Harvest on Fort Pond — Restaurant in Town of East Hampton

I dined at Harvest on Fort Pond last night, and while the food was absolutely delicious, the service was incredibly disappointing.

We were very much looking forward to dining here and stayed up until midnight 7 days in advance just to ensure we could secure a prime Saturday night dinner reservation. Unfortunately, the service left much to be desired. From the moment we were seated, our server seemed disinterested in her role. She didn’t even bother to introduce herself, which is a basic courtesy that sets the tone for the dining experience. We only found out her name, Tori T, when we looked at the receipt at the end of the meal.

We mentioned that it was our first time dining at the restaurant and had a few questions about the family-style menu. Despite this, she made no effort to explain the menu or offer any guidance. When we asked her for her recommendation on how much food we should order, she turned away from us, pointed at another table, and said, “Can you see what they ordered? They’re 4 people.” This dismissive and unhelpful response was beyond frustrating, especially since we were genuinely trying to enjoy our first experience at the restaurant.

To add to the poor experience, I had forgotten my ID at the hotel, so she denied me an alcoholic beverage—which I completely understand. However, after I went back to the hotel to retrieve my ID, she stormed over with the drink, slammed it on the table with such force that it almost fell over and spilled, and rolled her eyes at us. This behavior was completely unprofessional and unnecessary.

Throughout the entire meal, Tori T never bothered to smile or speak to us. Meanwhile, she was having full-on conversations and laughing with all the surrounding tables. My Dad, who loves to chat and is super friendly, tried to engage with her, but she wouldn’t give us the time of day. It felt like we were being deliberately ignored.

To make matters worse, Tori T disappeared halfway through the meal, and we didn’t see her again until it was time to collect the bill. We had to place our dessert order with the food runner, who was kind but clearly not meant to handle table service. This lack of continuity in service was incredibly disappointing and left us feeling neglected.

What’s most frustrating is that we spent a lot of money on this meal. We were looking forward to a great dining experience and were willing to pay for it, but the service completely let us down.

It’s a real shame that such excellent food was paired with such poor service. The lack of attentiveness and outright rudeness from Tori T cast a shadow over what could have been an otherwise fantastic evening. While I would love to return for the food, I’m hesitant to do so unless the service improves drastically. A meal of this caliber should be an enjoyable experience from start to finish, and unfortunately, the service tonight left a sour taste that even the best dish...

We decided to dine at Harvest after reading a write up about it in Newsday! Hopes were high as I wasn’t able to get a reservation and when we showed up there was a line out the door! Awesome first sign. We decided to sit inside so we were able to be seated quickly. The restaurant which opens at 5pm was already hustling and bustling by 5:05. We were greeted promptly by one of the bussers who was well mannered, attentive and filled our water glasses and served us fresh hot bread moments after sitting. We were then greeted by our server who seemed very overwhelmed. Being in the industry myself for over 10 years I empathized with him as I’ve been in that position before. Not fun being in the weeds moments after opening. Sometimes it’s hard to play catch up. Nevertheless the service was lacking and disappointing. I started with a mojito which was delicious but my second one was undrinkable and tasted completely different than the first. For our meal we ordered the arugula pear salad and the porterhouse. The arugula pear salad was a massive bed of arugula with barely any dressing, It was lacking all the contents of the actual salad. It was sprinkled with a few flakes of cheese, small amount of raisins and pine nuts and under ripe store bought pears. The proportions were totally off and although it tasted fine it wasn’t anything to write home about. The real disappointment came with the porterhouse. We ordered it rare and although it was cooked as asked the presentation was off. When you order an 115 dollar steak you expect it to be presented a certain way. The way it was plated was lacking and the way the garlic and shallots were thrown on the plate showed lack of attention and care for the meal. I totally understand this isn’t a steak house but when you order that cut of meat it’s typically brought to the table and then served and plated for you. This was just placed on the table and they walked away. Didn’t check to see if the temp was correct or anything. Unfortunately the steak was incredibly hard to cut as it was a chewy and tough piece of meat. The flavor was fine it just wasn’t a good cut which can happen from time to time. We ate it and moved on to dessert. We got the frozen key lime pie which was drizzled with what looked like smuckers strawberry syrup. Once again it was fine just not WOW. All in all I just felt there was so much left to be desired from the experience and unfortunately we wouldn’t return on our next montauk trip. It’s 100% on us for not saying anything to a manager or speaking up to a server but it’s just not in my nature. We like to be easy and not complain. I will say you can tell they run a tight ship. From what I saw The other servers and bussers were on their A game and they were all helping each other out, It was nice to see. I just wish the quality...

Hospitality and graciousness go a long way to making a dining experience as enjoyable as the meal. The rudeness and attitude experienced at this restaurant ruined what should have been a celebratory night for my parents who were marking big milestones like birthdays and retirement now that we can be together again after the COVID lockdown.

It started when we asked if a pasta dish could me made without sausage. Our mistake that we didn't read no substitutions. But the waitress had to tell us - with the fiercest attitude - that it depends on the chef's mood. When she came back to take our order it was clear she had never asked and was smirking like she dared us to ask again. All she had to do was say - I tried, but like I said earlier, the chef won't accommodate. We would have understood. Attitude was unnecessary.

She was clearly done with us after that. So we ordered entrees to rush the meal. My parents just wanted to leave. They were so uncomfortable. This was not the night we had planned and wanted for them.

And, it wasn't just us. The table next to us was cut down for trying to order appetizers first. "I'll come back when you're ready to order all at once. The chef fires the order at all once." Lots of rules at this restaurant. But at least explain nicely.

Lastly, and I can't fault them entirely for this, because it's likely for insurance reasons. But it was shortly after 5pm and the sun was blazing so strongly. We were burning up. I made the mistake of asking for an umbrella. They wouldn't let umbrellas be used because there was a breeze. Said with attitude as if how dare we ask if we can be made more comfortable. As other diners, who were sweating and burning up noted, there wasn't even a leaf moving. But, OK, again, it's a restaurant with a lot of rules. But one table, with a member of their party looking like he was going to pass out from heat, tried opening the umbrella the waitress ran over: "I SAID NO." Just explain your reasoning nicely and offer to seat them inside.

The food was nothing spectacular. I've been to plenty of restaurants in the Montauk and Hamptons area. Always felt welcomed and left happy after great ambiance and a great meal.

Harvest on Fort Pond made a point to make patrons uncomfortable and, for us particularly, tainted what was supposed to be a celebratory night. You can see it in the pic we tried taking near the dock. My mother grimacing "please just take the picture quickly because there's probably a rule about this too."

Do better for future patrons, Harvest. Hospitality and graciousness go a long way, especially when you have smiling patrons who are so grateful to be there until you unnecessarily...