Harbinger - Des Moines

The plates were a little small. Not large enough to share with others. The food was very creative and delicious. read more The plates were a little small. Not large enough to share with others. The food was very creative and delicious.

Harbinger is what I would call a boutique restaurant featuring fresh, local, seasonal ingredients prepared with great attention, care, and artistry. Portions ar... read more Harbinger is what I would call a boutique restaurant featuring fresh, local, seasonal ingredients prepared with great attention, care, and artistry. Portions are small. Flavors are incredible and layered. Dishes have a bit of an Asian fusion twist to them. Staff are extremely professional and well trained. Ambiance is excellent. I love this place. I go for special occasions as it is out of my regular budget.

Living in San Francisco I have a wide variety of top-notch restaurants available to me. Whenever I come back to Des Moines to visit my family, I always take a n... read more Living in San Francisco I have a wide variety of top-notch restaurants available to me. Whenever I come back to Des Moines to visit my family, I always take a new group of people to Harbinger so that they can experience the level and quality of food that is available in top-notch restaurants around the world. Chef/Owner Joe can hold his own with just about any restaurant in any major city. The attention to detail is impeccable, the vegetables divine, and the presentation amazing.

For Des Moines Restaurant Week, my wife and I decided to try Harbinger for the first time. We also brought a friend who’s birthday was recent and we wished to c... read more For Des Moines Restaurant Week, my wife and I decided to try Harbinger for the first time. We also brought a friend who’s birthday was recent and we wished to celebrate her birthday as well. When we first arrived we had some issues with thereservation. These were handled swiftly by a very friendly manager and we were sat within 5 mins of arriving even though theissues were created by us, not them. Because of restaurant week, Harbinger was offering a four course tasting menu. My wifealso ordered the wine pairing while I had the sweet corn infused old fashioned and our friend had the highball. The wines wereperfectly paired for each meal. I even ordered a second old fashioned. I am not sure our friend liked the highball or not as sheonly finished half, but she said she did. Not on the menu, but received first, was the amuse-bouche of a sweet corn purée andcrab. Delicious! And my drink paired well. For the first course we were served a heirloom tomato dish which was described askind of “zombie” tomato because it was dehydrated then rehydrated. I thought it was good, but some parts, eaten separately,didn’t seem to…fit. But all together in one bite was pretty delicious. Our second course was a squash and mushroom dish. Itwas good, but I could not shake the feeling it smelled and tasted like biscuits and gravy. That’s not a bad thing! Just mywife and our friend didn’t get that impression and that’s all I tasted. So there’s that. Our third course we were allowedto choose our dish. I chose the pork and the ladies ordered the salmon. The pork was cooked in a tamarind paste and placed on acorn purée. As I loved the corn in the first dish and my drink, I was easily amazed and devoured it. The pork could be cut witha fork and the tamarind paste contrasted so well with the corn. I wanted to lick the plate clean. Both of the ladies liked thesalmon. My wife did mention the texture of the salmon was odd, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying the dish. We were

This place is a favorite in the world not just Des Moines. I try to come whenever I’m in town visiting my sister so this trip when I had three girlfriends from... read more This place is a favorite in the world not just Des Moines. I try to come whenever I’m in town visiting my sister so this trip when I had three girlfriends from different cities in town for the half marathon we had to go! and they were all equally blown away.We skipped the tasting menu and made our own but I think either way is a win. Just do not skip the spring rolls or the duck or really any of the street bites since the menu changes.Most of all, if you’re a cocktail person and Ben is working — just go rogue. One of my friends ordered a “ Thai inspired old fashioned” and it is worth it just for the tiny chili pepper but the flavor was out of this world. Another friend ordered a twist on a Negroni, and since *he knew* that she had ordered a mezcal drink he made her a mezcal Negroni. Another friend requested a not too strong bourbon and as I said that doesn’t exist the waiter said gotcha “soft bourbon” — I’ll never be the same.This place is unique and exceptional without being pretentious or stuffy. The vibe is warm and welcoming, The service is jovial and fun. The food is absolutely divine. We had such a good time. Thank you for making our night.