NOW OPEN: Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar

Farm-to-table food, seasonality and sustainable building materials are far from foreign concepts in these parts. But when a restaurant group notorious for its rowdy post-college bar scene and calorie-unconscious pub fare gets in on it, I'd say it's worth traveling outside city limits to check out. Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer var so = new SWFObject("http://www.db798.com/pictobrowser.swf", "PictoBrowser", "500", "500", "8", "#FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("source", "sets"); so.addVariable("names", "Harvest"); so.addVariable("userName", "dlazor"); so.addVariable("userId", "16589864@N00"); so.addVariable("ids", "72157624008834721"); so.addVariable("titles", "off"); so.addVariable("displayNotes", "off"); so.addVariable("thumbAutoHide", "off"); so.addVariable("imageSize", "medium"); so.addVariable("vAlign", "mid"); so.addVariable("vertOffset", "0"); so.addVariable("colorHexVar", "FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("initialScale", "off"); so.addVariable("bgAlpha", "8"); so.write("PictoBrowser100528123629"); Dave Magrogan, of Doc Magrogan's Oyster House, MÃ¡s Mexicali Cantina and Kildare's, made the trek to Glen Mills, bringing executive chef Brian Duffy and business partner Dana Farrell with him to break ground on a health-centric concept they've named Harvest (573 West Chester Pike). Taking over what was a Gap, the trio hauled in recycled glass to fashion the 30-seat bar, recycled wood to lay down as floor panels and energy-efficient bulbs to light the joint. There's a flower-kissed terrace complete with a stone fountain for outdoor dining. Inside, a shrubby section lines the back wall of pearl-white stone, and fresh fruit bowls and tall potted grasses dispersed throughout convey a garden-fresh feel (Farrell's landscaper actually consulted on the layout of the interior). Chef Duffy starts with seasonal products from Pennsylvania and New Jersey farms and ends with healthy combinations that are good and good for you — most dishes are under 500 calories. "I had to rethink how I cooked," he admits. Duffy worked with the staff nutritionist, who made plenty of calorie-cutting suggestions, such as using agave nectar in lieu of sugar and a spritz of oil instead of a tablespoon ("that's worth about 120 calories before you even start cooking!"). Harvest's walk-ins are stocked with pesticide-free, natural, organic goods. Their wood-burning grill turns out some good stuff, like shrimp served in a lemon garlic jus and tasty brick oven-crisped tasty flatbreads. Ripieno (a fancy name for sorbet) and mini-sized desserts like chocolate mousse and key lime pie are also nice. The wine list boasts more than 60 selections, some from vintners dedicated to green practices. Of the six draft beers three will be rotated periodically, and the same goes for the 10 or so cocktails. Working in a restaurant already means you're not afraid to get your hands dirty, which is good for Harvest employees, who, in the future, will get involved with a one-acre farm plot a mile down the road. "We feel it will get our team more in touch with the concept," says Farrell. Duffy hopes to plant tomatoes and lettuce for next year, but as of now he's doing garlic and herbs. Harvest's kitchen is currently open Sunday to Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until midnight (lunch starts June 1 at 11 a.m.). Bar until 2 a.m. Reservations are recommended but not required, unless you'd like to sit at the Chef's Table.

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NOW OPEN: Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar

POSTED: Friday, May 28, 2010, 6:00 PM

Filed Under: Openings | Photos

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Dave Magrogan, of Doc Magrogan's Oyster House, MÃ¡s Mexicali Cantina and Kildare's, made the trek to Glen Mills, bringing executive chef Brian Duffy and business partner Dana Farrell with him to break ground on a health-centric concept they've named Harvest (573 West Chester Pike). Taking over what was a Gap, the trio hauled in recycled glass to fashion the 30-seat bar, recycled wood to lay down as floor panels and energy-efficient bulbs to light the joint. There's a flower-kissed terrace complete with a stone fountain for outdoor dining. Inside, a shrubby section lines the back wall of pearl-white stone, and fresh fruit bowls and tall potted grasses dispersed throughout convey a garden-fresh feel (Farrell's landscaper actually consulted on the layout of the interior). Chef Duffy starts with seasonal products from Pennsylvania and New Jersey farms and ends with healthy combinations that are good and good for you — most dishes are under 500 calories. "I had to rethink how I cooked," he admits. Duffy worked with the staff nutritionist, who made plenty of calorie-cutting suggestions, such as using agave nectar in lieu of sugar and a spritz of oil instead of a tablespoon ("that's worth about 120 calories before you even start cooking!"). Harvest's walk-ins are stocked with pesticide-free, natural, organic goods. Their wood-burning grill turns out some good stuff, like shrimp served in a lemon garlic jus and tasty brick oven-crisped tasty flatbreads. Ripieno (a fancy name for sorbet) and mini-sized desserts like chocolate mousse and key lime pie are also nice. The wine list boasts more than 60 selections, some from vintners dedicated to green practices. Of the six draft beers three will be rotated periodically, and the same goes for the 10 or so cocktails. Working in a restaurant already means you're not afraid to get your hands dirty, which is good for Harvest employees, who, in the future, will get involved with a one-acre farm plot a mile down the road. "We feel it will get our team more in touch with the concept," says Farrell. Duffy hopes to plant tomatoes and lettuce for next year, but as of now he's doing garlic and herbs. Harvest's kitchen is currently open Sunday to Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until midnight (lunch starts June 1 at 11 a.m.). Bar until 2 a.m. Reservations are recommended but not required, unless you'd like to sit at the Chef's Table.

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Founded in October 2008, Meal Ticket is a City Paper blog about food, drink and assorted other things that make you go mmm. We do recipes, interviews, restaurant news, commentary and much more. We don't do restaurant reviews here — those are handled in print, mostly by our critic (and Meal Ticket contributor) Adam Erace. Got a tip, question, thought or concern? Just want to say hello? Please shoot a note to caroline@citypaper.net.

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