CMH Gourmand – Eating in Columbus & Ohio

Harvest Pizzeria opened in August and was greeted with immediate, over the top adoration. Is it deserved? I believe so. A true pizzeria has been the missing element in the German Village / Merion Village dining options for quite some time. Granted Planks and Hi Beck have very good pizzas, but a proper pizzeria….not so much.

Harvest Pizzeria is all that and a bowl of olives and maybe a crate of organic something. Owner Chris Crader is no stranger to the dining scene in Columbus. He has very good street credibility in numerous roles. It seems one of his first jobs was in a pizza shop. He combined all of his experience plus a desire to cook with some of what he grows on a one acre farm as well as a rooftop garden into Harvest. Add in a small brick building with the charm of a minimalist European Cafe mix with a welcoming patio and the end result is the slam dunk you may have read about elsewhere. The hype is right about Harvest Pizzeria.

The place has been packed on each visit I have made to Harvest. While all of the above is quite nice, the pressing question is “what about the food”. It is good. It is very good. The cocktails are well done with the house margarita being the winner so far. The wine selection is small and heavily focused on a small number of underappreciated Italian and European wines.

The tiny kitchen could serve the dining area with a light sweat but add in the patio and things get a bit tight for the kitchen staff. The wood/gas oven combination is in constant use and the cooks are in constant motion.

The starters/appetizers are simple with a twist. See the photos below.

Hudson Valley Foie Gras Tourchon with Malvasia grape must (the stuff in the dropper) and crostini

Olives with Cerignola, Castelvetrano, Giaraffa olives, Marcona almonds and fresh herbs

Among the several pizza combinations these three are my favorites: Spicy Yuma (Canal Junction Gouda, chorizo, jalapeno, corn, roasted red pepper, chipotle-spiked tomato sauce) Goat Cheese (with soppressata, caramelized onion, cherry tomato and garlic) and Ohio Bacon with fresh mozzarella, roasted red pepper, aleppo pepper flake and marjoram.

Two desserts take the cake. Butterscotch Budino (caramel sauce, creme fraiche, toasted hazelnuts, vanilla-scented Maldon sea salt) and Pie of the Day.

Harvest is worth a visit. Plan on waiting. Go while you can still enjoy the patio for the season.

495 S. 4th Street
German Village
614.824.1769
http://harvestpizzeria.com