Harvest Bistro & Bar, Closter, NJ

Restaurant Link:

Harvest Bistro & Bar

Fred's Review:

Although I've lived in Bergen County for several decades, Lisa moved here relatively recently. When we first met, she was residing some 90+ miles away in Bucks County, PA. As we spent a good deal of time in that area during our courtship days, she introduced me to an array of excellent restaurants there, including her favorite, a nearby French bistro. But when she would visit me, I had a problem. Since her tastes were much more refined than mine, and still are, where should I take her for dinner?

Despite the length of time I had lived here, I knew few fine dining establishments in northern NJ. And I couldn't expect her to be satisfied for very long, as I was, with lunch specials at the local diner and take out pizza or Chinese food for dinner. So, as a simple guy in love and trying to impress his classy gal, what swanky joint should I take her to? An answer would have to be found quickly, before she left me for some dapper metrosexual dude with more sophisticated tastes. 

Fortunately, with the help of online restaurant review sites, an answer was soon found. In fact, many were that we now dine at regularly. And prominent among these is Harvest Bistro & Bar in Closter, which has become one of our favorites. In fact, Lisa has rated it comparable to that French bistro she took me to years ago.
 
The ambiance at Harvest is quite nice. The main dining room has a comfortable feel, with a stone fireplace, wooden floors, large wood framed windows, and a steep vaulted ceiling supported by exposed beams. There is also a separate bar area, as well as an outside patio with a few tables surrounding a central fire pit. Lit fires both inside and out during the colder months evoke an almost ski lodge atmosphere throughout the restaurant. 

Dining Room

Fireplace

Winter View of Patio

Here's Lisa beside the fire pit one dark evening just after she conjured up from the flames some sort of hound-shaped demon. She's a woman of many talents. 

Lisa's Fire Demon

My standard meal at Harvest has become the Onion Soup followed by the Steak au Poivre, and both are excellent. The soup has just the right blend of flavors, and with its huge bread slice and thick layer of melted gruyere cheese, it is a meal in itself. The steak is always cooked to perfection and covered in an outstanding peppercorn sauce that is without question the best I've had at any Bergen County restaurant and perhaps the best I've ever had. And it is served with ample portions of nicely prepared fries and green beans. One time, these sides were so generous that the steak had been placed partially on top of them. So as I tried to cut my first slice of meat, the entire steak unexpectedly started rolling on the green beans, and nearly flew off my plate and onto the table. Not very suave if you want to impress your date. Thankfully, Lisa and I were married by then. 

Onion Soup Gratinee

Steak Au Poivre

With its more than adequate portion sizes of excellent French inspired cuisine served in a very nice atmosphere, Harvest is definitely worth a visit. But I would recommend dining there midweek or early on weekend evenings in order to avoid the large dinner crowds and truly enjoy the quiet romantic feel of the restaurant. 

Lisa's Review:

Harvest Bistro and Bar is a great French bistro that is tried and true. I think we've been there perhaps 20 times over the last 3 years and we've never been disappointed.

Well, that's not completely true. 

I have to admit that I was disappointed when my favorite salad was taken off the menu, and I know Fred was truly disappointed when the Steak au Poivre was taken off the menu for a short time. 

So what's so great about Harvest?

Three things (and they're all food!):

1. Butter Lettuce Salad with sesame dressing
2. Onion Soup Gratinee
3. Steak Au Poivre

Now when you read Fred's review you will realize that the Onion Soup and Steak Au Poivre are his favorites, and notably, they are still on the menu. The Butter Lettuce Salad is my favorite salad in Bergen County ... and alas, it's gone!

The sadly missed Butter Lettuce Salad

Having said that, I have found a reasonable substitute. The Heirloom Tomato Salad with Mozzarella and Prosciutto is very good, though not as good as the Butter Lettuce Salad. There I said it. I will also point out that it was I who first discovered the Steak Au Poivre, and now Fred claims it as his own. He's gallant enough to tell me he needs "help" to finish it. Just as well or we'd have a BIG problem! So while I demurely allow Fred to order the steak, I usually order the Salmon which is served with crispy skin over a bed of spinach and is delightful. Then I help Fred with his steak.  

Most recently, I ventured beyond the fish and ordered the Short Rib. There was nothing short about it. It was big, juicy, fall off the bone, sweet, sticky BBQ. I LOVED it and so did Fred. I'm guessing next time we go, he will claim this dish as his discovery, and then I shall return to the Steak Au Poivre and Fred will be gushing about the Short Rib.

