Harvest (St. Louis) - anyone been?

[lhollers]

Hi all - I just set up a tasting menu at Harvest for Sept. 5th, and I was wondering if anyone has been here or can report...thanks!

[lemons]

Consistently good-to-excellent spot, perhaps a little noisy but the sort of place where the chef is always there, not off running four other kitchens, a good hand with local ingredients, and a changing menu. You should have a good time. It can be noisy, but then these days, who isn't?

[michaelstl]

Harvest is a good restaurant and is generally well regarded in St. Louis. Personally, I wasn't terribly impressed, but the restaurant serves solid food. Service was very capable, but I did not find the atmosphere all that comfortable or inviting. I would still recommend Harvest for those looking for that kind of cooking, but it is not a place that is at the top of my list.

[lhollers]

Yeah, I kind of gathered that it was well-regarded, but not among the "elite." I originally tried to go with Niche (closed over the Labor Day weekend) and Erato on Main (only serves tasting menus on Tue., Wed., Thurs.), so I decided to give Harvest a shot...

Thanks for the advice!

[lhollers]

Also, on a separate note - any other fine dining experiences you could recommend that you enjoy in the STL area? As I said, I was dying to sample some of Gerard Craft's cooking at Niche, but that appears to be impossible this trip...I will be there Friday night (the 4th of Sept.), Sat., Sun. and will be leaving Mon. - thanks!

[michaelstl]

Erato on Main and Niche are my top two- by a considerable margin (I'm actually heading to Erato for one of their tasting menus on Thursday).

My next recommendation is Monarch. The chef, Josh Galliano, is a great guy and serves some very good food. He sources much of his ingredients from local farmers (as does Harvest) and one can easily see his passion for what he does. Monarch typically has a standard 4-course for $40 tasting menu, but one can also usually arrange a longer tasting menu. I felt that the cooking at Monarch pushes the envelope more than Harvest in terms of flavor combinations and ingredients. I'm not crazy about the Monarch dining room, but the overall atmosphere of the restaurant is very comfortable and there are three different dinnig areas with different levels of formality. I'm not sure of Monarch's hours over the holiday weekend, but they are on Opentable so one can quickly see if there are openings.

[mewmew]

Another phenominal place is Sidney Street in Benton Park. Incredible Always!

[mewmew]

Harvest is a great restaurant! Their chef Nicholas Miller really comes up with some innovative ideas and has a great reputation around st.louis. I go whenever I get the chance. It's a great place to even just pop in and sit at the bar and eat. We usually ask for the server Jenna or Veronica when we go. Such a great place!

[inbiz]

I ate at Harvest last Friday because Niche was closed and it was decent. Unfortunately, the service wasn't very friendly (I was sitting at the bar).It's very bad form to drool over "regular" customers while only doing what's absolutely necessary w/others. Bartending/serving is like any other kind of sales. Those who are most successful are egalitarian, likable and genuinely eager to help. Despite this, I'd eat there again if Niche is closed when I'm in town.

[lhollers]

Just returned from a trip to St. Louis (first time I had been there). Had chances to eat at Mosaic, The Drunken Fish, The Boat House, and Harvest. Harvest was definitely the highlight, as I had a 9-course tasting that was one of the better tasting menus I have experienced.

Started with Hot Smoked Tomato Bisque with diced tomato and house-smoked pancetta on brioche (their version of a BLT), then a "Caprese Salad" with two types of heirloom tomatoes, basil granite (kind of like basil ice or a sorbet), olive oil and sea salt, then Pan-Seared Halibut over Udon noodles and dashi broth, then King Salmon with a Wild Mushroom crepe and puree of mushroom sauce, then a Foie Gras duo (seared and torchon) with a peach gastrique on brioche, then an intermezzo - cantaloupe sorbet with house-smoked shaved prosciutto and olive oil. The meat savories were Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with a chanterelle rissoto, then Iron Skillet Roasted Ribeye with a blue cheese gratin and wilted greens. Dessert was a bread pudding with bourbon and currant and a cup of coffee.

Highlights (for me, at least) were the halibut, which was perfectly tender and flaky and paired well with the meaty udon noodles and dashi broth, and the sous vide pork tenderloin - the sous vide style of cooking imparted the meat with tons of flavor and juices, and it was incredibly tender; this was some of the best pork I have ever tasted.

I am usually a huge fan of foie, but this preparation didn't do it for me, and, sadly, this was my least favorite course...

The chef, Nick Miller, personally brought out a few courses and came out to introduce himself at the beginning of the meal, which I thought was a fantastic display of hospitality - very young, nice, promising chef. Our server, Renee, was top two I have had in all my years of fine dining - couldn't have been more enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and kind; she made dining there not only delicious, but an experience to be shared between diner and restaurant.

FInally, the menu (9 courses) was only $80 per person - I had been expecting far more for a meal of this depth and breadth. Portion sizes were quite generous, as even I was getting quite stuffed by the end of the meal. Pre-meal, we had a glass of champagne (Piper Sonoma Blanc de Blanc); for the beginning courses (up to the foie), we had a Qupe '07 Chardonnay Viognier; and for the final two courses, we had a meatier Chateu Felice "London Cab" '05 - all expertly paired by the server, Renee.

I was initially quite disappointed when I learned that Niche would be closed for the Labor Day holiday weekend; however, this outcome was most fortuitous, as it allowed me a chance to sample one of the most enjoyable meals I have had in quite some time. I will certainly return!