A Neighborhood Rare Gem of a Restaurant: Harvest Beat

One of the endearing and enduring features of Wallingford is that it is full of little jewels, unique establishments that are often overshadowed and overlooked because of the oversized influence of other places and events. But nestled right in the heart of the neighborhood, on 45^th, is a restaurant called Harvest Beat that is quite wonderful. Those of you who peruse Facebook, the newly ungoverned purveyor of discord and distress, might have occasionally seen offers from Harvest Beat in the Wallingford & Fremont group for friends and family discounts for their 5-course prix fixe (fixed price) vegan dinners. I have—and recently I decided to take them up on their generous markdown. I should say right up front that I am not vegan, nor am I vegetarian. BUT, as the son of a chef, I do very much enjoy good food. I can tell you that the fare at Harvest Beat is, in a word: delicious.

From their website:

Harvest Beat is a family-run gourmet vegan restaurant in Seattle, founded in 2017 with a vision of enhancing the dining experience for our community through nourishing plant-based cuisine. Reflecting the natural rhythm of the seasons, our menu changes regularly and features a thoughtfully crafted selection of 5-course meals. Embracing a farm-to-table approach, we carefully curate our menu to highlight the bounties of the Pacific Northwest . Our talented chefs ensure guests experience exquisite flavors unique to the region from locally farmed and foraged ingredients, showcasing gourmet whole food cuisine in an unforgettable meal. At Harvest Beat, we believe that food has the power to heal, nourish, and bring people together. Our philosophy is reflected in our evening seating of all guests together, followed by a presentation of the menu and local ingredients by our prized chefs. With wine or non-alcoholic drink pairings, each course is served in tandem throughout the dining room, to creating a distinctly unique and intimate dining experience for our guests. Guided by our passion for sustainability and ethical consumption, we strive to create a space where delectable vegan dishes extends to a conscious, educated and empowered community making eco-friendly choices that benefit both their wellbeing and the planet.

The menu rotates on a regular basis, and on our visit we caught the tail end of their holiday fare. The first and second courses were a rich cauliflower bisque and a beautiful salad with huckleberry-cranberry vinaigrette. The third course was Russet potato gnocchi with wild mushrooms in celeriac crème, sage brown-butter, and parsley puree. The fourth and main course was lasagna with wood-smoked tomato sauce, roasted garlic, wild chanterelle, pumpkin seed cheese, topped with greens and capers and a balsamic reduction. The last course was tiramisu. This was tiramisu with almond flour crust, vanilla bean cashew frosting, and chocolate coffee custard finished with cacao nibs from Theo’s Chocolate.

Dinner at Harvest Beat has a theatrical feel to it, with the chef ringing a gong once all the guests were seated to open the dinner with a full explanation of what was ahead and the suppliers who make the meal possible. The service was incredibly warm and welcome. Lis, who was working the floor, recognized me from the p-patch garden; we chatted with the other server Avery about the uncertain status of Murphy’s Pub. Unlike most other restaurants, patrons were welcomed to look in on the kitchen to see the behind-the-scenes magic. Things back there seemed unusually organized and efficient when we dined there—perhaps reflecting one of the advantages of serving a prix fixe menu.

I am not much of a restaurant reviewer, but I can whole-heartedly recommend Harvest Beat to you and can now testify that gourmet vegan is most certainly not an oxymoron! Prices for the 5-course meal are, as previously noted, fixed and not inexpensive, but the thought and care that go into the food are evident and the atmosphere glows. They offer wine pairings for each course (I suffered from non-buyer’s remorse after having a couple of glasses with dinner and realizing I should have just opted for the pairings). The periodic friends and family offerings are a real bargain. Harvest Beat is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, and also offers takeout. Reservations can be booked on Open Table.