I often associate a good meal with magic. The chef transforming an everyday occurrence into a memory of delight and enchantment. I see each course as a different magic trick. I recently have been captivated by the sorcery at Renee Kelly’s Harvest in Shawnee Mission.
I met with other members of The Pitch Bite Club, a club of foodies that meets once a month to enjoy a good meal together, at The Harvest on a rather chilly evening in January, after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. I think we were much like some weary travelers, seeking refuge for our tired palates. One too many holiday hams and bad wine at family gatherings. The stage was set for some magic. When you pull around to the restaurant itself, it looks rather ominous. I’ll be frank, the place looks haunted. The building is an old castle with a giant wooden door and this beautifully ornate lion’s head in the center. You immediately feel like Belle wandering upon the Beast’s doorsteps.
Then you open up the door and it’s inviting, like you’ve just walked through the wardrobe. There are tables to the left, wooden with a little rustic flare. There are charming simple chandeliers hang from the high ceilings. A giant staircase lies in front of you when you first walk in leading up to a loft area. The lighting is just right for some alchemy.
As members of the club started to turn up, cocktails were served and conversations were ignited. The cocktails are infusions and concoctions of voodoo themselves. The Harvest boast a drink menu with homemade Limoncello and house infused syrups, vodkas and whiskeys. I tried a Lemon Basil Blossom- a cocktail made with hand crafted basil syrup and Limoncello. Later in the meal, I tried a Pear Cinnamon Manhattan. Take it from someone who hates Manhattans, it was delicious! Pear syrup and infused pear rye whiskey with Dolin Rouge Vermouth. The resident bartender, Matt, was most gracious and came up to serve a few of the drinks himself. He told us a few bar anecdotes about the Old Fashioned and Pimm’s and how they came to be and how he creates the Harvest cocktails.
We should talk about the main course before we get to the food. Our host for the evening, Chef Renee Kelly is this vivacious larger than life character. She comes into the room and you are instantly spellbound. The entire time this woman is talking I have a giant smile. It’s that goofy smile that spreads your nose all over your face and your eyes smash up. (Well,mine do anyway.) She’s standing there in her white chef coat, her red hair thrown in a braid with little stray hairs sticking out, talking with her hands. They tell her they are going to put her on camera and with all her sass she promises not to cuss while being filmed.
Think Disney princess, like Ariel or Merida, but they went to culinary school, then owned their own restaurant and had a sassy mouth. She’s pretty much a badass Disney princess.
As Renee talks about her concept for The Harvest she reminisces about her days as a wedding and big event caterer. The Harvest originally was an event space for weddings. She was serving food to people who really didn’t care about the food but really just about their event. ‘Which, it’s your wedding, why wouldn’t you care?’ she says. But she wanted to do something different- so she decided to transform the castle into a farm to table restaurant. She wanted to tailor the restaurant to fit more of how she lives her own life, supporting local farmers and eating well. Thus, Renee Kelly’s Harvest, a farm to table concept, was born in a castle to a badass Disney princess chef.
Our first course at the Harvest was cured duck with black rice, beet and huckleberry sauce. Even if you aren’t a duck fan, you should give this a try. It’s not like you are eating the Swan Princess or anything. I didn’t find it gamey or plucky in the least. The sauces were a nice pairing and that black rice was amazing.
Second course might have been my favorite. It was a carrot bisque with crystallized ginger and creme fraiche (creme fraiche is like fancy sour cream). She served it in this tea cup with a miniature spoon. I imagine these are like the tea cups Alice and the Mad Hatter drank from. The bisque was creamy, not gritty and had spices in it like nutmeg or perhaps cinnamon. I’m typically not a ginger fan, but in this case it worked to set off the tart flavors in the creme friache and add sweetness to the carrots.
Main course was a Scottish fillet with pink potatoes and butter braised turnips. What is a Scottish fillet you ask? So you’ve had prime rib? They take the center part of the prime rib, the meaty part, and cut off the fatty parts. The Harvest is the only place in Kansas City you can currently get this cut. The steak is hard seared then cooked rare to medium rare. I found it tender and not as stringy as you find prime rib to be. The butter braised turnips were actually really good! (Shhh..do NOT tell my grandmother.) And the pink potatoes? Have you ever in your life eaten a pink potato? Same texture as normal potatoes just pink in color. Some kind of hocus pocus I tell you…
Final course was a chocolate butter cake with hazelnut musse, orange syrup, house made caramel, and a candied orange on top. One of my club members finished hers before I even dug my fork into mine. That’s how good it was. The hazelnut musse was piled on there so high it must of been held there by a fortifying spell. I particularly enjoyed the candied orange.
As I walked down the staircase and out the door of the castle, I left feeling rather full, inspired and slightly bewitched. Maybe some of it was the pear infused whiskey or eating an enchanted castle with a sassy Disney princess or maybe it was just being with good company and other passionate souls. There really is something to be said about doing what you love. It shows through in each dish how much Renee Kelly loves what she does. Get caught up in her spell. Go see her and her magic castle. Let her feed you and support your local farmers in the process. Maybe you’ll leave just as transformed as I was by the experience.