By J.E. Pizarro, Chief Executive Foodie

Sometimes, finding an incredible restaurant takes a bit of research, Internet surfing, and perhaps word of mouth.  But at other times, I happen across a restaurant that is the culinary equivalent of finding a tomb of some great king in Egypt.

This weekend, on my Valentine’s trip to Madison, WI, I made reservations at a restaurant called Harvest.

Upon hearing the name, I thought “Great, I’m going to be eating corn and some green vegetable with no flavor on a picnic table somewhere.”

Boy was I ever wrong!  Harvest was very similar to Arizona based restaurant noca except in two major areas: 1. Its in Madison and 2. They have flawless service.

Harvest is a restaurant located on the Square by the Capital building in downtown Madison.  Organic Style Magazine named Harvest one of the 20 best restaurants in America. It was also named one of the top Farm to Table restaurants by Gourmet Magazine.

Its owned by a woman named Tami Lax who’s every bit as gracious as she is down to earth.  Her restaurants (she owns the one next door also) are some of the best spots for dinner in Madison.

She has imparted her management style to everyone from hostesses to servers to busboys.  Everyone understands the meaning of service and how to execute it while wearing a smile.

The restaurant is cozy and petite and it seats 120 diners at once. The quaint bar seats only 5.  The small and intimate environment allows the quality of the service and the food to really stand out.

Everything from the crown moldings with the ambient lighting behind it to their wine list had been carefully planned out and beautifully executed.

I was even more in love with the place after we were seated at the bar and I witnessed Lax polishing glasses, pouring drinks and checking on tables with a calm and yet friendly demeanor.

After we were seated, our server ensured that we were up to speed on that evening’s specials and brought out a bottle of my favorite Albariño that I spotted on the menu a bit earlier.

As Susie would put it, “Awwww, yeah” I knew we would be in for an unforgettable experience.

If her husband Eric hadn’t proposed to her at Elements at Sanctuary in Paradise Valley, AZ, he would have done it here.  Seriously, it puts me in that kind of mood.  Everything felt just right.

The menu is divided into first courses, entrees and desserts.  Very easy to read and most importantly understand.

Too many menus are riddled with huge descriptions of items, which in my mind keeps diners from really understanding what they are about to order.

I started out with a Crispy Pork Belly surrounded by velvety lentils. Our avid blog readers know by now that if I see Pork Belly on any menu, it’s ordered, automatically.

Crispy Pork Belly. Now I heart lentils.

No if, ands or buts.

The lentils concerned me a bit, but once I tasted the savory goodness of the pork belly, they added a nice sweetness to each and every bite.

I don’t think it’s on the menu as a staple item, only making an appearance on special occasions. It certainly can be requested. Tell them Foodies Like Us sent you!  It was life changing.

Chris ordered the Grilled Marinated Squid.  It was equally as delicious as the Pork Belly.

Grilled, marinated squid. I barely had time to snap this photo.

The spicy olive vinaigrette gave the tender squid a seviche-like quality that reminded me of the squid I had as a child. I used to eat it seaside at my favorite beach in Puerto Rico.

He “hoovered” (term I use when he devours everything on a plate, before I get to my third bite) his first course, so I knew it was good.

For the entrees I ordered the Butter Poached lobster.  I’ll describe it as delicate and full of flavor.  The only thing that I think would come close was the lobster claw salad they used to serve at Michael’s at the Citadel in Scottsdale, AZ.

Butter. Poached. Lobster.

Being a big meat eater, Chris described his Porcini Salt Rubbed Tenderloin cut to be very lean and tender.  (Almost to the point of no knife needed).

Next time I go back, (and I will); I’m ordering the tenderloin.

Salt Rubbed Tenderloin of Beef

For dessert, we opted for the chocolate cake.  It was the size of a cupcake served with caramel sauce and almonds.

I wish we could have included it in “Foodies on a Mission” webisode!  This would have been one of the front-runners in that competition.

Chocolate cake-y bliss

Harvest should be on a Foodies “Must Visit” list without a doubt.  As I mentioned before,  Lax also owns the restaurant next door, which from what I understand is also a crowd pleaser.  Check out their website here!

If you’d like to see what other culinary adventures we are having, click here to see!