Harvest Vine is a cute restaurant in Madison Valley featuring Basque cuisine served tapas style. The restaurant's decor is very welcoming. Right when you walk in you find an open kitchen with bar style seating around it and some bistro tables. Past the bar are some stairs that lead to the dining room.
We were seated downstairs which also doubled as their wine cellar. They also have a private room that people can reserve for parties. As we sat down we couldn't wait to order our dishes. When dining at tapas restaurants it's always a good idea to ask the server how many dishes they would recommend for the size of your party. Our server came back and gave us a tasting size portion of a cold roasted tomato soup with lemon and olive oil. It was incredibly flavorful. The soup was very creamy and the olive oil was a good compliment to the acidity of the tomato and lemon.
The menu was extensive and not too overwhelming. We decided to order 4 items to start and order more if we were still hungry. The two daily specials, sardines & estofado, were very enticing so we decided to order both of those and 2 more from their regular menu.
Jamon de Pato
cured duck breast, blood orange curd, rioja balsamic reduction
When this dish came out Brian and I thought it was the octopus dish on the menu based on its coloring. This was Brian's choice and when I heard so many other people ordering it, I knew it was probably a good selection. The blood orange curd and balsamic reduction helped cut the salty flavor of the duck breast. It was a good pairing that still allowed the cured duck breast to shine but not over power one's palette.
Alcachofa
artichokes, roasted tomatoes, garlic confit
You can't tell from this picture but this dish also had a delicious sauce that it was served on. The sauce was so good we made sure to sop it all up with bread. The roasted artichoke was so meaty and served as a good vehicle for the sauce as well as it soaked up the sauce in its layers.
Sardines
grilled sardines, lemon, olive oil
The sardines were from Portugal and were seasoned with salt and pepper, grilled then drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil. It was served on a bed of mixed greens. I love the simple flavor combination of a salted fish with lemon juice for acidity.
Estofado
lamb belly, pork belly, beans, sofrito
The estofado, a hearty stew, was served in a ramekin. This dish definitely falls under the comfort food category. I could imagine eating a big bowl of it on a rainy and cold winter night. I liked this dish because there were different textures that came into play with each bite. My only complaint is that we didn't have more of it!
I would definitely recommend Harvest Vine to anyone looking to nosh on some delicious Basque food. The service was also great - very helpful and knowledgeable. Good customer service definitely is a big part of a dining experience.
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