April 28, 2021

Reservations will be available in two weeks for the first guests at Harvester Kitchen by Bryan, assuming all stays on track at the new downtown restaurant.

“It’s really what I had envisioned,” said owner Bryan Moscatello, looking around the completely renovated space inside the Harvester Building at 196 E. Sixth St.

Moscatello has opened plenty of restaurants in his career – from Washington, D.C., where he most recently served as executive chef of The Oval Room, to Aspen, Utah, and Panama City, Florida.

“But the biggest difference for me now is I don’t have that person above me,” said Moscatello, who moved to Sioux Falls a few months ago. “The final decisions were always one step above me. This one is kind of a bit more meaningful.”

The goal with the design of the space is for guests to feel like they’re entering his home.

There’s a space designed to feel like a living room with a fireplace.

A den is centered around another fireplace.

A central dining table will be set more formally.

“It’s really exciting seeing it come to fruition, walking through the space and saying, ‘This is right.’”

He’s training kitchen staff this week on a menu he describes as “innovative American cuisine” with some French influences driven by cooking technique.

Some of the dishes are ones he had been working on during the pandemic in anticipation of reopening in the nation’s capital. Others are signature items he has perfected over the years.

There are starters, entrees, snack-size portions and desserts on the menu, which will change seasonally and incorporate fresh and local ingredients. There are six potato dishes drawn from classic French recipes and meant as side dishes.

“It’s really designed to have that starter, have that main dish or a combination thereof, so you’re at least having 2.5 dishes,” Moscatello said.

Once he is up and running with dinner service, the plan is to add a “ghost kitchen” with to-go sandwiches for lunch that can be eaten on the patio. He’s also working with the nearby Levitt at the Falls on options for everything from picnic food to receptions around the concerts.

Hiring is going fairly well, he said. He’s still hoping to find someone with a pastry background who can grow into a pastry chef.

The target date for opening is May 12, and reservations will be recommended.

“We have to get open for dinner, and as we’re moving along, we’ll be able to introduce new things,” he said. “Every six months or so, I want to introduce something new.”