Arti N.
Yelp
I had an unexpected dinner here this past Sunday (6/9/2024) and left quite happy and reconnected with friends I have not seen in quite some time!
The story begins a day earlier, on Saturday morning, when Yelp suggestions alerted me to Haerfest as a new & popular restaurant. I had some time to kill so I started reading the reviews and they were all complimentary, effusive even. It's hard to get that level of unanimous compliments for a restaurant so of course I was intrigued. I bookmarked it for a later meal. Little did I know that my time would come SOON! The next day, Sunday, I had planned to visit a dear friend, Ms España, who I haven't seen in a while. She has had recent mobility challenges with her chronic condition, and I said I would bring dinner along. Almost right after I finished reading the Haerfest reviews, she sent a text asking if I would mind going out instead, as her doctor and her mental state needed to re-engage and get out of her isolation. I was thrilled and knew just the place as it was not far from her condo in Greenlake. I picked her up, and her hubby (Mr President) met us at the restaurant directly from a personal appointment. My sister, who lives only a few blocks away, ended up joining us after putting her little (cute) monsters to bed.
When we walked in for our reservation, the hostess started walking us to our table bypassing all the empty 4-tops in the airy, open dining room and instead leading us down a hallway past the bathrooms. I was a little worried about where this was going but, like a lamb to slaughter, I followed her. She led us to a beautiful but simple and elegantly decorated Private Dining Room (PDR), which felt quite fancy for our non-special occasion meal. It was lovely!
I knew right away that I wanted the bread service ($13) with my drink after seeing the incredible professional looking pictures posted by other Yelpers! Bread is my weakness. I ordered a glass of sparkling rose ($15; Tirridis, Washington State) to go with said bread service. It came out with servings of 3 different types of bread, housemade (focaccia, brioche, and sourdough) and a ramekin of big pieces of a delicious honey butter. While I was too busy eyeing & photographing the breadaganza, I think she said something along the lines of in-house honeycombs but I'm not sure. Ms España ordered a glass of red Botonero Nebbiolo ($16; Italy), and Mr President did a glass of red blend Lorelle ($13; Washington State)
STARTER(S):
After getting our drinks, and munching on the warm & yummy bread, we settled into perusing the menu and making some decisions. I was intrigued by the half dozen oysters, which Mr President was happy to share with me-- thank god, as I didn't ask what the MP was, and it turned out to be $29! (Hello Seattle inflation, yikes!)
MAINS:
At this point we were figuring out how to proceed and ended up deciding to each order a different pasta and do family style. Ms España is a pescatarian and was undecided between the two vegetarian pasta choices -- ricotta gnocchi ($26; pesto, pine nuts, arugula) & campanelle ($29; morel mushrooms, sweet corn, pea vines, mint) so I ordered the second one so we could all try both. Mr President opted for the Tonnarelli ($28; beef bolognese, sage, parmesan). Sister arrived after we placed our orders but before the food arrived and was able to try a little of each as well. Her drink of choice was the Garden Party cocktail ($16; gin, maraschino liqueur, lime, basil, cucumber, rose water, soda) which she enjoyed enough to order a second. Mine & Ms España's second drink were the same as her first, the nebbiolo. There was plenty of food and we took home leftovers that were delicious the next day!
It was a hard to pick a favorite but I think it was the campanelle for me- what could go wrong with mushrooms and a creamy white sauce?? This was the kind of place where I could easily see myself returning to try some of the other things on the menu, it was very difficult to decide since everything sounded amazing (and I'm sure WAS!)
DESSERT:
I couldn't leave without trying dessert, there were only 3 on the menu so I chose the Tiramisu since everyone left the decision up to me. One pull-me-up & 4 spoons please! Light, spongy, not too sweet -- it was perfection!
SERVICE:
Miles was excellent- friendly, joking, but sensing that we had a lot to catch up on and the conversation was flowing. I sensed him peeking in from time to time to look but unless he saw that we were missing something, didn't interrupt us which I appreciated.
This brings me to my only warning of the night - a 4% mandatory surcharge on the bill, and NOT towards gratuity. Now I am ALL for livable wages but I'm not sure why it can't be absorbed in the menu costs. I'd love for restaurants to make bill paying amongst friends just a little easier instead of having to do this much math at the end of a lovely night where I was enjoying the gentle buzz of my 2 glasses of vino!