DBF (Delicious Brunch Fun) at DCH

Warm weather in the DMV area means brunch season and bottomless mimosas are in our future. With the weather starting to turn, we ventured out to Northeast D.C. to DC Harvest for brunch in late March to kick start our time off for Spring Break. DC Harvest is a farm-to-table restaurant, with food sourced from local farms and vendors. The restaurant is located in the H Street corridor, which has experienced somewhat of a renaissance in the last few years, including the installation of many new and trendy restaurants and hip hangout spots. Like many neighborhoods in D.C., parking is an adventure on H Street, and combine that with the trolley that runs the length of the street, you should definitely bring some patience with you if you make your way on down for a visit.

DC Harvest is a very small yet quaint restaurant with two floors. Given its size, we think it would be great for a small get-together of no more than 6 (or so) close family and friends, especially on the first floor. We sat on the first floor and it was a close knit (but comfortable) experience thanks to the tables being so close to each other. In fact, Simone could hear the entire conversation happening at the table next to us. In true urban restaurant style, DC Harvest has exposed brick all along the first floor, and its decor is modern, cool, and an eclectic spin on contemporary. The air ducts were situated and exposed over the restaurant's bar, which created an industrial look and feel in the space. The light fixtures were all geometric shapes and intriguingly unique. And although the bar area was small, it definitely had a cool vibe that is worthy of a visit for drinks and/or happy hour. Given the size of the first floor, the space can get loud. At the onset of our dining experience, it was a little hard to hear our server and each other, but our ears adjusted to the setting and soon we were distracted by delicious food and drinks. And our server was patient, kind, sweet, and helpful, which is always a plus.

On to the food and drinks! We both ordered the Bottomless Mimosas, which were tasty and consistently refilled until we felt great. The Bottomless Mimosas option is $20 per person, but you will not regret your decision. For our starters, we ordered the DCH Bacon and Asiago "Doughnuts" and the Artisan Farmstead Cheese Plate. The doughnuts were crispy bites of heaven that were exceptionally savory. The bacon and Asiago cheese worked perfectly together in these doughnuts and made this a top-notch and memorable appetizer. In fact, these doughnuts are officially a favorite from all our excursions for this blog. The Artisan Farmstead Cheese Plate was made up of goat's milk cheese, bacon shallot jam, smoked pears, pickled vegetables, smoked nuts, and whole grain toast. The star of the plate was the bacon shallot jam, which looked odd but was truly delicious. Damien felt like the bacon shallot jam could (should?) go on everything---atop chicken or burgers, as a spread, etc. The smoked pears were delicious, sweet, and soft. The pickled veggies were decent, but were not our favorite and did not necessarily fit with the rest of the plate in our opinion. However, this cheese plate was definitely good and worthy of an order.

For our mains, Simone ordered the House Scramble featuring homemade spicy lamb sausage, roasted bell peppers, and caramelized onions, served with organic cage-free eggs, sweet potato hash, and a seasonal market green salad. Simone also ordered a side of the Stone-Ground Cheddar Grits to share. Damien had the Grilled Lamb Burger with a pickled ramp aioli, tomato chili jam and fried egg, which was served with a broccoli cabbage slaw and sweet potato hash. The burger was super juicy, seasoned well, and cooked perfectly, and the flavor of the lamb was enhanced by the fried egg. The tomato chili jam was where it's at, though---it added a wonderful sweetness to the burger. We both had the sweet potato hash, and although it had great flavor and seasoning, there was some inconsistency with the cooking, as some potatoes were hard while others were soft. Damien's sweet potato hash was cooked well, while Simone kept running into crunchy potatoes. The broccoli cabbage slaw on Damien's plate was very tasty and had a real depth of flavor. Simone's House Scramble was seasoned with a heavy hand, but was delicious. All of the ingredients worked well together to create an amazing entree. The market green salad was warm, which was surprisingly enjoyable in conjunction with the olive oil dressing. But the star of the entree round? The Stone-Ground Cheddar Grits were an absolute heavenly use of homily---thick, flavorful, and delicious. The grits made us wonder how good DC Harvest's Low Country Shrimp and Grits entree would be, which just means that we have to come back to this place again!

Overall, we would give DC Harvest a 5 out of 5. From the drinks to the appetizers to our main courses, we experienced such an outstanding medley of flavors. The food is simply exceptional here in addition to being really fresh. The fact that the restaurant sources food locally is fantastic and means that the food's exquisite taste is not only attributed to the chefs but also to the local resources around us. This would be a perfect spot for brunch season which will be with us all summer. Until next time, we hope you are able to get out and enjoy a delicious brunch soon!