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FeedHarvest Pizzeria
Plenty of pizza choices at this German Village eatery.
At first glance, Harvest Pizzeria in German Village may look like a takeout joint. While it’s quite small (and loud when full), it’s still a sit-down restaurant that fortunately serves memorable pizza.
There are plenty of choices, including options to design your own topping from four sauces, five cheeses, seven meats and 12 veggies. There should be no complaining about not finding a preferred topping.
This place believes in thin crust. When freshly served, it is flavorful, chewy and puffy, with an attractive char. If you overdo some of the moister toppings, it can wilt and get tough. So eat promptly.
Many of the toppings were successful, with just the right amount of ingredients (attractively laid out). Their offerings reminded me of pizza I’ve tried in Italy. Inevitably, some were more successful than others. The Margherita was nicely restrained, with good tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella; even the basil was acceptable for winter. However, on the pesto pizza, the flavor was a bit sour, from kale, not basil, which I missed; perhaps if you like kale, you’ll be OK with that.
There was one with a fine flavor from the mix of Athens County mushrooms. Pepperoni pizza also offered a mix of mozzarella, provolone, onion and pepperoncini. The fennel sausage variety featured nice Canal Junction Gouda, smoked mozzarella, onions and what the menu called fennel pollen (the little green sprigs at the top of the plant). I liked the complex flavors.
The clams on the Geary Street pizza seemed a bit tired. But the goat cheese version was a delightful mix of sopressatta, roasted onion and cherry tomatoes. Spicy Yuma pie also worked, with a flavorful blend of Gouda, chorizo, jalapeño, corn, red pepper and a chipotle-flavored sauce. I also liked the Ohio “Canadian-style” bacon pizza, which used mozzarella, oregano and aleppo and roasted red peppers.
There were so many interesting pizzas on the menu I never got around to devising my own. Next time.
Meanwhile, the small plates, for the most part, were good. For instance, Harvest’s offering of olives was a vividly tasty mix. The only small plate that came up short was Hudson Valley foie gras torchon. The OK foie gras came in a small glass pot, accompanied by “crostini” that actually resembled dry toast. There was a small bottle of what the menu said was grape must (I couldn’t tell the difference from a good balsamic). It arrived with an eyedropper for placing not-too-much on the fat liver you’d smeared on your toast. The endeavor was more work than it was worth.
Salads also were satisfactory and showed a restrained imaginative hand in choice of ingredients. The house chop, with a pleasing Italian dressing, offered iceberg, radicchio, pepperoncini, artichokes and ricotta salata. I really enjoyed the olive oil and lemon dressing on the arugula, which included bacon bits, smoked red onion and pumpkin seeds. (Why don’t more places offer this nice dressing, which goes better with wine than the counterparts using vinegar?) And I particularly liked the Caesar; for an extra $3, you can have a topping of wild-caught sardines from Galicia. It was worth the extra cost.
For dessert, I tried Something Chocolate, which indeed was chocolatey (and good).
As for drinks, the espresso was quite competent. The wine list was short, but I liked everything I sampled. Beer was served in a Ball canning jar. And there were interesting soft drinks as well: four water choices, as well as Faygo Red Pop and four other flavors.
Harvest Pizzeria
495 S. Fourth St.
824-1769
harvestpizzeria.com
Atmosphere: Cozy, small, not quiet when full.
Recommended dishes: Olives, Caesar salad with wild-caught Galician sardines and the following pizzas: Margherita, spicy Yuma, fennel sausage, Ohio “Canadian-style” bacon.
Price range: Small plates $6-$14; salads $4.50-$12; pizzas $11-$15; desserts $6-$8.
Hours: Monday 5 to 10 pm, Tuesday through Thursday 11:30 am to 10 pm and Friday and Saturday till 11 pm; closed Sunday.
Service: Quite good, friendly, efficient.
Reservations: Not accepted.
Rating: *** 1⁄2
