4 1/2 Stars
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I bookmarked Harth quite some time ago yet we kept putting off a visit. Since we were going to Tysons Corner today and wanted to try someplace new, I went and made a reservation for 5 p.m. (on a Saturday). It was very easy to use the link to Open Table that appears on Yelp's listing.
We got here a few minutes early but were given dinner menus and seated right away. Our server came by with the drinks menu and gave us some time to decide. I chose a pomegranate mojito while my husband got a glass of Malbec.
We were given a bread basket with 4 slices of bread in it, along with a small cup of butter with poppy seeds on top and another cup with their bacon jam. That bacon jam was superb! The sweetness of the honey and the saltiness of the bacon melded together very well, with the bacon flavoring coming through. We look forward to having this again!
The pomegranate mojito was tasty although I felt it could have used a bit more pomegranate flavoring. While my husband liked his Malbec, he said that he has had better. He couldn't remember what type of Malbec that was on the menu...
The menu here changes seasonally. Thus, the menu showing on their website isn't the one currently in use. Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and patiently answered our questions. For starters, I chose the heirloom tomato salad with kale, pine nuts and creamy garlic dressing. My husband chose the iceberg lettuce wedge with blue cheese dressing, cherry tomatoes and bacon bits.
The heirloom tomato salad was delicious---not to mention colorful. It consisted of red and yellow tomatoes that were ripe and tasty. The garlic flavoring in the dressing was noticeable yet it didn't overpower the flavor of the tomatoes and kale.
My husband isn't a big fan of bleu cheese, yet he did enjoy his salad. He thought that the bleu cheese was more mildly flavored than usual, which was fine with him.
For my main course, I ordered the pan seared salmon. I asked the server how the salmon was cooked. She said that I could get it cooked any way I wanted, so I ordered it rare. I was very impressed that it came out the way I wanted. Many times, restaurants will tell you that they will cook it rare for you but, instead it comes out almost well done. The salmon was placed on a bed of thin asparagus pieces and a creamy sauce. It was garnished with a paper thin slice of ciabatta that was toasted and buttered. I enjoyed this dish and liked that the salmon piece wasn't very big.
My husband ordered the steak frites. It didn't occur to him to ask what type of steak was in the dish. Nor did he ask how big it was. When he got his food and our server came by to ask how things were, I asked about the steak. She said that it was a 12 oz. NY strip. It comes with a side of house made steak sauce. I tasted it and it was both sweet and spicy. My husband didn't care for it as he prefers A-1 sauce. When I asked, the server told us that the sauce had pineapple juice in it and a pepper that was midway between a jalapeno and a Habanero on the Scoville scale. And now I forget which pepper it was! Still, he did like the steak and it was cooked medium as he requested.
We were surprised that we still had some room for dessert. Our server recommended sharing a dessert because as she put it, the desserts were "humongous". So, we shared a summer tart. This dessert consists of a rectangular puff pastry topped with blueberries, blackberries and strawberries plus a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. It was tasty. The berries were fresh, the ice cream was homemade and the puff pastry was light and airy.
My husband also had an Irish coffee.
Before the tip, dinner cost $131 + change. Not a cheap meal but well worth the money, we thought.
Some reviews mention slow service and a slow kitchen. We were talking to our server and she said that we came at the right time. Apparently, during peak dinner hour (7:30 - 8:00), she said that the kitchen gets really busy and food comes out much more slowly. So, bear in mind if you go for a later dinner, food may be slow to arrive to your table.
For the dress code, even though we did business casual, we noticed others more casually dressed. Plus, when the place is busy, it is loud. read more