American Harvest wants to revolutionize the way you think about fast-casual dining. Created by Miami-based Grove Bay Hospitality Group—the company best known for restaurants such as Glass & Vine in Coral Gables and Stubborn Seed in South Beach—American Harvest unites quality with speed by fulfilling made-from-scratch orders in less than seven minutes.
“Fast-casual is the biggest growing segment within the food industry,” Ignacio Garcia-Menocal, co-founder and chief operating officer of Grove Bay, says of a concept exemplified by such national chains as Boston Market, Panera Bread and Chipotle Mexican Grill. “Within that, there is a lack of great-tasting American food that is delivered in a quick setting.”
Though the farm-to-table restaurant is fast, its ingredients are slow. Here, more than three dozen menu items are made by mixing and matching fresh and seasonal herbs, fruits and vegetables with hormone- and antibiotic-free proteins. Consider the rotisserie chicken skillet, made with cage-free poultry drizzled in a chimichurri vinaigrette and served with roasted sweet potato, mushroom, bacon and scallion. Or consider the American Harvest burger, which calls for a blend of angus, chuck short rib and brisket layered with fontina cheese, mayonnaise made in-house, and caramelized onions on a potato roll.
“The great thing about American Harvest is, you’ll feel good about serving it to your family,” chef Bret Hessler says. “Fast-casual is dominated by heavily processed food. With American Harvest, we want to actively be a part of our community by sourcing locally.”
American Harvest is relatively affordable, too. The burger and the chicken skillet are priced at $10 each, as are other menu items, such as avocado and queso blanco toast; the Cubano breakfast skillet, topped with eggs, bacon, beans and cheese; and the Asian noodle bowl with a host of vegetables, lo mein noodles and Thai soy dressing. The $35 value meal feeds four; it includes a whole roasted chicken with sauce (chimichurri, pesto or curry) along with three sides, from quinoa to black beans or Asian kale slaw.
“We’re really proud of what we’re doing,” Hessler says. “Especially at this price point.”
The least-expensive items on the menu include black bean hummus topped with queso fresco and lime with blue corn chips at $4, and breakfast tacos with avocado, bacon, eggs, cheese and black bean hummus for $6.
Hessler is especially proud of his Asian tuna lettuce wrap, served with generous portions of sustainable tuna, kale slaw and kelp noodles with a lightly spiced Asian dressing.
“The cool thing about this concept is, we’re taking what we do in our fine-dining restaurants, like superior quality and service in a fun atmosphere, but delivering it in a fast-casual environment with lower prices,” Garcia-Menocal adds.
The restaurant, which debuted in December 2017 at Brickell City Centre followed by a second location in South Miami in January, will expand across Miami-Dade and into Broward County. First up is Doral. “Our plan is to grow,” Garcia-Menocal says. “The concept has been very well received. … Out of all our restaurants, this one will be the one that we will grow.”
American Harvest
Location: 5958 S. Dixie Highway, South Miami
Contact: 786.785.1001; americanharvestco.com
