Harvey's Smokehouse

My long-awaited visit to Harvey's Smokehouse did not disappoint! Jerusalem's first exposure to true smoked barbecue certainly justified the switch from Gabriel's (a high-end chef restaurant) to this format. The ambiance was relaxed, appealing to a much younger crowd. And the food, for the most part, was top-notch.

To begin with, reservations are a must. There were many groups and couples who walked in during our meal - only to be turned away as there was just no room available. Secondly, there are two floors of dining. the main floor has three tables - a four-top and a six-top (I'm not sure of the third table) and a bar. The upper floor (which I did not visit) had more seating; but it was very loud and crowded - and, from what my kids said - with more of a cafeteria-type feeling. I was happy to have been seated downtstairs.

Being so crowded, I would have expected a slow-down in service. Staff was certainly busy - shlepping food and drinks up and down; answering a myriad of questions from diners; and turning away the almost constant flood of people looking for a table.

My only complaint in this area - was that there were several times that I tried to get the attention of a waiter; but they were just too busy. When they were available; they were attentive, knowledgeable, helpful, pleasant, and worthy of the tip we left at the end of the meal. And now on to the food....

We started with three appetizers - the burnt ends, a chicken salad, and the onion rings. The rings were gone within seconds (I couldn't even get a picture). They were that good. Personally, I like the onion rings at Crave better - but these were right up there! The chicken salad was nice. Creamy dressing, chicken well cooked, and a nice selection of vegetables. As for the burnt ends - it was a great example of Kansas City style burnt end sauce. The meat itself wasn't quite up to the name. Not much bark. It just didn't feel like the point had been put back into the smoker. But the sauce certainly made up for it. It was a smallish portion - and, at 8:00 on a motzei Shabbat, weirdly the last portion left - but I enjoyed it very much.

For our main course, we elected to be served "family style". We ordered several hundred grams of several types of meats and just shared them around the table. We had brisket, chorizo, asado, pulled beef shoulder, 1/2 a chicken, slaw and cowboy beans. It was all enjoyable; and I truly have only a few comments for each dish...

First of all, I was surprised that the slaw was made with only purple cabbage. I was expecting the traditional white cabbage slaw - and, while I'm not a fan of purple cabbage to begin with - I really enjoyed it. The brisket was a bit dry. But it was properly cooked and cut. And I enjoyed seeing the smoke-ring up the side of the cut. We had a few portions of this. And, as what I feel was the main component of the meal, very well done.

The asado was VERY fatty. We were warned; and the warning was proper. There was very little meat - almost not worth the cost of the dish - but it simply fell of the bone and melted in your mouth.

I really enjoyed the pulled beef shoulder. The meat was properly cooked, well shredded, and was a pleasant counter to the fatty asado.

The chorizo and chicken were OK. Not too special. But not every dish can be a star. They were certainly tasty - the chicken a tad under cooked - but I'm not saying "Wow! that's a dish I'm coming back for!"

The lamb bacon, I feel, is a waste. It wasn't good, and didn't add much to the dish. It was served in a small cup - so that we could add it to any of the meats that we wanted. But the meat itself was gummy and cut so small, it was forgotten by all - and, in my mind, forgettable. I wouldn't order it again.

We also were given (by mistake, apparently) a portion of cubed potatoes in a very sweet sauce. My kids certainly enjoyed it - but it was a bit too sweet for me.

I very much enjoyed the cowboy beans. The beans were well cooked, the sauce nice and thick. It went well with both the brisket and the pulled beef shoulder.

We ordered one dessert, and were served two. The chocolate souffle was not the best I've had. The souffle itself was flat, the chocolate a bit waxy, and the parve ice cream tasted like parve ice cream. The second dessert was more interesting. It had some halva, some fruit, some custard. It was better than the souffle - but, again, not the best parve dessert I've had.

All in all, Harvey's Smokehouse is a welcome addition to the Jerusalem food scene. I really enjoyed it; and I can't wait to go back. I can only hope that they continue and build on this early success.