Harvest Vine
(206) 320-9771
2701 E Madison St
Seattle,
WA
98112
47.6226
-122.2972
Neighborhoods: Central, Mann
What People Are Saying About Harvest Vine
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
The Scene
With just eight counter stools and a half-dozen chairs around three tiny tables, seating demand far outstrips supply. Regulars don't seem to mind standing around sipping sherry until seats open up, and many spurn opportunities for table seats because they want to sit at the counter, inches away from the affable owner, Joseba Jimenez de Jimenez, while he prepares the tapas.
The Food
All the tapas are excellent, especially baby chorizo sausages, squid simmered in their own ink, prawns sauteed with garlic and white wine, and roasted piquillo peppers stuffed with salt cod and potatoes. Soups, salads and sandwiches should not be ignored. Messier, Jimenez's wife, prepares desserts, and her chocolate-crusted lemon tart, delicate ginger-flavored flan and chocolate bread pudding (truly memorable) prove she's as masterful in her sphere as Jimenez is in his.
User Reviews
MadisonValleyDiner
June 08, 2009
I hosted a birthday dinner for 12 friends on a Saturday night. I made the reservation a month in advance and reconfirmed that afternoon. Yet, somehow, when we arrive at the restaurant the table is set for 10. Strike 1. 25 minutes after finally getting seated, we were left with empty water glasses and still no wine. I got up to track down our waiter, who was very apologetic. I selected a red and white and told him to keep 'em coming. Back he came 10 minutes later... to tell me they were out of the white. Now we had been in the restaurant for 45 minutes and hat yet to have a glass a wine. Strike 2. With a group of 12, our waiter recommended that we pick 3 veggie dishes, 3 fish dishes and 3 meat dishes. Essentially each one would be a 'course'. I agreed and away we went. The veggies/salads were delivered about 20 minutes later. Hungry, we quickly ate them all. We attempted to re-order, but were told we should wait until the Fish course arrived. That took another 40 minutes. The fish was OK, but not great. 2 hours into our meal, now, and we are a dozen still-hungry diners. 45 minutes later, out comes the meat course. Delicious... but of course not nearly enough since this became our 'last chance' to fill up. The waiter offered to bring us more of Round 3/Meat course, but we had just run out of patience. Instead of sitting down in the basement (no music, 80+ degrees) for another hour, we decided to cut our losses and get out. Strike 3. Note: Our server did his very best. Unfortunately he was assigned to 30+ diners. Of course, the kitchen was a bigger problem. it is so tiny, it just cannot scale to meet the growing size of the restaurant. The unintended upside to this is that we spent about half what we had budgeted; the slow kitchen prevented us from running up the bill!
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Anonymous
September 20, 2008
A beautiful assortment of tapas, from grilled octopus to polenta to blood sausage, scallops, lamb, foie gras. I've enjoyed everything I've tried here. A bit on the pricey side, but worth it to try such unique dishes. The space is small and cozy (sometimes a bit crowded).
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kekoajaber
July 24, 2008
I heard good things about this place and we went there for my wife's birthday. It was a Wednesday and they were slammed. This a good thing in my book as long as the waitstaff doesn't have an attitude. We learned the hard way you have to have a reservation (yes, even on a Wednesday) to get their attention. Otherwise the servers look right through you. No host/manager to guide you through either. All I need to be told is that there isn't any availability, not be ignored.
read full reviewThe Details on Harvest Vine
When to Go:
Reservations are only accepted for parties of eight or more; go early and on a weeknight to get the best selection and service.
Category:
Spanish, Catering, Restaurants
Payment Methods:
Restaurant Special Features:
Local Favorite, Dine At The Bar, Outdoor Dining, Notable Wine List
