One of the newest restaurants in St. Augustine Beach, Harvest & Reel at Embassy Suites, hosted a seasonal menu tasting for foodies and influencers on June 27, highlighting its latest menu items and cocktails.
Located in a warm corner within the hotel, Harvest & Reel aims to bring fresh farm- and shore-to-table dishes for both tourists and locals alike. Its modern, open kitchen and friendly staff ensures an elevated culinary experience with a behind-the-scenes look into the dishes served.
“It’s nice to have an open kitchen,” Executive Chef John Botkin said. “We do get quite a few people who come up and kids want to see what we’re doing. It’s nice to interact with them. You don’t necessarily want to hear everything, but at least you can see it. It becomes a part of the restaurant.”
Seasonal cocktails from the hotel’s Rhum Bar, were served to guests during a brief hotel tour. A “Cucumber Southside” cocktail with lemon, mint and cucumber was a refreshing ode to the Cuban Mojito, served with lime vodka instead of rum.
In honor of Negroni week (June 24-30), Rhum Bar also featured a Mezcal Negroni, mixed with one’s choice of mezcal, Campari, sweet vermouth and orange bitters, “with a twist,” according to the description. The Mezcal Negroni was also in honor of one Botkin’s inspirations, Anthony Bourdain, who loved negronis and would have celebrated his birthday June 25, now known as Bourdain Day.
For the tasting, Botkin chose seasonal dishes that showcased the new menu and highlighted local farms where the ingredients were sourced. His favorites include the watermelon and tomato salad with burrata, basil and white balsamic vinaigrette, and shrimp ceviche with watermelon and locally sourced Mayport shrimp.
Harvest & Reel’s shrimp and grits, with a little smoked tomato sauce, is a “perfectly executed” dish and addition, according to Chef Botkin. Foodies seemed to agree as it was one of the most popular items chosen from the dinner.
“I think the shrimp and grits, being from the south, is a staple,” Botkin said. “The Anson Mills grits out of South Carolina, great local shrimp and little bit of andouille sausage really tied that dish together.”
Other mouthwatering options were the farro risotto with veggies and mushrooms or the duroc pork chop with coffee and molasses grind and sea salt. An array of sides, like grilled asparagus, potato puree and a goat cheese spinach dip were served to the table family-style.
Chef Botkin takes pride in his French-style cuisine, explaining that techniques include initial searing, followed by a final bake. Oh, and lots of butter.
“I want to keep things simple and let the ingredients speak for themselves,” he explained. “So, not to heavy on sauces. Things should complement, not overpower.”
One of his favorite meals to prepare is a Caribbean lobster with butter elevated by unexpected spices he learned from a good friend in Anegada, one of the British Virgin Islands.
“All he did was cook lobsters for people every night,” he said. “His name was Lowell. He showed me some techniques and his secrets to make the perfect lobster. Lowell used margarine. I’d use butter, but then with cinnamon and nutmeg. It gives it a very subtle, strange flavor.”
As the dinner came to an end, H&R staff served the final course of the evening, a dessert platter with assorted chocolates and macarons, each as original in design, color and flavor as the next.
Chef Botkin’s goal is to inspire young cooks and future chefs.
“We got some great talent working here and it’s phenomenal to watch them grow,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of change, but we want the community to come out and try it. We’re just going to have some fun.”
