Amanda G.
Yelp
Hubby and I came here months ago and we really enjoyed the food. We sat at the bar, had a few drinks and sampled some of their appetizers. I am unsure as to why we hadn't come back until now because the food was really good, from what I remembered.
We were in the area and Harper's was one of the restaurants I wanted to try out during HVRW, so we made reservations, same night with no problem and headed to Dobbs Ferry. When we arrived, we were sat immediately and our server came to the table to introduce herself rather quickly. They weren't packed but there were many tables dining so, I was pleased as to how quickly we were greeted. We received our warm basket of bread, accompanied by their sweet whipped butter that I could eat like ice cream with a spoon. Needless to say, we made short work of the bread.
While there were some changes to the menu, the items I wanted to order were still available so, I wasn't disappointed. For our starters, I went with the Smoked Trout Rillettes and hubby had the Apple and Cheddar Salad. The trout was good. It tasted like a refined smoked tuna salad, served with salmon roe, crostinis, cornichons, roasted cauliflower florets and thinly sliced fennel. Hubby's salad was tasty as well, with sautéed mushrooms, greens, apple sticks, white cheddar cubes and a light vinaigrette.
I lucked out this evening as they were offering 1/2 priced bottles of vino. I ordered a nice Argentinian Tempranillo for myself, since hubbs doesn't partake in wine. More for me! Our entrées were exceptional; hubby had the Pappardelle w/Fontina and Mushrooms and I had the Monkfish Stew w/Mussels, sans the fennel sausage (no pork for me). Both tasted great and we were completely happy with our choices.
For dessert, hubby had their substitute, Warm Chocolate Torte, because they ran out of the bread pudding and I had the Salted Caramel Pot de Crème. I loved the torte. It had just the right amount of sweetness and was served with whipped cream. My pot de crème was OK. It was a little too sweet and the consistency and plating was reminiscent of a crème bruleé, which I wasn't expecting so, I didn't care for it.
We also ordered a side of the Duck Fat Potatoes but they forgot to bring to the table, so we took them to go since they do taste so damn good.
Harper's will have to stay in our rotation. Sometimes we lose track of the local spots that do great things. They do well with their rustic, farm to table dining and I want more.