#3: The Bread Pudding at Harvest

I've had many great meals at Harvest, both under the ownership of Steven Gontram, when Nick Miller was the executive chef, and more recently, with Miller as the owner and Brendan Noonan running the kitchen.

In fact, on my last visit, a few weeks ago, I had an amuse that was one of the better dishes I've eaten all year: a single raviolo filled with a quail egg and ricotta, topped with turkey-liver mousse, served over a grilled scallion in a garlic-chive butter.

Whatever I order at Harvest, I always, always conclude with the bread pudding. It's a legendary dish -- and deservedly so.

All the usual dessert adjectives apply to Harvest's square of brioche bread pudding in a bourbon-currant sauce: luscious, indulgent, decadent. Yet, for all its richness, this isn't a cloying dessert. There are subtle flavors here, like a warming nutmeg note, and the currant and the bourbon both cut through and complement the bread pudding's sweetness.

Dinner at Harvest is a terrific dining experience -- one of the best in St. Louis. Even more impressive is the fact that, in this era of food fads and flashes in the pan, Harvest has been a consistently terrific dining experience for well over a decade, over multiple owners and head chefs.

And in a town lousy with créme brûlée and flourless chocolate cake, it's one of the very, very few places where I tell people that you must save room for dessert.

Harvest
1059 South Big Bend Boulevard, Richmond Heights
314-645-3522

I'm counting down -- in no particular order -- 100 of my favorite dishes in St. Louis. Some are well-known, others obscure. Some are expensive, others dirt cheap. All of them, I guarantee, are delicious. Please do not hesitate to share your own favorites via the comments thread.

Previously:

#4: The ribs at Pappy's Smokehouse
#5: The applewood-smoked duck breast at Sidney Street Café
#6: Beef tenderloin with foie gras and a port wine demi-glace at Tony's
#7: Dry-aged steak at Prime 1000
#8: Tajadas con queso at Fritanga
#9: Kumamoto oysters at DeMun Oyster Bar
#10: Tacos al pastor at La Vallesana

#11: The Heath Bar concrete at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
#12: Beef tongue at Café Natasha's Kabob International
#13: The root beer braised short rib at Monarch
#14: The egg raviolo at Acero
#15: Pappardelle at the Tavern Kitchen + Bar
#16: Carnitas at La Tejana Taqueria
#17: Benne's Farm half chicken at Five Bistro
#18: Dátiles rellenos at Modesto
#19: Hot-and-sour noodles at Joy Luck Buffet
#20: Lamb vindaloo at India Palace