I was full, perhaps because the flavors are so full and rich, you don't need "more" just to be satisfied (now THERE's a concept we should ALL get behind!). It was rich and tender and served with a delicious horseradish sauce and some simple yams, but really, what else do you need when the meat is so fresh and cooked so well? Nothing but a good glass of red wine, which they ALSO had, and thankfully for me--the wine ignoramus--a knowledgeable and passionate server to recommend it!
Desserts were great too, but I'm running out of space to talk about them so I'll just focus on coffee--French Press is standard. Need I say more?
Bottom line? If you just love good FOOD, the real deal, natural, homemade, flavorful, where the chef is facilitator and not "artiste" with an attitude, EAT HERE. And when you do, you won't just be eating a great meal, you'll be taking a concept that needs support, the concept that real, whole, LOCAL food shouldn't be so darn hard to find!
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