Harvest Moon Rising

The new and improved, fully renovated Harvest is advertised as a "whole new look and concept, with the same simple hearty food." The look is certainly different, yet the "harvest" theme runs rampant from the color of the walls to the painting on the cover of the menu. Walls are textured and have the color of the exterior of a butternut squash, a wicker basket at the entrance brims with crunchy New England apples, and underneath the starched napkins at each place setting are wicker plate-covers. Tables and chairs manage the homey feel of wood with the smooth veneer of an upscale dining venue. The kitchen is open, and a sleek chrome wrap-around bar flanks a series of small tables at which appetizers can be ordered during busy hours. Harvest boasts track lighting with a bit of a difference: upsidedown T bars emerge from the ceiling to subtly cast shadows off of the warm walls. The patio looks like the perfect place for summer dining from our vantage point inside the French windows, although the chilly night has the table-top umbrellas shut tight.

That the new chef has come from Mistral is less than shocking. The food is not aiming for haute cuisine, but it is far from simple. The new Harvest menu rests in the trendy nexus of haute comfort food, with such offerings as "Fried Green Tomatoes with Peeky Toe Crab and Spicy Cucumber Louis Sauce ($13)." Fried green tomatoes, sure, yet peeky-toe crab radically changes the complexion of the dish. Foie gras from Hudson Valley is another appetizer, toned down into a 'sandwich' on homemade brioche with pancetta and dried cherries ($14). Alternatively, a dish enigmatically billed as "Pumpkin" ($6) is served inside a real hollowed out pumpkin. Side dishes remain a bit truer to the Harvest theme: A Crock of Boston Baked Beans ($4), Wild Mushroom Pot Pie ($6) even House (rather than home) Fries ($4). The punchiness of the flavors is the truest indicator of Harvest's theme, however. Each dish boasts multiple ingredients, each with a strong presence. For instance, the Seared Rare Duck Salad ($9) comes as advertised with roasted golden beets, frisee greens and an overly assertive soy-ginger dressing. Spicy Squid "Rhode Island Style" ($8) is sweetly battered and deep fried, yet manages somehow to avoid being greasy, served in a salad of arugula, jalapeno and tomato. The vinaigrette on the greens renders the squid batter pleasantly soggy in some areas and counteracts the deep-fried taste with its piquancy.

Entrees offer the same bold flavors. A generous fillet of salmon is "lacquered" with sweet mustard and served atop a bed of tender miniature Beluga Lentils ($22). The salmon is served slightly translucent at the core, perfectly cooked but slightly ovepowered by the salty lentils. Oven Roasted Halibut balances its flavors better, topped with sauteed chanterelle mushrooms, baby lima beans and a sweet corn pudding. The tart lemony sauce metes out the sweetness of the corn pudding and the chanterelles complement the mild flesh of the fish.

The Grilled Filet Mignon with Melting Marrow, Vegetable Ragout and Green Pepper Bordelaise ($27) looked succulent and quite fabulous under the floating fork of the adjacent table, as did the Grilled Veal Rib Chop with Marbled Mashed Potatoes and Natural Sage Jus ($29). The boldness of the flavors that come close to overwhelming the more delicate entree options would be perfectly tailored to accent the richer meat and fowl. Vegatarians need not feel unattended to: the Harvest Risotto of the night and the Sugar Pumpkin and Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter, Sage and Mascarpone are mouthwatering in the mere description ($13).

Pumpkin seems to be the flavor of the night, altogether appropriate for the everpresent harvest theme. One dessert pays homage to the bulbous fruit in myriad ways: "The Pumpkin Patch" offers a pumpkin pot-de-creme, pumpkin strudel, pumpkin preserves, pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin brittle, all for $8. Enough to do Cinderella proud. For a bit more variety, the Harvest Ginger Bread is dense, not overly sweet and peppered with chunks of caramelized ginger. It is normally served with rice pudding ice cream (although quite tasty topped with the aforementioned pumpkin ice cream) and caramelized pear cranberry compote. A traditional yet exceptional thin-crust Warm Apple Tart ($8) is served warm enough to melt the homemade ice cream alongside into a slowly expanding pool of vanilla sauce. Harvest's decisive flavors truly come into their own in the dessert arena.

Harvest's wine list is as varied and extensive as its menu, offering wines by the glass ranging from $5.50 for the house red to $12 for a glass of Roederer Estate Brut. Wines by the bottle straddle the spectrum equally, and the knowledgeable sommelier can offer both advice as to what to order and mini-lessons about what to expect from an unexpectedly zesty Zinfandel. Service is polished, efficient and extremely friendly.

The ambiance and prices of Harvest put it into a category presently occupied by few restaurants in Harvard Square. The food remains rustic, hearty and flavorful if occasionally a bit rough around the edges.

The Harvest 44 Brattle Street 868-2255