 FRONT PAGE Archive Index Feedback |
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
| |||||
Good Food
Good foodA Harvest of Culinary Delights on Madison
By Zachary D. Lyons
Harvest Vine owner Joseph Jimenez de Jimenez (left) and Gordon Wishard. Zachary D. Lyons photo |
For that, I turned to the experts at Harvest Vine in Madison Valley. Literally, "tapa" means "lid", explained Carolin Messier de Jimenez, who owns this tiny jewel with her husband, Joseph Jimenez de Jimenez. In Southern Spain, as tradition has it, folks would gather at the local wine bar, and to keep the many flies in the balmy climate out of their glasses, the barkeep would place a lid--often a small plate--on top of them. Eventually, these bars began to put olives, or pieces of ham, out on these plates for their customers to enjoy. This grew to larger plates with small nibbles placed on the bar for patrons to taste while they drank. People would then wander from wine bar to wine bar, sipping one glass for each stop, and snacking as they went.
In Northern Spain, this tradition evolved to the small portion menu, from which customers could order individual servings for a dollar or two. These were called "pintxo"--or "small bites" in Basque--and menus would be filled with a wide variety of items reflecting the bounty of the region. "In Spain," Carolin said, "there are no place settings or stools. People would stand for up to an hour at a particular bar, and then move on to the next one. But here we provide stools and silverware to account for American culture." I feel so much better knowing this, since I scarfed almost everything down that night using just my fingers and my mouth. I was the civilized one!
When Carolin and Joseph opened The Harvest Vine in September of 1998, they had originally intended for this cozy little space to be a specialty food store. It evolved into a restaurant. Carolin designed and built out the interior with her sister, converting what was an old, grungy, take-out place into the charming eatery it is today. Normally, the room seats 22: 12 at the counter on stools, and 10 at the tables. But they have been known to fit in as many as 30. Our group was advised to come on a Wednesday after 8:30 p.m., but we still had to wait until 9:15 p.m. to be seated. The restaurant doesn't take reservations. In fact, even if the Spanish winemaker--whose permanent reservation is affixed to the beautiful copper counter--should arrive, he would still have wait in line for a seat.
Most of Harvest Vine's menu comes from Joseph's native Basque region of Spain. The menu changes throughout the year, as different items come in and out of availability. New menus are printed every night. The January 30 menu featured about 30 items, including six cheeses. I had intentionally arranged for a large group to allow for the greatest amount of sampling. Figuring on two items per person, we ordered 14 things--and a taste of all the cheeses, of course.
Joseph and his staff set about delivering to us a well-ordered tasting experience, building from mild to intense. The smoked sturgeon was topped by a trout caviar with a bright, clean flavor. House-cured duck leg infused with clove and dry-cured chorizo were both wonderful, especially played off of the cheeses made from goat, sheep and cow's milk. The smoked salt cod salad with baby greens and squid ink was wonderful, though some greens were left behind. (I think vegetables were low on everyone's priority list that night.)
While, frankly, everything was incredible--oohs, ahs, and "oh, mama!"s showering out of us all--a few show stoppers surprised us. Pulpo de Feira, a Galician style octopus dish, absolutely melted in our mouths. Caracoles a la Riojana, snails simmered with ham, tomato and choricero peppers, exploded with flavor. Grilled venison over black trumpet mushrooms with rosemary and truffle sauce had most of us exclaiming, "I could eat a 12-ounce steak of this stuff." The meat was tender and flavorful, and the sauce and mushrooms rich, delicious and perfectly complementary. Grilled lamb loin was also fantastic, and on a menu full of strong flavors and unusual ingredients, the most delightful surprise was the Foie de Rape. Ordered because we thought it the weirdest thing on the menu, this pan-seared monkfish liver with sage was decadently rich, dissolving on our tongues like buttah.
Committed to full research, we had to have dessert. The house flan was flavored with espresso and brandy, and built on a base of dark chocolate. If I need to tell you it was awesome, then you haven't been paying attention. Tarta de Musicos, wine-braised figs and dates topped with a five nut-caramel melange, was terrific. And the sheep's milk cheesecake... oh-my-gawd!!!
Okay, we pigged out. And we left very happy, and full, campers. Our bill worked out to about $40 per person, with a great bottle of wine, a big tip, and an absurd amount of food. I'm sure you could get out for less, but why would you try? I do recommend that you either go with more than two people, or go often, so you can sample many dishes. This was indeed one of my most memorable dining experiences.
The Harvest Vine, 2701 E. Madison St., 320-9771. Open Tuesday - Saturday, at 4 p.m., and seats until 10 p.m.
Reader Comments
Discuss this article in the forums!
No comments yet!