Heirloom Tomato & Mozzarella Salad

Grilled Salmon

Jack Daniels BBQ Short Rib

I guess you can tell we really enjoy the food at Harvest Bistro, but there are also many small touches that make the experience enjoyable. The cocktails are always well made and presented in chilled glasses, the bread and olives/olive oil blends are much appreciated and the service is prompt and friendly. 

Bread & Olives/Olive Oils

French Martini

Harvest is lovely for a "date night" but is equally enjoyable with a small group - we have brought friends and family here and all have enjoyed it. 

We highly recommend Harvest Bistro!

Andiamo, Haworth, NJ

Restaurant link:

Andiamo Restaurant

Lisa's Review:

It's been a while since Fred and I wrote our last restaurant review, and we've been wanting to get back to it. When we thought about which restaurant to review next - the answer was obvious - our favorite Italian restaurant in Bergen County, Andiamo. This review will be a write-up of several visits since we go very regularly. One weekend after Christmas, we even went twice! I think the staff might adopt us! 

It's hard to pin down just one reason that Andiamo is our favorite Italian place - but two key reasons are consistently good food - we've never had a bad, or even an average meal, and the ability to have the kind of experience you are looking for - whether it is a quiet dinner for two or a place to go for casual pizza.

A quiet dinner for two

While Andiamo is a busy restaurant, they seem to have a number of areas that provide a quiet, romantic feeling. Our favorite is a closed-in porch near the bar. It's quiet and romantic, but you can also watch the busy happenings of the restaurant. Since Andiamo doesn't take reservations for small groups, it's best to arrive early if you want to be seated there. 

The quiet closed-in porch

The menu at Andiamo is extensive with a full array of pizza, pasta, meat and seafood dishes, yet on top of their extensive menu, they also have a specials board that is updated daily. On my second visit to Andiamo I had an amazing pasta dish made by chef Linda....I've been looking for it to be repeated as a special ever since and I'm yet to see it again - I can only hope.

At our last quiet dinner for two, I ordered a fairly typical meal. I often start with a salad, and the one I ordered was from the Daily Specials - anything with poached pear or caramelized pear and I cannot resist it! The salad was full of flavor and light enough not to overwhelm my appetite for the main course, which I've had on at least four occasions; pan-seared Branzino with sautéed spinach and a side of fries. The fish is perfectly cooked - this is not a restaurant that overcooks or undercooks fish, and the sautéed spinach and lemon caper sauce it rests on both compliment it well. I was thinking of trying to pretend those fries are Fred's, but I know I'll be opening myself up for his dry wit so I am just taking responsibility for them now! Let's just say, they are worth running at least 8-10 miles before we go there, which I often do before going to Andiamo. I tell everyone I'm training to run a half marathon in April, but I'm really running for Andiamo!

Ready to eat!

Delicious special salad with caramelized pear

Pan-seared Branzino

Lisa's Fries!

We are often full after our appetizer and main course, and it's rare that we have dessert. However, on one occasion we did, and as you can see from this photo.....we liked it! I think it took us about 2 minutes to finish it. 

Chocolate Layer Cake - A Rare Treat!

...And it's gone!

A casual place for pizza

We have only fairly recently discovered that Andiamo is also a great place for casual pizza. For those of you that know us well, you would know that it takes a lot for us to bypass the Eggplant Pizza at Brooklyn Pizza, but a visit from our grandson Rowan afforded us an opportunity to try pizza at Andiamo for the first time (and we have since been back for a second time for their pizza). I have honestly never seen a pizza that was this big and tasted as good as it did. The pizza you see here is Linda's Special with an extra thin crust, scallions, two types of cheese (but light on cheese), fresh basil and crushed plum tomatoes. Everyone loved it! Including Rowan. Not pictured is a meat-lovers pizza that I got very little of. While Rowan and I were transfixed on the big pizza, Fred was quietly noshing down on the meat lovers pizza. 

Thin crust, delicious and huge!

It didn't last too long though!

A great place to bring our grandson, Rowan

One aspect of Andiamo we can't review for you is the extensive wine list. Fred doesn't drink, apart from a glass of bubbly every now and then, and I can never seem to make it past a cosmopolitan. I have seen many tables review the extensive wine list, have deep conversations with Don and Alan about the best bottles available and the wine list is well represented in local awards.

They do a very very nice Cosmo!

