Harry's Italian Restaurant is arguably not just some of the best ITALIAN food I've had, its some of the best FOOD I've eaten. I just recently traveled to Chicago on business, and ate at two of the highest rated Italian restaurants in downtown Chicago and I dare to say Harry's is on par with them! I wish I didn't live on the other side of the country, because I'm not sure I can live without Harry's now that I've visited.
I visited on a very busy Wednesday evening in between the holidays, so lots of big family groups at the restaurant and it was VERY busy and very chaotic.
I could tell right away that the host staff was a little frazzled but they were incredibly polite and noticeably putting in all of their effort to accommodate their guests.
I did an online early wait list option and checked at the host to get an accurate wait time estimate. The online list had me listed with four groups ahead of me, with some groups waiting for almost an hour. With my much smaller party of just two, we were seated MUCH sooner than estimated which was a pleasant surprise since we didn't not mind to wait.
Our waitress quickly came by to take our drink and appetizer orders. We did get our drinks and appetizer of Tre Meatballs (more on these to come) promptly, but we did have to wait and ask for silverware a couple of times. The restaurant was very busy and the staff was working very hard so we did not mind, the appetizer was steaming hot, and needed to cool regardless.
On to the food.
The fresh bread is baked just right for a very fluffy warm dough that dips so deliciously in the herb and seasoned olive oil drizzle.
The Tre Meatballs, which I ordered to share with my dinner companion, were nothing less than perfect.
The blend of meat was seasoned and cooked exactly to the right temperature to keep them incredibly tender and juicy. The marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese topping were balanced, and they were plated and garnished beautifully.
I ordered a bowl of the Zuppa, which to me was the weakest part of the meal. I don't think it is any fault in the soup itself, the menu clearly states "creamy" Zuppa Toscana Soup. I prefer my Zuppa a little on the spicier side. If it were up to me the soup would have featured less potato, and more chopped kale and Italian sausage. Nevertheless the soup was good, just not my preferred preparation style.
For my main course I ordered the Carbonara with chicken. I've eaten authentic chicken carbonara before, Harry's version is not conventional, but it takes a classic dish and puts a very original spin on it. The cream sauce married perfectly with the flame broiled chicken breast, pancetta, mushrooms, sun dried tomato, and green onion!
I intended on ordering the New York Cheesecake or the Tiramisu, but alas, I did not have enough space after our full meal to order a dessert. I'm just glad I have something to look forward to the next time I visit this quaint little Tennessee town restaurant. read more