Harvey Bakery and Kitchen comes out hot despite slow-rolling its menu

In the months since it opened, Harvey Bakery and Kitchen, 301 NW 13th St Suite 100, has made it clear shiny new Plymouths aren’t the only thing worthy of a showroom.

The new bakery from the owners of Hall’s Pizza Kitchen and their remarkable young pastry chef Alyssa Ulrich opened during the holidays with a truncated menu but is now serving lunch.

The gradual approach fits plans co-owners Molly Hall and sister Elise Hall Taylor have to grow Harvey Bakery into a commercial bakery — perhaps following a path set back in the 1980s when brothers-in-law Johnny Jazzar and Rudy Khouri founded La Baguette Bakery in Norman.

I made it into Harvey Bakery and Kitchen for lunch last week, and it will not be the last.

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In fact, it only makes the plight of The Oklahoman’s office renovation limbo all the more frustrating! I now wake up imagining what it will be like when, on the way to the newsroom, I can stop by for a box full of selections from Ulrich’s 10-megaton arsenal of croissants.

“Midnight Cowboy” was one of the seminal films of the 1970s, but after munching on Ulrich’s croissant of the same name I couldn’t remember if Ratzo Rizzo was a cartoon character or the unseen brother of a key character from “Grease.”

The apple streusel croissant might just be my solution to a lifetime of abusing apple fritters. (Can confirm that it is indeed fire outside the kettle.)

No kidding, these are croissants with the kind of classic contrast in textures that made the French so snooty about their baking. Perfection

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The cinnamon rolls are not your Oklahoma State Fair’s cinnamon rolls, and that’s a good thing.

Nothing against the goodies from Silver Dollar Concessions, but the sugar-coated gut-bomb we line up for at the State Fairgrounds is not a breakfast item.

Harvey Bakery serves scrumptious cinnamon rolls, including a gluten-free version, ideal for breakfast because your chances of wearing one is minimal.

The blueberry coffee cake muffin will make minions of crunch-junkies, and because I picked up pastries and lunch, I was able to test the bakery’s cookie game, which is exemplary.

The new lunch menu features specialty sandwiches and salads. Breakfast is also available all day.

I tried The Giovanni, a commiseration of classic cold cuts. Soppressata, mortadella, capicola (best known as gobba-ghoul), and prosciutto meet fresh mozzarella, smoked provolone, cherry peppers, red onion, and tomato on house-made salted focaccia smeared with mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.

Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.

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Did have to contend with a wave of panic when the sandwich was gone (too fast). Sure, I was lonely; hungry for more. But I was mostly concerned someone might’ve recorded the Tasmanian Devilry I displayed whilst horking down the lovely beast.

Seriously, it just made me want to hustle back to Midtown for The Cardini, which appears to be a serious collision of classic salads Caesar and wedge with beef tenderloin served on grilled sourdough.

The Bacon and Pimento Grilled Cheese likely alarms every cardiologist in America with bacon jam and buttered house-baked white toast added to an already heart-averse milieu.

Never fear, heart-smart menu items are here, including three entrée salads and two breakfast bowls.

Breakfast sandwiches run on the hardy side. Bacon, sausage, gruyere, cheddar and American cheeses land on either fresh-baked brioche, English muffins or focaccia. Complaints nowhere to be found.

The menu also includes herb-roasted potatoes, house-made potato chips and fresh fruit.  Look for offerings to grow in time, which will be fun to taste along with for we huddled hungry masses.

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As we’re likely to see from every new restaurant that opens going forward, Harvey Bakery and Kitchen opened with pandemic protocols in mind. There is a pickup window facing Harvey Avenue and scads of patio seating along NW 13 Street.

The bakery is the crown-jewel of Pivot Project’s conversion of the former Walter E. Allen Plymouth dealership. They went back to a successful well to find a food-service partner.

Sisters Molly Hall and Elise Taylor opened Hall’s Pizza Kitchen as a food truck before teaming with Pivot about six years ago to open their bricks-and-mortar pizzeria, 1004 N Hudson Ave.

Ulrich has been making pizza dough for the Halls and dreaming of opening a bakery during most of those machinations.

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Ulrich and the baking crew work in a spectacular show bakery visible from the dining room. Bakery enthusiasts can sit at a counter right up against the glass.

An antique split staircase leads to “The Library,” which is outfitted with a communal table and counter-seating. It doubles as a private dining room.

Either way, it offers a breathtaking view of the space, which includes a coffee bar, pastry case, tables, couches, lounge chairs, book shelves and plenty of charging stations.

Harvey Bakery and Kitchen has the look of a local institution in its infancy. The bakery is open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

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