Harvest, with days to spare

Last night, we finally made it out to Harvest (a fine-dining restaurant in Madison that uses local and organic ingredients) to use one of the gift certificates we'd been given for our wedding by my dearest high school friends NB, RS, and AM. With only one week until our first anniversary (!) and an impending gift certificate expiration date, we snuck in this dinner just in the nick of time.

The whole experience was lovely, and though some of the food was a bit over-salted, we were impressed by the range and creativity of their offerings.

Compliments of the chef, a fresh spring garlic puree soup and a warm, toasty roll:

A delicious cocktail, the bee's knees (with a real piece of honey on comb stuck in for good measure!):

Our first courses, Seared Sea Scallops with Parsnip Chips and Parsnip Puree, and Grilled Asparagus with Farro, Spinach, and House-Made Ricotta:

Then, for our main course we shared the House-Made Cavatelli Pasta with Asparagus, Mint, Chili, and Olive Oil and three other sides: Spinach with Crispy Garbanzos, Chickpea Fries, and the Seasonal Mushrooms Hen of the Woods.

Finally, for dessert, we had the Chocolate Almond Cake with Caramel and the House-Made Mint Ice Cream (which actually tasted like mint leaves!), along with two Lavender Lemon Sugar Cookies, compliments of the chef:

Throughout it all, we thought of and sent vibes of love and gratitude to our friends who gave us this night, and to everyone who shared our wedding with us, almost a year ago.

Yum.