Harold's Cabin
By Elise Devoe, @CookinWithBooze
This fall, the Tastemakers were treated to a sampling of one of my favorite neighborhood spots, Harold’s Cabin. Harold’s Cabin specializes in a veggie-driven menu, most of which they get from their very own rooftop garden. The atmosphere is cozy and casual and the decor is spot-on for making it feel like you’re in someone’s family cabin. It’s very easy to feel right at home at Harold’s Cabin, especially when someone places a plate of hush puppies in front of you. My fellow Tastemakers and I had a great time exploring the rooftop garden and noshing on some small plates.
We started off with the smashed fries, which is smashed fingerling potatoes mixed with herbs and served with a tarragon aioli. You can tell the herbs and tarragon are straight out of the garden because they bring a great freshness to an otherwise heavy dish. This dish was simple, but if potatoes dipped in fancy mayo is wrong, then I don’t want to be right.
Next we indulged in the star of the show, the hush puppies. I think everyone’s ears perked up when we heard hush puppies were coming. Hush puppies are usually not associated with veggies, but at Harold’s Cabin they always find a way to sneak them in. The hush puppies are served with a miso carrot puree, scallion, crispy shallots, and a sweet/ tangy red pepper jam. These hush puppies were crunchy, yet soft on the inside and the sauces they came with added a little bit of sweetness and tang to the dish. I crave these hush puppies on the regular and I love going to sit at the bar and ordering them with a few cocktails.
The last item we sampled was the forage board. The forage board is a combination of local produce and veggies from the rooftop garden. Our forage board featured sweet potato, farro, watermelon radish, and herbs from the rooftop garden. The veggies brought different textures and flavors to the table, making for a balanced bite. The board was not only tasty, it was easy on the eyes too!
Harold’s Cabin is one of my favorite neighborhood spots to pop in to on a week night because they have specials almost every day! My favorite special that they have is Hooch and Holler night on Thursdays where they offer $5 cocktails. My favorite is the Salty Raccoon, which has tequila, rosemary, lime, and a salted rim. It’s basically a margarita, but they elevate it with the fresh rosemary from their garden! If you haven’t had a chance to check out Harold’s Cabin yet, definitely worth stopping in!
