Harvest-pros and cons

atmosphere - light and airy, lots of natural wood and oh-so-comfy throw pillows on the benches along the back wall. perfect setting for a summer dinner. BUT- when did it become fashionable to set the tables with tepid water? water should always be freshly poured and cold, for obvious reasons.

service- not super polished, but fairly self assured, friendly, and attentive.

drinks- i was offered a taste of my first wine choice (out of the many intersting selections they offer by the glass), did not care for it, and was promptly presented with a taste of my next choice, which i liked very much- all of which took place quickly and pleasantly.husband's cocktail, however, did not fare as well. he ordered the kentucky champagne, and really only the ale 8 and lemon peel made their presence known. it tasted neither complex, nor, for that matter, alcoholic.

food- i started with the bibb salad which was not very impressive to look at, and even less impressive to eat. the "deviled egg" on top looked as if it had been sitting in the open air for quite some time. there was really no flavor coming from the egg or the dressing (tasting basically like watered down mayo).

for our entrees we ordered the fried chicken and the pork confit. both dishes were simply yet attractively arranged. the spoon bread placed under the chicken, though meager in portion was creamy and flavorful, and in my mind the star of the dish. the chicken had been cooked for far too long, and the breading was well seasoned but chewy. also, being a farm-to-table sort of restaurant, we were surprised by the lack of flavor/character to the chicken. it tasted as if it could have been purchased from kroger. perhaps the overcooking contributed to this as well. the gravy on the chicken, although a bit congealed, had great flavor and pulled the dish together nicely

my pork confit was, surprise, cooked to death. the grits that accompanied them, however, had a coarser cut than i usually see, which lended to a nice, nutty flavor and rustic appeal. the caramelized turnips that also came with the pork were the stunner of the evening! sweet on the inside, brown and syrupy on the outside, cooked to perfect tender-crispness.

overall, harvest was a pleasant experience, but was flawed enough that we certainly weren't blown away. with a bit more attention to aesthetics and cooking technique, they could deliver much more of an impression.

Sorry your experience wasn't like ours. We tried Harvest Friday night and love it.

Everyone was welcoming and friendly from the minute we walked in the door. They have a superb manager running the show. They didn't have a table right away (we were the geniuses who tried to walk in on a First Friday without a res.) but said they'd probably have something for us in a half hour or less. We were invited to the cocktail lounge where the very professional cocktail server took care of us with drinks. My husband had the Kentucky Champagne, and we both thought it was good - a bourbon and ginger ale turned up a few notches. I had rosé, as I am likely to do.

We were seated in less than a half hour, in the raised portion of the restaurant by the windows. We loved the spot. I should mention the simple decor of the place - we were taken with the large photographs of the farmers, and the big map of where all the food comes from.

We started with the goat cheese lasagnette, which was incredibly rich and a nice starter. For dinner, I had the gnocchi, which was absolutely fantastic. The ricotta-herb gnocchi themselves were delicious - perfectly crafted, dense little pillows. They were served with a ragout of beets, shiitake mushrooms, and some other ingredients which I can't remember. You can't view their exact menu on their site, because it changes to accommodate whatever ingredients are fresh right then. My husband had the fried chicken on the spoonbread, which he loved. He couldn't quite finish it all, and insisted on taking the last little piece home, to make a tiny sandwich the next day.

We can't wait to go back. It is a fun, bustling place, and that night it was the place to be. However, the place gave off the vibe of not being too aware that it was the place to be, if that makes any sense. Unpretentious.

My experience with the food has generally been much more positive than what was described in the initial post; however, I've not tasted any of the specific dishes mentioned.

We really enjoy Harvest and find it to be a super addition to the Louisville dining scene - my only consistant complaint - the volume in that room at 7:30 on a Friday night can be deafening. It makes 732 sound like a church in comparison. Maybe I'm losing my hippness in my fifth decade but how about breaking that room up a bit?

Thanks for the original post - I'll keep my eyes open when we return.

BUT- when did it become fashionable to set the tables with tepid water? water should always be freshly poured and cold, for obvious reasons.

my only consistant complaint - the volume in that room at 7:30 on a Friday night can be deafening. It makes 732 sound like a church in comparison.

These are two interesting examples of how everyone's tastes are different, and one person's criticism might be another person's compliment. I totally respect both of these opinions. However...

I hate cold water, and like it when they pour cool or even closer to room temperature water out of a carafe (our water was freshly poured at Harvest.) Seems like more and more restaurants are doing this, and I really appreciate it. I drink a ton more water when it has no ice in it. Call me Eurotrash.

