Entertainment > Dining

Posted on Wed, May. 27, 2009

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Harvest of fine fare

The Harvest Kitchen offers regional dishes expertly prepared.

BY LORI LINENBERGER

The Wichita Eagle

A fine dining establishment that tries to distinguish itself by offering regional fare you would be hard-pressed to find in other local restaurants deserves some kudos for making the effort.

When it pulls it off admirably, it deserves your patronage. That is the case with Harvest Kitchen, the recently remodeled and revamped restaurant in the Hyatt hotel downtown.

From appetizers to dessert, just about everything we ordered during a recent Saturday night dinner was well prepared, perfectly seasoned, beautifully presented and efficiently served.

ON THE MENU: Harvest claims to use foods and ingredients purchased locally as much as possible. Its mission is to celebrate "the artistic and agricultural majesty of Kansas." Much of its meat, for instance, comes from Yoder Meats, its bread comes from Bagatelle and at least one local farmer has been hired to provide seasonal vegetables and herbs, said restaurant manager Vince Rodriguez.

The small-ish dinner menu includes six appetizers, four salads, eight entrees, five side dishes and five desserts. At least two specials are usually offered at dinner. The lunch menu includes soup, salad, sandwiches and four entrees, as well as dessert.

DON'T-MISS DISHES: Who would have thought cold sausages could be so tasty, and so appropriately appetite-stimulating. Our server recommended a charcuterie platter as an appetizer, and though skeptical at first, we were won over in the end. The dish included potato sausage boiled in Boulevard beer, a dried sausage called landjaeger, and hot links served with three delicious condiments: raspberry chutney, pickled onions and rosemary mustard.

Our entrees included a filet prepared to order with mashed potatoes and broccolini, and delicate Cornish hen with a wheat stuffing. Each was palate-worthy. But the highlights were a six-cheese ravioli served with seafood -- chunks of buttery trout, walleye, orange roughy and crab -- in a roasted tomato cream sauce, and a pot pie with tender chunks of rosemary-infused lamb, carrots, potatoes and turnips in a hearty pastry. Depending on the chef's whims, the pot pie might feature elk, buffalo, venison, beef or chicken instead of lamb, Rodriguez said.

We chose two offerings from the side dishes, including corn bread with white cheddar and chive butter, and roasted acorn squash with molasses and thyme butter. The combination of savory and sweet in the tender squash, artfully presented in its shell and sliced in half, was addictive.

Dessert was apple pie with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge bread pudding, simple comfort food that ended the meal satisfyingly if not sublimely.

Though there was much to admire about our meal, the restaurant could be faulted for reneging on its pledge to prepare seasonal foods. The menu, Rodriguez said, has been in place since last October, and many items seem heavy for late spring. The restaurant is in the process of evaluating the menu to determine what seasonal changes should be made, Rodriguez said.

AMBIENCE: Soothing, with soft lighting, gauzy ceiling-to-floor drapes in each of the four corners of the main dining room, and beige and brown woods and fabrics.

PRICE RANGE: On the expensive side for dinner. Our entrees ranged from $14 for the pot pie to $25 for the seafood ravioli. Appetizers range from $8 to $10, side dishes are $12 for four people and desserts are $6 to $8.

SERVICE: Expert and efficient. Our server was helpful, knowledgeable about the menu, professional and friendly.

REVIEW

Harvest Kitchen in the Hyatt

Three and a half stars out of four

Where: 400 W. Waterman, 316-293-1234

Hours: 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. breakfast and lunch; 5:30-10 p.m. dinner daily

Type of food: Kansas and regional cuisine

Alcohol: Full bar

Smoking: Not allowed

Web site: http://wichita.hyatt.com/

Ratings reflect the critic's judgment of the food, service and atmosphere in relation to the price. If you would like to nominate a restaurant to be reviewed, call 316-268-6321.