The English translation of Andiamo is "Let's Go!" It's a great name for a restaurant that we find ourselves wanting to go back to, time and time again.

Fred's Review:

As Lisa mentioned, Andiamo has now become our favorite Italian restaurant in Bergen County, which appears to be consistent with the results of several online dining polls. And this is really saying something considering you can find an Italian restaurant on just about every other block in northern NJ. In fact, there's one within walking distance of our home that has always been quite popular despite its very mediocre food. And there's another that's maybe 5 minutes away by car. The front page of their website boasts: "Truly one of the best restaurants in NJ", although they never attribute that claim to anyone. Since the menu is rather limited and mundane, and the quality of its food is just about average, I suspect the quote is from one of the owners. Andiamo clearly has both of these restaurants beat. 

Which is why I selected it on Super Bowl Sunday several weeks ago when Lisa uncharacteristically left it completely up to me to decide where we would go for dinner that evening. She said I could choose anyplace I wanted and she wouldn't object, no matter how far away, what the cuisine, or how unhealthy the food. (I knew the last attribute held for her the greatest potential for regret.) Wow, what a rare treat for me! What did I do to deserve this? And where should we go? There are so many gastronomically decadent places we haven't been to since Lisa adopted her fit and active lifestyle that includes clean and healthy eating. Which one of them should I pick? 

But in the end I didn't choose any of our old haunts that I used to overindulge at, where a typical dinner might consist of a deep fried grease appetizer, followed by a huge plate of fat coated in oil with a side of carbs as a main course, and finished off with a dish of artificially sweetened gluten for dessert. Perhaps due to the subtle influence that Lisa has been having on me recently to eat healthier, I decided to forego all that and instead just have pizza at Andiamo. We had ordered it there only once before, when our grandson Rowen was visiting, and I was anxious to try it again. Admittedly, pizza is not a particularly healthy choice by Lisa's stringent standards, but I thought it would be a reasonable compromise. Hey, it is thin crust after all. 

So off we drove that Super Bowl Sunday evening for an early dinner at Andiamo. When we arrived about 15 minutes later, just after their normal opening time, we couldn't help but notice how empty the parking lot was. Great, I thought. It will be quiet since we're the first ones here. Little did I know how literally true that was. We were indeed the first ones there, which included an accounting of the staff, who would likely not be arriving until the next morning. A note on the front door indicated that the restaurant would be closed that day. We later learned that there are only two days of the year when Andiamo is not open, and Super Bowl Sunday happens to be one of them. After sacrificing all that scrumptious cholesterol and all those savory calories that I could have chosen for dinner, this would be my reward.

Despite the temporary setback, the following Sunday we returned even more determined than before to consume Andiamo pizza. As we entered this time, I immediately noticed balloons. Oh no, I thought. This means there's either a children's party going on, in which case dozens of screaming children will be running around, or instead a wedding or baby shower, and so for at least an hour we'll have to listen to a chorus of awww's every time a gift is open. But my fears were unfounded, as we were ushered into the cozy and quiet inside porch area away from the main dining room. This part of the restaurant has become our favorite, although we have not yet tried their al fresco dining option. 

Along with the salad special that we shared that afternoon, we of course also ordered pizza, in fact two of them. To avoid leftovers, we chose the smaller size of each, although nearly all their pizzas come in a larger size as well, a nice option. As before, one of our choices was the Meat Lovers Pie with sausage, meatballs and pepperoni, which I finished nearly half of before Lisa had a chance to grab a slice. But for the first time we also tried Don's New Favorite with prosciutto, tomatoes, caramelized onions and cheese. And it was delicious as well. Not only is this one the favorite of the restaurant's owner, Don, but I think it may now be Lisa's too. 

One thing I really like about Andiamo, besides the more than adequate portion sizes, is their extensive menu. Even someone with tastes as unadventurous as mine can find at least a dozen acceptable menu items, instead of just one or two, as is often the case for me at restaurants that Lisa and I have gone to lately. And so far, everything I've tried at Andiamo has been excellent, including the Caesar Salad followed by the Chicken Parmigiana with a side of pasta, which is my usual dinner choice there. 

Happy at Andiamo

Caesar Salad

Chicken Parmigiana

Yes, as you drive around Bergen County, you're likely to see an Italian restaurant just about every few blocks. But if you want to dine at an exceptionally good one, then I think you should pass those by and instead drive the extra blocks it may take you to get to Andiamo.