Also, I love a loud restaurant. Maybe I won't someday. I definitely noticed the volume, and I guessed that some people would be turned off by it. It may mean that if it bothers you, you'd want to try to go during a time not at peak restaurant demand time, i.e. Friday night at 7:30. However, Harvest is still very new, and it's entirely possible that they're still working out bugs and may at some point install some more sound absorbing features.

Also, I love a loud restaurant. Maybe I won't someday.

I'll almost guarantee it if you live long enough, especially if you listened to loud music too long back when you were invulnerable. A condition that often goes along with tinitus is hyperacusis and that's a big enough problem for me anymore that I normally carry a pair of earplugs when we go to a restaurant just in case. Cuts down on conversation but at least we don't have to leave. A certain frequency range above a moderate volume seems deafening and painful. It's the range of dish clattering, babies/small children and motorcycle racket. With the direction of demographic trends this will be a growing problem. Your suggestion is well made to go when not crowded. Acoustics vary a lot from place to place. It's good for posters to comment on the noise level as it's hard to know in advance to avoid the dinner slot otherwise.

Points well taken, Lonnie. Different strokes for different folks, some medically-dictated, some not. No doubt I'll reach a point where a loud restaurant is something I'll avoid. You're right - it's good for people to post things like that, so people can make informed decisions. "Now you know, and knowing is half the battle."

I'm older but not that old - I love and I mean love a happening place. But Harvest might be the loudest upscale place I've ever been. In our case the wait staff was having difficulty hearing our orders or communicating in general. We've been twice and it was much worse on the second visit - I think it's a combination of hardwood floors, parallel hard walls, and a relatively low ceiling.
Some carpets, wall hangings, anything to break the sound up a bit would help. My issue is really more an observation than a complaint.

Irregardless, it won't keep us from going back frequently.

We had the same issue at Westport General Store. I built and installed sound damping panels that I attached to the ceiling. Made from 1 x 3 with insulation inside and covered with flame proof headliner for cars. Works pretty well. Or it at least helps. Also, if you hang fabric in the corners that really helps too.

Adding to the discussion about volume in a restaurant, I certainly do not appreciate any restaurant being loud and never have. There are places and venues where loud is acceptable and expected but restaurants in my opinion do not fall into that category. Even when I was younger and spent much time in loud places I didn't like nor normally visit loud restaurants. Especially when you're in a group setting you want to hold conversations and loud background noises do not encourage this.

I also appreciate ice cold water (preferably with a slice of lemon) to be served. The entire time I lived in Europe not having enough ice available was a constant frustration and aggravation. Of course they also drink beer warm which is another issue altogether!

My wife and I had dinner there last night. The service was great as was the food. I had the bibb salad and it was fantastic. The dressing was spot on and the egg was a perfect compliment. My bride had the grilled bread salad, which was one of the specials. A combo of fresh cukes, tomatoes, and grilled blue dog bread, she was wild about it! I can only imagine all the variations of tomato salads they are going to come up with in the next few months!!! I had the fried chicken and thought it was perfectly cooked, nice and crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. Wifey had the gnocci bolognese and loved it. All in all, we can't wait to return.

I managed to score a rare date night tonight and we made our reservation for Harvest tonight. I really look forward to trying this place out. I'll do a short review later on about it.

I ran into a friend weeks ago who worked on the interior design of Harvest. She mentioned that sound dampening panels were on the plan from the beginning. We wondered why they had yet to be installed. When H. and I went to dinner Saturday, July 2nd. several white and rectangular framed things were hanging from the ceiling. Regardless, I who have a soft voice had to shout at H. across our two top to be heard. I had to work so hard it became hugely funny. ( Trust me. ) When we left the person sitting to my left stopped me at the door to introduce himself. He's an investor/ silent partner in Harvest. Having overheard my conversation I think he wanted some clarification on a few points. I quickly came around the end zone on his thoughts and said what I said to H. was just me thinking out loud. That as a former restaurant professional, I feel it's best to give a new restaurant perhaps as long as a year to hit it's stride. After all it's a huge collaboration and that always takes time to perfect. I also said I admired his involvement and thought Harvest was certainly off in the right direction on many points. And then, talking at the top of my voice for as long as I was, my voice gave out

Some days later on Oxmoor Farm, at the dedication of Food Literacy's new outdoor kitchen, I ran into Ivor. I brought up the conversation and said I hoped I'd gotten through to the investor with my points because I was being as sincere/honest as possible. It does take a long timer than most think for a restaurant with so many moving parts to get in groove. Ivor who certainly has an appreciation for mastering things agreed. Whew!

