American food done right
Harris Grill, located on Ellsworth Avenue, serves true American-style food. While burgers and sandwiches can be easily found anywhere from Sequoia Grill on the second floor of the University Center to the Union Grill on South Craig Street, Harris Grill serves a wide range of burgers, sandwiches, and steaks.
The restaurant has a bar on its left side, and one of the walls surrounding the dining area is painted with an image of a monk brewing beer. The wall is also decorated with a glass mosaic.
Even with the standard cheeseburger and Caesar salad (“I Can Has Bacon Cheezburgher” and “Hail, Caesar!”), Harris Grill plays with food in ways that make it both delicious and fun.
The first nice impression is that water is served in a real glass, not a plastic one. Even if this seems like a minor detail, it shows without a doubt that Harris Grill is serious about making a good impression.
The meal started with spinach dip served in a bread bowl. The dip itself is mostly spinach and artichoke hearts with cheese. They take out some of the inside of the bread bowl and bake it to make fresh croutons. When it is served, the bread bowl lid and croutons are still warm, and the dip is light and creamy.
For the main course, it can be difficult to choose between dishes like Nice Breasts (barbecued chicken breast with mac and cheese), chicken pesto alfredo, or the slow-cooked pulled pork shoulder sandwich.
Like some Indian restaurants that use a chili icon to warn diners, there is a small red ambulance icon to indicate “Heart-unhealthy [dishes] high in protein and fat, which makes them suitable for those on low carb diets, big tough manly men, and anyone with really, really good health insurance.”
I tried the slow-cooked pulled pork sandwich, which is served with skin-on fries and coleslaw. The fries and coleslaw were both delicious. Heavier on the carrot and lighter on the cabbage, the coleslaw has a smell that is a little sweeter than that of most coleslaw. The pork has a really nice barbecue flavor, and since it is slow-cooked, the meat isn’t dry. The best part, though, is the bread, which is crusty on the outside, but soft on the inside. It is also perfect to soak up the barbecue sauce from the pork.
The creme brulee is the perfect dessert. The sugar on the top is caramelized right before it is served. Once you crack the caramelized sugar top with your spoon and eat it with the custard inside, the contrast of warm caramelized sugar and cool custard on the bottom will satisfy any dessert lover.