When the cold and the damp have sunk down into your bones and you're looking for a meal that warms you inside and out, head to Legume, a small and colorful bistro on Braddock Avenue in Regent Square.

Legume is the vision of a local couple, Sarah Hooper (hostess) and her husband Trevett (chef), and its flavors lean toward the rich and natural palette of French cuisine.

The menu focuses on seasonal produce and organic meats. It also includes as many local ingredients as possible, from farms and co-ops including Grow Pittsburgh, Heilman's Hogwash Farms in Sarver and Kistaco Farms in Apollo.

We started with Vegetarian Borscht ($6, included with our entree), a tangy Eastern European beet soup, and the Fried Goat Cheese with Beets and Lentils ($8), which was delightful — warm and nutty with just a hint of citrus.

For entrees, we chose:

18 oz. Rib Steak with mashed potatoes, Wax Beans and Shallot Butter ($29), which was rich, tender and perfectly crisp at the edges.

The Chicken Breast with baked polenta, Roasted Squash Puree and Sage ($17), a mellow blend of cold-weather flavors that would be the perfect dinner after a winter walk in the woods.

The Wednesday Night Vegetarian Tasting, which included the borscht, as well as Root Vegetables Braised in Red Wine with Rutabaga-Potato Puree and Mushrooms ($25) and some lovely greens — prepared with enough style to keep any veggie lover happy.

Dessert ($6-$7) was the world's cheapest tour of Europe: we loved the Warm Gingerbread with Whipped Cream and Poached Quince and the Goat's Milk Panna Cotta, an Italian cream custard served with a sprinkling of juicy pomegranate seeds. But it was the Caramel Pot de Crème that really killed our resistance — the deeply decadent flavor defined caramel in our minds forever.

It's not the city's most budget-friendly restaurant, but at Legume, you're paying for quality — pure ingredients, expert cooking, a warm atmosphere and a meal that will not easily be forgotten.

Our rating: 5 dots out of 5 dots -- in this case, we wish we could give more!

Check out Legume's Web page by clicking here.

1113 S. Braddock Ave., Regent Square