If you are looking for quality tapas in Seattle, look no further than
The Harvest Vine in the Central District. While there are still a number of places to check off, and
How to Cook a Wolf could be described as a delicious Italian tapas option, The Harvest Vine does not disappoint for traditional Spanish delicious.
Our family spent a special evening for a special occasion ordering just about as much as we could off the menu. Here was the damage:
-Beet, Sheep Cheese and Serrano ham amuse buche (not pictured).
-Sardinas.
Grilled sardines. Silver and a perfect balance of delicate and the sea.
-Pato Confitado.
Duck confit with parsnip potato mousse. One of the nights highlights. Crispy duck skin and fantastic mousse. A complete win that reinforced my wife's obsession with duck confit.
-Venado.
Grilled venison with licorice sauce and oyster mushrooms. Expertly cooked and totally delightful.
-Vieiras.
The pan seared scallops were memorable. If you can believe it, the caramelized onion was quite possibly the star of the dish - which I can't decide if this is good or bad (that the scallop is overshadowed).
-Lomo de Conejo.
Grilled rabbit with fideo noodles. The rabbit was seasoned excellently and delectable. The noodles seemed like an afterthought, though others in the family were big fans. Myself, I could have double fisted all that rabbit strait into my mouth it was so good.
-Coliflor.
Roasted cauliflower with onion confit. A little salty, but I would have eaten 3 pounds!
-Pulpito a la Gallega. (Not pictured). Baby octopus. Uniformly we didn't care for it. The paprika didn't do it any favors, it was both not picturesque and a huge miss.
-Sepias.
Seared cuddlefish with squid ink bomba rice. On the complete opposite side of the octopus, this total win dish may have been the best of the night. It was composed of perfectly marinated cuddlefish. The rice could have been a little more aggressively seasoned, but the squid ink did amplify the flavor nicely.
-Foie de Pato.
Seared foie gras. It is a tantalizing slab of foie gras, is it not? Unfortunately, it was slightly under temp on the inside (in my opinion), with baby food on the side (not pictured). Delicious none-the-less, but overshadowed by less expensive, better dishes during the evening and far outstripped by other foie gras dishes around town.
-Garbanzos con Tomate.
Garbanzo beans with tomato cumin sauce. The strong cumin flavor made the dish good but not fantastic.
-Cerdo Iberico. (Also not pictured. We ate it too fast!) This fresh pork cut from a pata negra pig was another absolute smash hit. This was the single best bite of pork I've ever eaten! Ever - Eaten! Cracklin skin on the outside, juicy fatty soft meat. I can still taste it on my tongue...
-Remolachas.
Red and golden beets. My beet hating wife ate and enjoyed these.
-Tabla Iberica.
The cured meats plate was very good, with a wide variety of flavors coming from the same base ingredient (one piggy piggy).
Overall, the meal was great. We were sad to have visited when the duck breast was not on the menu though, and a little disappointed by the inconsistent seasoning - with (for example) some of the rice being underseasoned, and things like the cauliflower being overseasoned. These inconsistencies kept this meal from being perfect. However, the cuddlefish, venison, pork, duck, sardines, beets, and rabbit were memorable, and the only protein problem was the octopus. The service was solid and took nothing away from the kitchen, which you can actually see if you sit in the front of the house.
Harvest Vine
2701 East Madison Street
Seattle, WA 98112
(206) 320-9771
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