Legume's mission is simple: to serve healthy, affordable food.
That often has been a challenge for the bistro's owner and executive chef, Trevett Hooper, who tries to buy directly from local farmers and purveyors before he goes outside the region. His menu, which changes daily, is driven by market conditions.
"We are cooking everything from a raw state here," says Hooper, 34, who opened Legume in Regent Square with his wife, Sarah, in June 2007. "Everything is made in-house, except for bread. The menu changes daily because we want it to be driven by what's really good and what's available."
The 36-seat bistro, with an additional 12 seats outside, has been busy since it opened. Narrow, with taupe and gold walls, earth-tone ceramic tile flooring and wooden tables and chairs, Legume is a welcome haven from the hustle and bustle of South Braddock Avenue's traffic.
Customers travel from all over to sample the fine cuisine, but Hooper says most of his diners are local.
"We are very fortunate to have a strong following of regulars who eat here every week," he says. "Reservations are highly recommended, especially on the weekend."
Hooper never went to culinary school. Instead, he learned his craft over the past 14 years, working in various restaurants and bakeries. His family always had vegetable gardens and went to a lot of pick-it-yourself farms and orchards while he was growing up, Hooper says.
"Cooking is just something I fell into and enjoyed -- I'm not a particularly gifted cook like most chefs are, but I am very good at creating the conditions for good food to be made," Hooper says. "Great restaurant food is the result of many positive relationships with farmers, purveyors, artisans, cooks, servers and customers. I enjoy creating and growing these positive relationships."
A recent menu featured a wheat berry and lentil salad with roasted beets, feta cheese and a lemon vinaigrette. His cream of tomato soup incorporates lobster, avocado, Morita chile, chives and cilantro.
Entrees have included braised veal cheeks with hand-cut noodles and garlicky broccolini; mahi mahi with Carolina Gold rice grits, mango, red onion and avocado salsa; fresh ricotta ravioli with oyster mushrooms and tomato sauce, and chicken cooked under a skillet with mashed potatoes and garlic.
"Our food appears very simple, but it's anything but," says Hooper, who lives with Sarah and their two children in Squirrel Hill. Sarah, a former high school English teacher, helps to run Legume. "It's like a family meal you'd have at home. We don't have any daily specials, because the menu changes every day."
Hooper gets his fresh seafood flown in from Brown Trading, out of Portland, Maine, and Sea to Table, based in Brooklyn, N.Y.
"They buy directly from fisherman, so the fish is always fresh," he says. "Our big goal is working with smaller producers as much as possible. Our produce comes from Anthony's Original Produce in Coraopolis and other local farmers, and Penn's Corner Farm Alliance. In the summer, we buy more locally grown produce, and we do a lot of preserving in the winter."
Legume's sous chef and Hooper's right hand man is John Winters, 26, who has been a professional chef for three years.
"There is no mystery to our food; it's all accountable," says Winters. "Trevett conceptualizes the menu, and I do it. We serve about 90 meals on a busy night, and in the winter, about 75 meals."
Hooper admits that owning a restaurant is difficult, and leaves him very little time for anything else in his life.
"Being a chef means you have to work harder and longer than anyone else in your kitchen," he says. "It took nearly two years before I felt comfortable leaving my kitchen during business hours. Luckily, I knew what I was getting into before I started Legume."
Executive chef and owner Trevett Hooper chose to share his Buttermilk Brine Pork Chops with Kumquat Shallot Marmalade with Cooking Class.
Kumquats look like miniature oranges, but unlike oranges, are very sweet on the outside. It's best to cut them in half and take out any big seeds before quartering and cooking.
This recipe is simple, versatile and delicious. The brined pork turns out tender, and the marmalade adds texture and flavor.
• 2 1/4 cups cultured buttermilk
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 ( 1/2-inch thick pork chops
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Mix the buttermilk, salt and sugar thoroughly and soak the pork chops in the brine overnight.
Remove the pork chops from the brine and rinse thoroughly.
Season with pepper and dredge the chops in the flour.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and place the chops in the pan.
Sear carefully on one side, flip them over, and then put them in a 400-degree oven for about 6 minutes, or until reaching desired doneness.
Makes 4 servings.
• 3 shallots, diced large
• 1 tart apple, diced large
• 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
• 1 pound kumquats, quartered and seeded
• 3/4 cup sugar
v2 tablespoons water
• Salt, to taste
Saute the shallots and diced apple in the oil until softened, for about 4 minutes. Add the kumquats and sugar and cook over medium heat until everything is tender, for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the water. Season with salt.
Place about 1/4 cup of the marmalade onto each pork chop and serve. The leftover marmalade will keep in the refrigerator for days.
Additional Information:Legume
Cuisine: Traditional American, French and Italian
Hours: 5:30-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 5-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Entree price range: $18-$27
Notes: Major credit cards accepted. Handicapped accessible. Reservations highly recommended, especially on the weekend. BYOB, with a $4 corkage fee per bottle. Three-course vegetarian tasting menu every Wednesday. Outside seating in season.
Address: 1113 S. Braddock Ave., Regent Square, 412-371-1815 or Web site
