I am way behind as on arrival here in Bordeaux we had some pretty bad heat and awful smoke due to the wildfires, then guests arrived, then we spent the weekend in the Bearn (Bas-Pyrenees), so please accept apologies and enjoy!
Each year when we go to Des Moines Metro Opera, we always make time for dinner at Harbinger. It's a real treat, despite the not so comfy chairs (the banquette on one side is okay, but then the person opposite in the chair suffers!). They have a new chef, Hoe Tripp, who was actually off to Malaysia when we went this year, but we were still impressed with every bite and sip from start to finish. Harbinger tends to the vegetarian side but does offer fish and meat if you need it and the variety of dishes (all meant to be shared) is excellent.
We started with cocktails and mine was a Some Like It Dirty with Haku Vodka, House green tomato(pickled) to replace the olive, Umeboshi and Genepy which I adored, while will went with the Memory Lane of Roku Vodka (substituted for Roku GIn), Vida Mezcal, Fermented Carrot, Lime, Cilantro & Thai Chili. Garrett was at the bar as he was the year before and makes magic with these fabulous drinks as well as always tries to introduce us to great new wines.
Our first dish was (all on FB) KOHLRAHBI stuffed with Kauai Prawns, grilled avocado & mousse, lovage, pickled green strawberries with puffed buckwheat. We adored the flavors but went crazy for our second dish SPRING PEA VARIETALS swimming in Nam Jim and olive oil with green curry emulsion, pickled jalapenos and pea-pod crackers was indeed a PEAS ON CRACK dish that shall never be forgotten. I think Harbinger easily has the best pea dishes on earth each time we go!
Our fabulous server Melina had told us the next dish was irresistible, rich and fabulous and she hit it spot on with the Chanterelle Mushroom Godan, a rice dish made with Koshihikari rice, crispy soft-boiled egg and brown butter lovage in a plate that was indeed so divine. If one person has this dish, the meal is over, but we could split it easily and move on!
The Bao here comes in three different types, but we settled on Fried Chicken steamed bun with Fermented Pepper Relish and Duck Fat Aioli; the description alone answers why we chose this fabulous crunchy treat. We had started with a bottle of Damsel Cellars Marsanne "Booshey Vineyards" from Woodinville, Washington that was fabulous and then Garrett suggested a Barbara Ohlszelt Gruner Veltliner called "Leader" that was also fabulous with all the spice in the various dishes.
Speaking of spice, last was the Sakura Farms Charred Pork Collar with blistered radish, strawberry gochujang, marinated Swiss chard and squid ink tuille. We chose to pair this with a side that Melina said was superb, and it may have even beaten the pork! The Charcoal Grilled Savoy Cabbage was in a smoked onion cream with ramp/kimchi butter and shiso. the two dishes were great, but the two sauces really competed with each other! Garrett delivered two glasses of wine and we each loved ours: Vera Sacrum GSM from Argentina and Bedrock Zinfandel, both paired with the pork ideally.
We rested --A LOT--and then pondered dessert. My rearend was not happy and I suggested to the staff that pillows on the hard metal chairs might be nice. We settled on the Toasted Rice Pudding Mochi Donut (which was really a churro), poached rhubarb and wild wood sorrel and loved every bite, especially the chewy yummy textures.
Garrett arrived with glasses of Tannat Alcyone Atlantida, a crazy wild chocolatey dessert wine from Uruguay as well as the traditional French Pineau de Charentes (from just to the north of us here in Aquitaine). Delish!!
It was the perfect end to a perfect meal (save for the chair) and we knew we would return again next year, maybe for the tasting menu which I had the year prior and could not stop raving about!
PS-there is a way to tip the kitchen staff a tad extra here called "Kitchen Love" on the menu where you buy the chefs a round...and of course, we did!
