The spirit of Clint Eastwood still lingers at the Hog's Breath Inn.

feast

The summer of ''77, while between college semesters, my friends and I used to make the rounds in Carmel. We usually started with Maxwell McFly''s on Ocean, strolled down to Kim Novak''s bar, Sadie''s, and then dropped by the Hog''s Breath Inn. I can still recall the fog swirling around us in those heady times--all romance and idealism.

I haven''t visited the Hog''s Breath Inn since, so on a recent evening to rediscover the atmosphere and the food, I could not fairly make comparisons after so long an interval.

Thanks to its famous owner of 27 years, the Hog''s Breath Inn is Carmel''s most famous establishment. After Clint Eastwood and his partner retired the Inn, closing it in 1999, a new owner, Kaiser Morcus, recently reopened with few changes, and is riding the wave of the Eastwood legacy.

The pub is still the best reason to visit the Hog''s Breath. This is what pubs were invented for: A place to relax after a hard day''s work, share a drink and some companionship, enjoy the comfort of a dice cup banging on wood, the tinkling of ice in a glass, and always, the laughter.

The outdoor patio, nestled cozily between the restaurant, the bar and a massive mural, is another good reason to visit.

The evocative nostalgia of the bar, however, doesn''t assert itself inside the restaurant. The interior is a relic from the ''70s when rustic, lodge-style steak houses were fashionable--dark wood, dim lights, low ceilings. If it''s intended to evoke an even earlier historical period, it''s lost in the translation (although a terrific river-rock fireplace is a seasonal attraction).

One thing which I sincerely hope never changes is the service. They make few like our 20-something waitress these days. When I queried her about the soup of the day--Hungarian Goulash--she even offered me a taste.

My dining companion, Susanne, and I perused a good selection of eight draft beers, 10 bottled, and an adequate wine list. We ordered glasses of Ravenswood Zinfandel ($5) and Lockwood Cabernet ($6.50), both of average quality.

We ate colossally, starting with Castroville artichoke soup ($4), Caesar salad ($4.95), and a portobello mushroom appetizer called Humongous Fungus ($7.95).

The soup, while good, played it safe--the preferred risk being more artichokes and less cream; the salad was likewise accessible but could chance stronger garlic and anchovy. The broiled portobello was superb: marinated in wine, herbs and garlic, and topped with carmelized onions and toasted leeks. The sauce was luxuriant and substantial enough to satisfy any vegetable-fearing carnivore.

All the entrees sounded delicious. The concepts are interesting, but the dishes are pricey, with most ranging from $17.50 to $24.95. We had high expectations.

The Hog Chops, center cut pork, came with red pepper coulis, baked apple, wild mushrooms, potatoes au gratin. The dish arrived with a cranberry sauce as well. It was ambitious and well presented, but unfortunately the contrasting flavors were dissonant rather than complementary. And the firm apple would accompany meat better if baked further to a chutney or compote texture.

Susanne''s salmon fillet came with a beurre rouge, roasted hazelnuts, toasted leeks and potatoes au gratin. The fish was dry, the hazelnuts overpowering and the sauce too sweet.

We returned the same week, refusing to believe all the hype surrounding the restaurant was only about Clint. We ordered the recommended Hawaiian halibut and the baby-back ribs. The halibut was grilled nicely, but again, a nut crust (macadamia) was applied too generously and the mango-papaya sauce needed something to balance the sugar.

The ribs were tender and meaty, the sauce thick. This dish would probably please many, but ribs are one of few American recipes where chefs can unleash and make a real statement with spices--take us somewhere we might not go on our own.

It''s every chef''s challenge to balance the tension among opposites (sour, hot, bitter, salty, sweet), and meeting that challenge is the key to great food. A little more experimentation and fine-tuning, and this cuisine might be worth the price.

Dessert was classic Americana, apple crisp or a brownie, but we decided to spend our remaining calories at the pub.

San Carlos and 5th, Carmel, 625-1044. Open daily, 11am-3pm and 5-10pm.