Highball & Harvest — Restaurant in Oak Ridge

Oh what an experience this was.

I came here with my girlfriends and we tried a little bit of everything- SO glad we did it that way.

We started off with cocktails. The majority of the table went with the Doc Holliday- H&H's twist on the moscow mule. While it was good, it was SO tiny. I went with the spiced Georgia peach which was the hit of the night. Served in a tall glass, with crushed ice, Flor de Cana rum, a rosemary sprig and incredible peaches... yes yes and more yes.

Since we wanted a good overview of the menu, we ordered one entree and the rest were appetizers/side dishes.

Parker House Rolls- Whoa. get these. just do it. the herb and apple butters served alongside were so good I wanted to eat it with a spoon. But that would be weird, so I refrained.

The Southern Spread- This was good but I don't think I would get it again. Smoked fish dip and pimento cheese accompanied by pickled vegetables, crispy crackers and grilled bread. Pimento cheese is always a standout in my book and it was really good, just nothing over the top for me.

Crabcake & Fried Green Tomato- !!!! This was one of my favorite parts of the meal. The remoulade was slightly sweet and perfect and I wanted to lick the plate. I could have eaten 2 orders of this BY MYSELF

Deviled Eggs- I'm not a huge deviled egg fan but these were good. Rich and creamy with a good hint of spice from the mustard.

Booker's Skirt- Per our servers suggestion, we got to try this INCREDIBLE dish. Whoa. Skirt steak marinated in bourbon, seared to a perfect medium rare. Accompanied by mashed potatoes, corn and tomatoes. I want this. Every. Day.

Pimento Mac & Cheese- We got 2 orders of this and it was a good thing because I wanted SO MUCH OF IT. Simple, yet perfect.

Brussel Sprouts- BS + bacon, I mean do I need to explain more?

We got a complimentary chocolate plate which I thought was super sweet. On my way to the little girl's room, the server asked if we were celebrating anything and I simply told him it was our girl's Valentines Day. The sea salt chocolate caramels were one of the best confectionaries I have put in my mouth. Seriously though.

The ambiance was great-...

Dined here unexpectedly, we were severely underdressed as we weren’t expecting to be going to the Ritz for dinner, however my husband got a wild hair up his tail and decided he wanted a fancy dinner. We originally tried for a last minute reservation for the Michelin starred restaurant knife and something, idk, it’s paled in my memory now. It was strange, we were able to make the reservation online but got a call as we were getting cocktails in the lobby that there was a mistake and they’re actually not open on Sundays for renovations right now (my theory is the valet called up the restaurant and advised of our lack of dress code) we decided to try this restaurant instead, the menu looked better in my opinion so I was all for it. Once we were seated by a wonderful hostess we got a call from the other restaurant saying they actually were open and could seat us…? It was all very strange, we declined. I can’t remember our servers name but he was absolutely wonderful, knowledgeable and made our meal even better. We got the oysters, I’m not usually a fan of raw but they were fantastic. The bread with the house made butter was probably my favorite thing I had all week, but I’m a carb girly. Husband got the halibut which was cooked perfectly, just not crazy about the accompaniments. I got the shrimp & grits which is their specialty, definitely the best shrimp & grits I’ve ever had. Perfect spice level. Our cocktails were delicious. We only got dessert, despite being stuffed, because they had my favorite, creme brûlée, it was the perfect ending to our meal. And again, our server made the night even better. All around the value of our meal and overall satisfaction compared to the bill was great. We had dined at capa, a Michelin starred restaurant at the 4 seasons, the night before and we can’t say the same for them. This was our favorite meal while visiting Orlando, and it was the only one that wasn’t planned. We love a happy accident! Definitely plan on returning when we’re in Orlando again. Thanks for a wonderful meal and...

When you go to Highball and Harvest, you walk through the Ritz-Carlton.

There is no doubt you are in an ultra luxury hotel with room prices that are $600/night for a minimum, seeing the decorations and perfection with cleanliness and anesthetics.

The carpets are vacuumed and adjusted to allow the fibers to contour to a uniform and authentically pleasing setting.

There are hand sanitizer stations about every 10 feet, and custodial staff still wear masks. In a spotless hotel, it is clear that the management wants you to feel safe, and I did.

On my way to Highball and Harvest from the self parking, I walked into a deserted restroom in between the conference hall, quiet on the weekend, and the lobby, with a high class live entertainment, playing a chill version of Sublime's Santeria.

The restroom was like a museum. Each sink was perfectly setup with paper towels and soap. The urinals were all clean and welcoming. There were cozy chairs?! (Is this how a woman's restroom looks?!). The floor was hand tiled, beautifully.

Dinner was exceptional. When you eat out, the service is the focal point. Food is food.

We sat outside, as we always do, post pandemic. We were the only people there. The host gently asked if we preferred indoors, contrary to our OpenTable reservation. He didn't push at all though. We stuck with outdoors.

Robbie, our waiter, is a master of his craft. Seriously, he is gold that exemplifies the sparkle of the Ritz-Carlton. He did everything right...got us drinks immediately, accepted a food order for apps early, checked on us constantly, but not ever annoyingly. He even swapped out our waters because it was hot out and he wanted to ensure we had cold water (can I please hire him away from you?!)

The food was very good, as usual. Deviled eggs,...