Has it really been fifteen years since Harvest opened? The Richmond Heights restaurant is another example of a hot spot that settled in to become an established part of the St. Louis scene. It's what most restaurateurs hope for as they begin to bring a dream to fruition. We have never yet heard anyone tell us, while gazing into the distance, “My dream is to create a flash in the pan.” But when Steve Gontram left about a year ago and sold it to his then-sous chef, Nick Miller, many patrons kept a close eye on what would happen.
The answer is, not much. And that's a good thing. Oh, the menu has changed a little more than its usual seasonal shifts, and it seemed a dab shorter to us. But the spirit is clearly the same, the focus on local providers, something Harvest was among the first in St. Louis to do, is the same, and even the look of the restaurant itself is pretty much unchanged. Brendan Noonan, another guy with plenty of cred in the kitchen, now is the chef de cuisine. Standards and pleasure remain high.
The clientele is not just locals; it's one of the most popular restaurants with visitors, particularly those coming from nearby Washington University. It's the scene of business dinners, multi-generational celebrations, couples having a night out, even a few folks who hang out at the bar, having a glass or two from a superior wine list, perhaps even enjoying dinner as well.
That's what was going on during our recent visit. We sat down to a meal that began with an amuse-bouche of three steamed Little Neck clams with a few slices of lightly pickled fennel, a contrast in both texture and flavor. The fennel had a slight piquancy from added acidity; the clams brought a little chewiness and their characteristic salinity. A small piece of grilled bread came in handy for wiping up the juices, always a bonus with steamed seafood.
The night's oysters, from Buckley Bay in British Columbia, excelled, medium-sized specimens with a taste and texture that began with creaminess and ended with the metallic flavor of the ocean. From a section of the menu called “wellness spa,” or food described as very low in fat, baby beets from St. Isadore's Farm, a little shaved red onion, some watercress and some pine nuts wore a pleasantly tart dressing, no oil needed. And quite handsome, we'd add.
But the striking dish from the early part of the meal had to be a scallop corn dog. A skewer of several scallops had been dipped in a corndog batter, which is based on cornmeal, and deep-fried. The batter insulated the scallops, which emerged sweet and tender. Alongside came some radish greens, tender and spicy, and a dipping sauce of honey and mustard. The batter made for an imaginative, perfect contrast, and the dish, served on a stick as if we were at a state fair was wondrous -- and showed a splendid sense of humor from the kitchen.
Duck breast choucroute brought forth three kinds of duck, slices of grilled breast, a spicy duck sausage, and a few pieces of duck confit. All this lolled over braised cabbage using riesling as part of the braising liquid, the cabbage dotted with wee huckleberries, and topped with some spaetzele, or German-style small dumplings, a nice combination of duck and cabbage flavors punctuated with the mild sweetness of the wine and berry.
Two fillets of trout received a quick saute, and were presented with a variation of a salade Lyonnaise, curly endive, lardons of bacon, a sous-vide egg, most easily compared to poached, and the addition of some onion and coins of fingerling potatoes. All these were involved to varying degrees with a warm mustard vinaigrette and the result was a pleasure. The potatoes, flavored by the vinaigrette and bacon, tasted like a high-grade German potato salad. An excellent dish, and one we hopes stays around.
Harvest is known for its bread pudding, and over the years, we've enjoyed it. But this time it was the profiteroles singing a siren song. They were very crisp, but their creamy molasses-sweet potato mousse filling just didn't have enough flavor. A drizzle of an anise-y cream here and there tried to help, but we were really much happier with the generous slab of white chocolate-pecan bark that came alongside.
As noted, the wine list has outstanding variety and some very good values. Service is nearly always smooth and attitude-free. Harvest remains a restaurant far above the ordinary, or for a fast bite; this is dinner as an occasion.
Harvest
1059 S. Big Bend Blvd., Richmond Heights
Dinner Tues.-Sun.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Fair
Smoking: No
Entrees: $20-$26
Just how is that scallop corndog standing up? Is it levitating?
Posted by: Martha | November 01, 2011 at 08:38 AM
We both were so overcome with giggles we forgot to investigate just how the stick was anchored. Don't they serve these at the Illinois State Fair?
Posted by: ann | November 01, 2011 at 08:44 AM