Our Harvest: Sneak Peek

Former Galaxy restaurant owner John Trader moved on many years ago to open the consistently popular Liquid Assets at 94th St. in Ocean City. When Claddagh restaurant in Fenwick gave up the ghost, he decided to extend the brand into Delaware in the form of Our Harvest. Though it has taken me forever to get in there, the reports have been consistently good. I would expect nothing less from the guy who keeps the busy Liquid Assets running day after day.

Any evidence of Claddagh is long gone. They  totally gutted the interior of this space (on the bay side of Coastal Highway in Fenwick) and have made it warm and comfortable. Lots of woods, a huge bar, and a very interesting open kitchen in full view of just about every seat. I was pleased to encounter Chef Matt Cornelius when I first visited – he was the opening chef for Steve Hagen's Off the Hook in Bethany – an excellent restaurant and what I believe to be the best of all Hagen's ventures. I suspect that much of that fame is due to Matt and Steve's talents in the kitchen.

We instantly fell in love with the blistered shishito peppers. Glistening with sambal butter (a mild hot sauce mixture) and studded with sesame salt, these very mild peppers are full of flavor and, well, just fun to eat. Matt sent out a plate of bread (from Keith Irwin at Old World Breads). Though the bread is delicious, the star of the show is the butter: not really butter at all, it is the long-rendered scraps from Wagyu beef that have been whipped into a butter-like consistency. Talk about umami! It's difficult to describe the deeply savory taste of this concoction – especially when it's slathered onto that fresh bread. This is a don't-miss.

Front desk guy Nate confided to us that the Wagyu beef belly appetizer was that night's star of the show. He was not wrong. At the risk of falling into my often-annoying hyperbole, that dish is one of the best I have tasted in this state. The terminally tender piece of beef rested atop a slightly spicy fried rice mixed with mild peppers, onions, little cubes of squash and crunchy almonds. Julienned radishes topped it off. If you order anything when you go to Our Harvest, get this one.

Last and certainly not least is the Carne Flatbread. As I have written before, “flatbread” is code for “pizza” designed to make people who are at war with food feel better. “I'm on a diet, so I got the “flatbread,” they announce proudly. Well, it's pizza. Deal with it. And at Our Harvest, it is quite good. There are five selections, and the carne is probably the most decadent with wagyu beef meatballs, spiced chorizo made with Iberico and a well-spiced spicy fra diavolo sauce. Fontina and mozzarella kept things properly gooey. Scroll through the gallery to see these dishes.

There will be more photos very soon. Check out Our Harvest at 1106 Coastal Highway in Fenwick. You can call them at 302-581-0377. At the moment they are open from 5-11, and will close Mondays and Tuesdays starting October 2017.