Harvest Restaurant - Asheville/Fairview - anyone...anyone...

[leahinsc]

So has anyone been to this place? We were thinking about trying it for dinner...

[kirgirl]

I went this Sunday on my way from Chattanooga to Greensboro for Sunday Brunch and really liked the choices. Some folks had breakfast - country style or brunch worthy frittata. I had an excellent sandwich with great okra. It's not fine dining and the service was so-so - but I enjoyed the food. I would probably do lunch or Sunday brunch.

[mardy]

Here's the headline from the review in the Asheville Citizen-Times:
"HARVEST DISAPPOINTING, BUT GIVE IT A TRY ANYWAY"

Well, would YOU give it a try? Not me. Have you ever read anything so idiotic?

[leahinsc]

typical....they don't want to p.o potential advertisers...

[Jeff C.]

The review itself is not so equivocal. In fact, it's quite negative.

[leahinsc]

that's right, the writers don't write the headlines...probably the editor then.

[Jeff C.]

I know that's the case because the Hendersonville paper has added some truly idiotic headlines to letters I've written.

[catsailor]

I didn't think it was so negative, it seemed to imply they had excellent ingredients, good menu selection and just needed to invest in a few spices and herbs in the dishes. But who would want to go after that headline?

[leahinsc]

I have heard that is owned by the same person who owns Black Mountain Bistro and that it is "hit or miss"

[tommyo3000]

I've been there a few times, both for lunch and dinner. I had the absolute worst dining experience of my life on Valentine's day there. The service was atrocious, the kitchen sent out a caesar salad made of mixed greens on a hot plate, they covered many dishes (salad, "crab cakes" which were a smear of crab-like stuff on old focaccia) with hard parmesan cheese (piles of it), our wine took forever to appear and was never refilled, the entree order was lost and took another 45 minutes after the disgusting apps came out to appear, and the vegetable medley they served was the ass-end of what was left in their pan of vegetables.

As for lunch, they can't cook a pizza even if you are the only people in the whole place. It will always bee soggy in the middle. Doesn't everyone know to make the middle of a pizza the thinnest part with the least toppings? Not Harvest. The Caesar dressing is pretty good, but like the review in MountainX said, they ruin it with nasty white croutons that come from a box.

Oh yeah, the "breadsticks" they served on Valentine's day were absolutely horrible. I believe they took the frozen bread dough that they use and rolled it out into thin sticks and baked them off. The end result were fresh stale-textured sticks that I'd only feed to my dog or eat if I were in a concentration camp.

I've been there a few times because I once had a decent fish sandwich there and gave them the benefit of the doubt. Never again. Never!

Try it yourself. I dare you.

[Preston]

I've been there and really like it. Simple. In fact, we're having a rehearsal dinner there and the owner is very obliging and seems to be a great person.

[mark]

haven't tried it, but i've heard nothing positive.

[leahinsc]

drove by on Saturday night (on our way to Berliner Kindl in Black Mtn) and there were people there - I wouldn't say it was crowded.

[mark]

won't go into detail as i don't wish to steal any thunder, but one of our local reviewers said it was the worst dining experience that person has had in asheville. i imagine the review will be out soon.

[Jeff C.]

I don't know ANYONE who has been there, which doesn't point to positive word of mouth. Will look for the review. Asheville Citizen?

[Jeff C.]

I haven't. Seems like Mark said it looked decent for lunch but maybe not so hot for dinner..beyond that I know little.

[Jeff C.]

Okay, here's the bulk of Mark's posting since I couldn't find a web site:

"just called them and had the menu faxed over. lunch and dinner menu are the same. features: a variety of sandwiches (burger uses hickory nut gap farm meat, blt features fried green tomato, pub fish sandwich sounds good). all in the $6.50-8 range & served w/ one side (collards, green beans, slaw, rice, fries, mac & cheese, veg medley, baked beans, "copper penny carrots" & (they got me with this one as i'm a sucker for them) "homemade potato chips"). there are 5 "down home" plates (q, meatloaf, turkey breast, baked chicken, chicken & dumplings) all in the $8-9 range. there are 5 or so pasta dishes in the low teens, and a "gourmet" pizza topped with frsh tomatoes, spinach, mozzarella, fresh garlic & herbs and your choice of chicken, flat-iron steak or portabellas. entrees run the gamut: steaks - ribeye, brisket & filet [no source mentioned]; pork tenderloin and baby back ribs; seafood - scallops & grits, trout, salmon, crab cakes; chicken florentine; lamb chops. entrees are in the $13-21 range. small children's menu. six or so items on the dessert menu. no app menu, but the sides are available separately, so those potato chips could make an early appearance."