“Now that’s what hot and
juicy ought to taste like.” ~ Mr. Peters
(If you just want to read
about Harvest, go down to ‘Harvest was our lunch destination.’)
Annually, I wager two bets with
Mr. Nathaniel Peters II (Mr. Peters).
This year, I’ve had the fortune of winning both and an additional wager
in the Sugar Bowl. Let me back track and
afford a little bit of information… Mr. Peters is a Lexington Academy
University of Kentucky graduate (PhD) and advent fan (one of the more
reasonable and logical UK fans I know, honestly). I, on the other hand, am a University of
Louisville graduate and self-proclaimed die‑heart Cardinal fan… that
traditional city verses state rivalry.
In previous years, I have
had my share of epic failures… We got Kragtized at the beginning of the sport
year then John Calipari’s genetically altered freshmen kicked our behinds a
second time somewhere around New Year Day… Then there was that game in the Big
Easy where the sense of melancholy descended into my soul as we failed to slay
that evil in the Final Four last year… which I had the misfortune to witnessed
firsthand. This year however, we rose
from the ashes to exact revenge.
The wager was simple… We
bet who would win the game, no spread, just pure jubilation of winning and
bragging rights... The victim had to bow
in obeisance for the remainder of the year pay for lunch (a restaurant that
has less than four locations in the city…) and the anguish of having to flaunt an
item of the opposing team; of course, chosen by the victor… Just as a note, we
made it a caveat that the chosen accouterments must be appropriate in nature… I
must say, unique undergarments or cross dressing (especially exotic in nature)
were banned, after all we were “gentlemen”.
Blue and white embroiled with a UK logo didn’t look particularly vogue on me… I felt like my
lifeforce was slowly being leeched out me as I had to wear that shirt one year…
This year fostered a different
story… The choose battlefield was the sugar bowl where Mr. Peters wanted to support the
SEC against "undeserving" UL (Mr. Peters gave me the generous opening spread of16.5 pt)… Full disclosure, I thought
he was going to win this one. However, I
think we all know the result by now. Consequently,
Mr. Peters graciously donned a UL flag on his car during his trip home;
reveling in the pride of being a Cardinal.
Harvest was our lunch destination.
Harvest was first open in
2011 at the heart of downtown Louisville at 624 E. Market St. (right next to
Toast, pretty solid breakfast place.) As
we walked into the door, the rustic (with a touch of modern) milieu hits you. Wood was the defining theme with the wooden
floor and wooden veneer covering most of the restaurant. The table top itself were wooden… but what was unique about the table was the way it was not flawless... rather there was that patina glaze with natural wood edges that offered a provincial
feel... Like something that grandpa put together by hand. The walls were more
modern with photographs of some local farmers that provided 80 percent of the
ingredients. There were modern lights
here and there… it was indeed a decent bit of designing to capture the essence
of the two and integrate them together as Harvest had done. One of the most noticeable features in the
restaurant was the salient big circular map that showed the locations of where
ingredients came from. Most were in the general vicinity, but it did reach as
far as Glasgow, KY. To the left of the map were
pictures of the various farmers with a little description accompanying them.
Just simply cool…
For our meal, I had the
burger (chevre [goat cheese], lettuce, hog jowl bacon jam, pretzel bun) with a
side of three cheese grits. Mr. Peter
had the smoked bbq chicken (blue gouda slaw, pretzel hoagie) with a side of
spicy basil slaw. When I had sought the waitress for her recommendations, that’s what she pointed out… I was rather wary, as... well… I’m not a fan of
grits or pretzel buns… but I trust her judgment as she was rather enthusiastic
about the recommendation.
When we got our food, Mr.
Peter and I exchanged some of our food.
First bite, wow! Man was that a good burger,
I like burgers (especially W.W. Cousin’s which I think is the best in
Louisville) but man this was up there if not even better than W.W.
Cousin’s. Mr. Peter was also enamored by
the burger and summed it up with, “Now that’s what hot and juicy ought to taste
like.” The burger wasn't just juicy, it was so flavorful. The slight sweetness of the pretzel bun complimented the saltiness of the burger so well. The three cheese grit was also excellent. Like I said, I wasn’t a grits fan,
but I couldn’t stop myself from eating the whole thing! Mr. Peter’s dish on the other hand was good
but not too special…
Rating
Food: 9.5/10 (my dish)
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Service: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
Food: 9.5/10 (my dish)
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Service: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
I had notice that there was
a “The French Laundry Inspired Dish” book on the counter. I think it had a touch of it in my burger…
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