Harbinger — Restaurant in Des Moines

For Des Moines Restaurant Week, my wife and I decided to try Harbinger for the first time. We also brought a friend who’s birthday was recent and we wished to celebrate her birthday as well.

When we first arrived we had some issues with the reservation. These were handled swiftly by a very friendly manager and we were sat within 5 mins of arriving even though the issues were created by us, not them.

Because of restaurant week, Harbinger was offering a four course tasting menu. My wife also ordered the wine pairing while I had the sweet corn infused old fashioned and our friend had the highball.

The wines were perfectly paired for each meal. I even ordered a second old fashioned. I am not sure our friend liked the highball or not as she only finished half, but she said she did.

Not on the menu, but received first, was the amuse-bouche of a sweet corn purée and crab. Delicious! And my drink paired well.

For the first course we were served a heirloom tomato dish which was described as kind of “zombie” tomato because it was dehydrated then rehydrated. I thought it was good, but some parts, eaten separately, didn’t seem to…fit. But all together in one bite was pretty delicious.

Our second course was a squash and mushroom dish. It was good, but I could not shake the feeling it smelled and tasted like biscuits and gravy. That’s not a bad thing! Just my wife and our friend didn’t get that impression and that’s all I tasted. So there’s that.

Our third course we were allowed to choose our dish. I chose the pork and the ladies ordered the salmon. The pork was cooked in a tamarind paste and placed on a corn purée. As I loved the corn in the first dish and my drink, I was easily amazed and devoured it. The pork could be cut with a fork and the tamarind paste contrasted so well with the corn. I wanted to lick the plate clean. Both of the ladies liked the salmon. My wife did mention the texture of the salmon was odd, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying the dish.

We were also allowed to select the dessert. I chose a purple sticky rice dish that was funky, but I thought it was damn good. The ladies did not share my opinion and that’s ok. I was able to enjoy it by myself. My wife had a blueberry …damn. There was a great name for the dish and I spaced it. She did like it, but there was one flavor in the dish she couldn’t put her finger on and she didn’t care for. Both of the ladies thought the chocolate cake was the best part of the entire meal and my wife wished she had ordered it as well. I cannot argue. That cake was damn good.

As an aside, Harbinger gets their dining ware from what I believe were two hand made potteries. The bowl for the squash dish and the plate for the pork dish were expertly made and chosen well for each dish. I’ve not come across a meal in which I want to buy a plate and bowl that were used, but last night I wanted both in my kitchen.

From the moment we walked in the door of Harbinger, every single person made us feel welcome. Yes, waitresses and waiters are supposed to be nice. However, everyone at Harbinger truly appeared like they wanted to be there and wanted you there, too.

Sadly, I suck at names. However, I would like to call out our waitress as freaking awesome! I just cannot tell you her name and that is my fault, not hers. Sorry!

My compliments to the chefs at Harbinger for our first experience was exceptional.

Thank you to Harbinger for a wonderful...

Note: the comparison here is the local offer in Iowa, not a general "this is a five star food restaurant" overall. This is always tricky.

I finally managed to eat at the Harbinger (it was my third attempt, after a long weekend extra day off in which they were closed, and a private party).

It was actually good, but it prices medium/high for the quantity/ingredients/location so, I'm not 100% that the standard Midwestern would be very pleased with the dollar balance.

That said, the place was pretty packed for a random Monday evening, so I guess they have a target. And I have definitely no problem with the small plates concept.

Also, to be honest, if Michelin would rate the Midwest too (it doesn't, as the majority of the US) they would probably have a mention of sort. Not a Bib Gourmand, no. But their menu, mostly plant based, is trying very hard to impress. Very. Hard.

I got the salt crusted kohlrabi (with grilled and glazed wild black raspberry vin, compressed beets, lemon thyme) and the lamb loin (with roasted berry sambal glaze, chickpea panisse, pickled black raspberry). I tried also their signature 割包, the late spring snap pea cake (with calamansi buttercream, toasted pistachio), the cocktail of the day and a French press.

The lamb was very good but not like "my soul was touched by how this lamb is cooked" kind of way. But I added a "very" on that "good", so, I guess I shouldn't lie. I was impressed especially by the chickpea panisses, almost like tiny, extremely soft falafels, more than the usual French snack.

The kohlrabi was good, but the raspberry sauce was too vinegary and too powerful, killing it a little. Also I have a theory about a very subtle secondary flowery note (not necessarily planned), but I don't have way to test it, so whatever.

The 割包 was good. Not the original recipe (I understand I'm spoiled in that sense), but the pork was REALLY well cooked. And I totally understand that the classic 酸菜 with the peanuts and sugar powder is maybe not for the local taste.

The pea cake was extremely creative. I don't think I ever ate a pea cake before. The texture and type was like a slightly heavier carrot cake. I loved it. Unfortunately for me the buttercream was overwhelmingly sweet. I know I cannot really judge American taste in sweets, but the lovely citrus note from the calamansi was just a nuance.

The place is well decorated, but kind of without a "true character", and the service was lovely, but I hate when I'm alone and right away I'm offered the bar.

If I could give 4.5 stars to all the...

this may be something of an odd (and long) review, but i appreciated my experience here tonight so much i wanted to say something! my husband is a huge foodie. i have a massive appreciation for the artistry of food, but i have a lot of sensory issues with taste and texture, so new and unconventional foods can be hard for me. my husband has gently helped me expand my horizons, but it is still a source of anxiety for me.

his family invited us out to celebrate his 30th, which was so sweet, but they wanted to do the tasting menu. i knew that was going to tough for me, especially in a group setting where classically i have been labeled “picky” despite my best efforts to be polite and unobtrusive. my husband offered to do the regular menu (i have tried some individual entrees at harbinger and liked them!) but i knew he wanted to do the tasting menu, so i insisted.

this is all to say that i really feared being put on the spot by our server in front of his family, especially at a place like harbinger where food is both a science and an art—but our server handled everything with such grace it was barely an issue!

she seemed to implicitly understand i was out of my comfort zone. she was reassuring, did not probe me or make me feel guilty or embarrassed when a few of my dishes were clearly only picked at, guessed a drink i would like right off that bat, and even snuck me an extra chicken bun without announcing it to the group. only my husband noticed and he smiled so big.

with the stress off, i was able to relax and enjoy the parts of the meal that were a little less overwhelming to me. i even liked a couple of them! most importantly though, i got to watch my lovely husband enjoy a gorgeous meal for his birthday.

i imagine it is not super common for folks to leave five star reviews for restaurants when they only nibbled on most of the food, but the kindness and grace extended to me by our server, the atmosphere, the drinks, and the aesthetic beauty of the food is such that i can do nothing but.

i wish i remembered the name of our server—she had a black/dark brown bob, small gauges (i think), and was wearing three rings, which i know because i complimented them and she mentioned wanting one more to balance them out lol.

anyway, this is way too long and possibly weird, but i just really appreciated all of those little kindnesses! and the drinks and chicken...