Harvest

54 11-6 Harvest Between Mt. Auburn and Brattle, by Post Office (Mt. Auburn) and Crate & Barrel (Brattle). Summary: Very good food, not great service, pricey.

My wife and I went to Harvest today. I figure, it's probably the highest priced lunch spot in the Square (we'll see), and she deserves it. Plus, if I went with anyone else, she's be jealous and I'd never hear the end of it.

Harvest is an excellent restaurant, clearly in the top tier of dinner eating spots in the Square - up there with Rialto and Upstairs on the Square. The space itself isn't that interesting - the bar area is really nice, but the tables kind of float and it's easy to feel exposed. Plus the service people pass by all the time, which can be good and bad - good for catching waiters/waitresses, bad for the hustle and bustle.

Our server was efficient, but lacked personality. For the cash we were laying out, it doesn't seem unreasonable to have a server who is both professional/efficient, but also interesting and personable. She barely cracked a smile the whole time.

We got off to an unauspicious start as my wife immediately spotted the lobster club sandwich - but the server forgot to mention it wasn't available, and so ten minutes later, when we ordered, she had to re-evalutate the menu. No expressions of sympathy from the server, just quick apologies. Turns out she did the same thing with the table next to ours - forgot to mention the sandwich wasn't available. You'd think she'd learn...

But beside that, lunch was very good. I personally ate the entire bread basket contents - the bread is that good, and very interesting as well. We had salads as first courses - my waldorf salad was good, but not great - it just wasn't that interesting; my wife had the beet salad, and that was outstanding - a great collection of textures and tastes, including soft and warm chickpeas. I had the burger, which came highly recommended, and indeed it's as good as Bartley's but with fancier accompaniments, including an onion roll and hand-cut fries. My wife had the lobster bisque, which she enjoyed.

So, my take on Harvest - very good food, service not at an upper level, and too pricey. About $25-30 per person, two courses and non-alcoholic drink included, no dessert.