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Fresh and Easy

American Harvest wants to revolutionize the way you think about fast-casual dining. Created by Miami-based Grove Bay Hospitality Groupโ€”the company best known for restaurants such as Glass & Vine in Coral Gables and Stubborn Seed in South Beachโ€”American Harvest unites quality with speed by fulfilling made-from-scratch orders in less than seven minutes.

โ€œFast-casual is the biggest growing segment within the food industry,โ€ 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. โ€œWithin that, there is a lack of great-tasting American food that is delivered in a quick setting.โ€

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.

โ€œThe great thing about American Harvest is, youโ€™ll feel good about serving it to your family,โ€ chef Bret Hessler says. โ€œFast-casual is dominated by heavily processed food. With American Harvest, we want to actively be a part of our community by sourcing locally.โ€

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.

 

โ€œWeโ€™re really proud of what weโ€™re doing,โ€ Hessler says. โ€œEspecially at this price point.โ€

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.

โ€œThe cool thing about this concept is, weโ€™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,โ€ 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. โ€œOur plan is to grow,โ€ Garcia-Menocal says. โ€œThe concept has been very well received. โ€ฆ Out of all our restaurants, this one will be the one that we will grow.โ€

 

American Harvest

Location: 5958 S. Dixie Highway, South Miami

Contact: 786.785.1001; americanharvestco.com

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