Restaurants

Something About Harry

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The signature Harry's crab-cake appetizer is still on the menu and still worth its reputation: two irregular domes of crab and andouille sausage, with a spicy, hammy flavor added by the andouille and a condensed, concentrated taste of roasted red pepper from the coulis served underneath. So, too, are Harry's flatbreads, thin-crust pizzas topped with a choice of duck confit and goat cheese or a boneless take-off on Buffalo wings. Our favorite appetizer, though, was the seared duck foie gras, which echoed one traditional preparation by substituting a mango chutney for the apples found in a recipe indigenous to Normandy. It risked overkill with two more sources of sweetness, a sweet-potato purée and little splotches of a port-wine reduction underneath. But I loved all those simultaneous flavors, especially because the searing on the foie gras was heavier than might have been expected; I could, however, see where some might prefer this particular luxury item with only a single supporting flavor.

After all of that, the same old tiramisu and "death by chocolate" that populates too many local dessert menus would have been a bit of a letdown, but Radcliffe's tray certainly wasn't. The carrot cake was still a carrot cake, but it was huge, perfectly moist and laced with nuts. The delicate apple tart combined both sweet and tart flavors and was perfectly paired with a highly scented globe of cinnamon ice cream. More elaborate were the fresh berries in an almond tuile -- plump, fresh blueberries, raspberries and blackberries (although oddly, at this point in the California growing season, no strawberries); the real surprise was an almost ethereal honey mousse sitting in the middle. Obviously not squirrelly about mousse, Radcliffe also featured one, this time of chocolate and Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur, inside of his bombe, a semisphere encased in what at first appeared to be a hard shell of chocolate but turned out to have a much softer texture, more like what you'd find in a box of chocolate-covered candies.

The place was jumping on both of our visits, including large parties each night, but our servers easily kept pace, providing detailed descriptions of the regular items and specials (and, in a nice touch that should be universal, noting the price up front for all off-menu items). On each evening we managed to put our servers to a stress test, shattering a glass one night and discovering a wayward duck bone in our flatbread on the other. In the first case, we were whisked into the bar for just a minute while a swarm of servers descended on and remade our table; in the other, the host made noises about how he would have to punish the kitchen and promptly offered a complimentary glass of wine as a curative.

Speaking of wine, the list is fairly extensive (as is a secondary list of hard liquors and cocktails) and provides an opportunity to spend a lot or a little, but, given the level of the food, I would have liked to see a little more attention paid to the by-the-glass selections, focusing more on smaller wineries and offering, for example, something specifically appropriate for the foie gras.

Harry's has been high on the list for places to take out-of-towners to show them St. Louis' best face since opening about nine years ago. But even if you don't have guests, you really should head down there for some of the most innovative cooking in town, spiced with a dose of civic pride. (And don't worry if there's a meat-and-potatoes type in your party. The elaborate choices are balanced by steaks, pork chops, smoked ribs, fish and even liver and onions.) Try to time your reservation with the sunset for the fullest effect.

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