But something that could be quickly changed about Harvest is the effort it takes to be heard conversationally. Otherwise, you could be unwittingly sharing your thoughts as I was. And Lou. is very small big town.

We had a fantastic time at Harvest on Saturday. The food was excellent, the portions sized just right, the atmosphere was electric, and yes, it was very loud.

My wife and I started out each with a salad, her's the Bibb with deviled egg and buttermilk ranch dressing, mine the spicy greens with strawberry vinaigrette. Crisp greens, and the smoothest flavored dressing I've ever had. We also got a bottle of R. Stuarts Big Fire Pinot Gris, which was perfect for a hot hot evening.

For our meals, my wife did their special that night, a very unconventional chicken and dumplings. By unconventional, it had a light brown broth, egg noodles, squash, and carrots. And it was delicious. I was lucky to get the one taste that I did from her. I had the Harvest Steak, which was a New York Strip on Saturday, cooked medium rare (and it was perfectly cooked), greens, and shitake mushrooms. I almost asked for a steak knife when it was served, but I thought I would try the butter-knife first, and the meat was so tender, I did not need a sharp knife to cut through the steak. It practically melted in my mouth.

We decided to pass on dessert, but they had 4-5 different options that all sounded great.

The atmosphere is very busy there. The food is served at a quick pace, but nothing ever ran on top of each other. We were finished with our salads and the main course arrived within a few minutes. We never felt rushed, but they did a good job moving things along. My wife was a little creeped out by the large pictures on the walls staring at her, but I think she got over that quickly enough. It is pretty loud in there. It looked like they have put some sound dampeners on the ceiling, but it does not seem to do much. Regardless, the restaurant seats a lot of people, and a lot of people make a lot of noise! It was not so loud as to really disturb us, but conversation was a bit difficult.

Overall it was an excellent evening. Great food, great atmosphere. I look forward to coming back.

BUT- when did it become fashionable to set the tables with tepid water? water should always be freshly poured and cold, for obvious reasons.

my only consistant complaint - the volume in that room at 7:30 on a Friday night can be deafening. It makes 732 sound like a church in comparison.

These are two interesting examples of how everyone's tastes are different, and one person's criticism might be another person's compliment. I totally respect both of these opinions. However...

I hate cold water, and like it when they pour cool or even closer to room temperature water out of a carafe (our water was freshly poured at Harvest.) Seems like more and more restaurants are doing this, and I really appreciate it. I drink a ton more water when it has no ice in it. Call me Eurotrash.

Also, I love a loud restaurant. Maybe I won't someday. I definitely noticed the volume, and I guessed that some people would be turned off by it. It may mean that if it bothers you, you'd want to try to go during a time not at peak restaurant demand time, i.e. Friday night at 7:30. However, Harvest is still very new, and it's entirely possible that they're still working out bugs and may at some point install some more sound absorbing features.

Re: water, I agree with you, Antonia. Doc Crow's does it too, and I really like it. I tend to drink a lot more, which is a good thing.

Re: volume. I have mixed feelings. The few times I've been for dinner, it was certainly very loud, but I didn't mind it. It went with the atmosphere, and make for a lively experience. I went for lunch with a client a few weeks ago, however, and it was just as loud, if not louder, and made conversation nearly impossible. The lunch was good, but I doubt I'd ever return for a business lunch because of the volume.

[Robin Garr]

Re: volume. I have mixed feelings. The few times I've been for dinner, it was certainly very loud, but I didn't mind it. It went with the atmosphere, and make for a lively experience. I went for lunch with a client a few weeks ago, however, and it was just as loud, if not louder, and made conversation nearly impossible. The lunch was good, but I doubt I'd ever return for a business lunch because of the volume.

That's well stated, and I've certainly reported favorably on restaurants (Cafe Lou Lou St. Matthews, for one) that were very loud but it seemed appropriate to the scene, and you could look around and see everyone was having a good time, so what's the big deal?

That said, though, for me a part of the restaurant experience, in addition to the food, of course, is socializing. It happens, though, that we have a particularly good friend who has a very demanding job and is hard to get out for an evening of companionable conversation, and we somehow ended up going with her to both 732 Social and Harvest. Both outstanding eateries, but our hopes for an evening of intelligent discourse were pretty much thwarted.

In such cases of course we just go with the flow and enjoy dinner and the environment as it is, but I was left feeling that the evening had been diminished a bit by the noise.

Am I just showing my boomerish age here? At least I didn't get up and shake my cane ...