We’re sure that you, like us, are always eager to sit down at Legume Bistro for an appetizer of a light but complex Chicken Liver Mousse or a small plate of the tender and savory Fluke Crudo – made all the more delicious by the daily wine recommendation. The ravenous among us proceed then to a dish of rabbit or Wagyu beef, accompanied ALWAYS by french fries with aioli, and finish with one of their restrained and beautifully presented desserts.

Let’s all hurry up and make a reservation for another of these feasts before Legume Bistro closes on February 29. 

The owners announced today via email that Leap Day will be their last service in the current space. Future plans include a new restaurant that will be a mash-up of Legume, Butterjoint and Pie for Breakfast. This casual, accessible concept will have more Butterjoint and Pie for Breakfast in the mix than Legume. “Since our hearts are more inclined to feed a lot of people good food than to maintain fine dining trappings, the choice was obvious,” says the announcement. The new space will be open for three meals a day, seven days a week.

The email notes a mix of feelings on the part of owners Trevett and Sarah Hooper. There is sadness, of course, at the end of an amazing (and demanding) run on Craig Street, but also a charge of optimism: “Excitement abounds because the end of Legume clears the way for a new beginning. We are excited to compost Legume into something even better and with the advantage of thirteen and a half years of hindsight.” 

By way of explanation for the change, the Hoopers add: “The conditions from which Legume was born have changed radically in the past four years. Operating costs have gone up at the same time the restaurant market has become oversaturated. This has led us to run Legume with a skeleton crew over the past year. Running Legume this way has led to managers and other staff being spread too thin. Cracks in our ability to consistently maintain high standards have begun to show, and we see how operating this way is wearing on many of our staff.”

In a Table Magazine article from the Summer 2019 issue, Trevett presaged the big change by saying, “We’ve received a lot of national press and accolades over the years, but it’s really gotten me wound up and stressed out trying to maintain standards and outdo myself from one year to the next. I actually think this ambitious striving has taken us away from our true mission, which has always been to take care of the people who come to eat with us week after week, year after year.”

 As some of those appreciative diners, all of us at Table raise a toast tonight to the talented Hoopers and their wonderful crew. They created a memorable part of Pittsburgh’s food scene, and we wish them well as they go on to create another.

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