Tucked away in a small town, you will find a cozy nook to discover American cuisine.
Brand: 5/5
Harvest is a small restaurant in Farmingdale specializing in New American cuisine. The entrance stands out in this borough, despite its small size. I do think that sign with the wooden background reflected the cozy interior quite well with a homey style. The country décor on the walls also enhances the aesthetics.
Website: 5/5
It wastes no time, for it immediately opens you to the menu where most of the items have their own images. I appreciated the minimalistic design where the understandable font provides you with the information. The basic description of the establishment does say that they rely on locally sourced ingredients.
Ambiance: 5/5
Normally, dark interiors would not necessarily work for eateries unless they achieve a cozy vibe; which is what Harvest did perfectly. The wooden walls provide a sense of comfort underneath lights dim enough to not offend the eyes but bright enough to see. Despite the cramped space, I did think that the interior fitted the ambiance, along with the smooth country music playing over the radio.
Service: 5/5
The staff was quite jovial and patiently explained a part of the menu. We had no issues with our orders.
Wait Time: 5/5
I did wait awhile for the meals, though we managed to get our orders without any interruptions.
Food: 4/5
I ordered the Grilled Chicken Thai Sandwich with no additional sides, with a free, complementary glass of water. It has ciabatta beard containing grilled chicken, spinach, cucumbers, and Thai sauce. I do not know if the signature sauce is authentically Thai, but I will say that I could barely tolerate the pungent taste and smell. I cannot say whether it is the feature. Every other part, such as the spinach and the cucumbers, definitely complemented the grilled chicken with a juicy taste. The ciabatta bread buns managed to hold their form, even as the contents started to fall off.
Worth The Money?: 2/5
I will say that Harvest brand has as much of a highfalutin status as its prices. While the restaurant reflects the New American cuisine, it does not come off as condescending. Nevertheless, I still thought that the limited menu items just do not help with the prices. For the website, I would suggest a list of all the farms and independent distributors that Harvest relies on for ingredients, and to include a backstory about how Harvest began and where the name came from. I find local-sourcing incredibly important and commend Harvest for incorporating this into their business model.
Concerning the food, I will say that the Grilled Chicken Thai sandwich did have suffice within the ambiance. The wait time it took to make the meal was appropriate enough. I will say that the wait time did feel long within the establishment, especially when no one else was around. Nevertheless, the service did make the food worth the wait and the ambiance worth immersing in.
With all of this being said, would I say that the overall price would bring me back? Not really. Even the complementary water could not win me over when compared to the prices. Prestigious New American eateries tend to have a focus on specific consumer bases, and I am just not one of them. I do not score low on this part out of spite, rather based on my current station and many other people. I did tip the staff and I did have enough satisfaction with the meal.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
I do not know how Harvest would carry itself into the future, though I can see how it would suffice as a New American restaurant.
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