Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar

Local farm to table restaurants seem to be the hot new concept in the food world. When I think of fresh produce and locally made foods, I don't think of Houston. I think of the North where farmers markets are on every corner and the seasons are marked by the changing produce. Farm to table concept restaurants are the hot new thing, so we found one called Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar and decided to try it out. They were just on the last days of their summer menu which was slightly disappointing because I am a huge fan of fall flavors. I started off with lavender mojito, made with vanilla rum and lavender simple syrup. It was a lovely combination of floral and sweet aromas. The mint and the vanilla paired well and the lavender was a unique twist. It was very refreshing and something I never would have thought to put together.

As appetizers, we ordered calamari and a hummus trio. I was very surprised when the calamari arrived to see that it was not fried. The calamari was sauteed and served in what seemed to be a Thai inspired broth. Honestly, it was a bit bland and not even salt helped. The broth didn't seem to have strong enough flavors to help perk up the bland calamari. The hummus trio included roasted garlic, chipotle and bruschetta and was served with pita triangles, carrots and cucumbers. The roasted garlic wasn't too overwhelming, but was slightly sweet. The chipotle hummus had a definite smoky flavor brought out by the paprika on top. The bruschetta hummus had diced tomatoes and kalamata olives mixed in, creating a very Mediterranean feel. The pita was okay, but nothing to write home about. I love hummus and was inspired by these combinations to start making my own to see what I could come up with. The hummus trio was the winner in the appetizer round.

In the entree category, the first two options were a pork tenderloin with a mustard apricot sauce and the second choice was a halibut. The pork was grilled and served on a chutney like mix of apricots and dijon mustard. There was a brussel sprout and sweet potato hash served with it that was actually quite tasty. I have never seen brussel sprouts used in a hash and the flavors went well together. The apricot and dijon mustard created a sweet and salty combination that brought depth to the pork. Plus pork and dijon mustard are one of my favorite combinations. The halibut was served with broccolini and an optional sauce, but it was unclear as to what the server said it was. Unfortunately, the halibut was a bit overcooked, so it turned out to be nothing special.

Luckily for me, the soup of the day was their season butternut squash soup! So of course that was something I had to try. The soup was creamy and surprisingly sweet with lots of toasted pumpkins seeds. The pumpkins seeds added the tiniest bit of salt and a nice textural contrast to the soup. The sweetness of the soup came from the addition of honey to the soup. I would have never thought to put honey in a soup, but it was very good. This butternut squash soup is a quintessential fall dish and would be perfect for a chilly winter night. I also decided to try the steak, swiss and mushroom flatbread. There is an area called Kennett Square that is known for their mushrooms so these were the lucky mushrooms topping the flatbread. The steak was tender and the swiss cheese was the perfect "glue" to hold it all together. The crust was nice and crunchy and seemed to be a bit seasoned. It was definitely one of the better flatbreads I have have since it wasn't basically just bread.

Though the entree part of the meal wasn't super memorable, we decided to give dessert a chance. The way they served dessert was unique because they came in a tray and you just took whichever one you wanted right then. The two we chose were a chocolate mocha mousse and a peanut butter chocolate mousse. The mocha chocolate mousse was topping with almost a cookie like crumble and a tiny dollop of whipped cream. The mousse was light, but had a very rich chocolate flavor to it. The peanut butter and chocolate mousse was like eating a peanut butter cup. The mini chocolate chips on top were a great textural element and completed the look of the dessert. Out of the two, the peanut butter and chocolate mousse was the dessert winner. Unfortunately, this wasn't an awesome dinner overall but there were definitely some bright spots in the meal. If you are willing to not be wowed by every dish, you might want to give it a try because there were some pretty yummy things and the fall menu looked good.