A Review of Harvest-on-Hudson Restaurant, in Hastings-on-Hudson

Gregg Vigliotti for The New York Times

Harvest-on-Hudsons dining room has a cheerful, blazing hearth.

Harvest-on-Hudson has long enchanted diners with its grand spaces: not only its handsome dining room, but also its lovely patios, gardens and walkways that meet the rivers edge. Hurricane Sandy brought the river over Harvests lawns and into the dining rooms, but on recent visits we found the floors dry, if a bit warped, and the bar in full swing. The chilly autumn weather has eliminated the possibility of dining outside, but the lights across the river still shimmer through the dark, and the blazing hearth is cheerful and perfect for the season.

The executive chef, Vincent Barcelona, knows his onions, and his produce, much of which comes from Hudson Valley farms nearby. His menu is broadly Italian. The sausages are outstanding, and like a few other restaurants in the county, Harvest tries to use the entire animal, from snout to tail. Try the salumi for a snack or a starter. Our choices of prosciuttos, mortadella and speck were dewy and satisfying, perfect with a cocktail. Assortments of local and imported cheeses were ideal for sharing.

Among the appetizers was a rare treat: baked stuffed dates. These inspired morsels were full of complex flavors and textures: salty Valdeon cheese, sweet dates, crunchy almonds, smoky bacon. We also liked the grilled octopus, which arrived under a swipe of lemon and garlic. A beautifully runny sunny-side-up egg with bits of fine guanciale proved almost as good.

Ceviche was too astringent for my palate, as were the vegetables that accompanied crisped pork belly (which would have been perfect on its own) and bottarga (roe) toasts, although a friend who had lived in Italy said that the vinegary flavor was characteristic.

There is a raw bar as well, with its usual selection of oysters, clams, shrimp and lobster.

Pasta dishes here were several steps above the ordinary. Chiochiolli, a snail-shaped pasta, easily captured crumbles of robust house-made sausage, peas and creamy Gorgonzola sauce; and paccheri, like floppy rigatoni, mingled with pulled duck, mushrooms and mascarpone for a wonderful dish.

Also up for serious consideration were fish entrees, like the gorgeous chunk of snowy Chatham cod set on a bed of nutty fregula beads; and the whole grilled branzino with cucumber, date and citrus adding a note of garden freshness to the smokiness. Satisfying, too, were the ahi tuna, seared without and rosy within, and the gently seared red snapper.

Although it lacked excitement, a half of a small roasted chicken arrived moist, prettily bronzed and wreathed with potato, zucchini, carrots and perfectly cooked fava beans. Sauted wild mushrooms and a slathering of melting Gorgonzola added glamour to a tasty but slightly chewy New York strip steak.

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A Review of Harvest-on-Hudson Restaurant, in Hastings-on-Hudson