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Tiger Fork dumplings. Photo courtesy of Julep PR.
Taste the Season: Fall 2022
November 1, 2022 @ 12:00pm
The cooler weather season is known for its vibrant produce — beets, pomegranates, broccoli, pumpkins, kale, apples, pears, mushrooms, oranges and so much more. Keep this list handy to sample all the creative local dishes celebrating the bounty of this time of year.
Bistro Aracosia’s Kadoo Chalou
Afghan cuisine often incorporates pumpkin or butternut squash. One of the most popular items at Bistro Aracosia this time of year is their kadoo chalou: butternut squash is roasted and mashed, then doused with a super garlicky yogurt sauce and sprinkled with dried mint for some freshness and cayenne for a bit of heat. Served with fragrant saffron rice, this dish is warm, cozy and satisfying — all the elements of a perfect autumn dish. 5100 MacArthur Blvd. NW, DC; bistroaracosia.com // @bistroaracosia
Daru’s Pomegranate Aloo
Pomegranate is gorgeous cold weather fruit. At Daru, you can find it in their unique savory dish in which baby potatoes are roasted, smeared with a spicy sauce and adorned with shiny, sweet pomegranate seeds. Order this dish with a side of za’atar olive naan and any of the other delicious small and large plates at Daru. 1451 Maryland Ave. NE, DC; darudc.com // @daru.dc
Del Mar’s Ensalada de Remolacha
A beet salad may not sound that exciting, but this is not your ordinary dish. Chioggia beets, an heirloom variety that are candy-striped and sweeter than other beets, are beautifully plated with blood orange segments and crunchy Castelfranco radicchio, the perfect crisp and slightly bitter contrast. The salad is topped with a fizzy lemon and thyme espuma. The dish is almost too pretty to eat, but we recommend devouring it and washing it down with a sangria. 791 Wharf St. SW, DC; delmardc.com // @dcdelmar
Il Piatto’s Pera in Camicia
You may think of fresh salads with heaps of veggies as a spring and summer staple, but in fact winter salads have a lot to offer as well. D.C.’s newest Italian restaurant, Il Piatto, situated near the White House, features the perfect salad for the season. Bitter radicchio is chopped and tossed with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sprinkled with warm toasted walnuts and dollops of creamy, tangy goat cheese and then served alongside crescents of succulent poached pear. The combination of bitter, sweet, nutty and tangy makes this salad a treat for your tastebuds. Eat it with a sampling of their warm bread from the restaurant’s bread basket, but save room for one of their hearty pastas, too. 900 16th St. NW, DC; ilpiattodc.com // @ilpiattodc
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Muchas Gracias’ Potato and Kale Flautas
Flautas, which translates to flutes in English, are made by stuffing and rolling up flour tortillas that are then deep-fried to make a tasty, crispy snack. At Muchas Gracias, the flautas are filled with a well-seasoned potato and dinosaur kale filling, flash fried and served with a smoky chipotle cream dipping sauce and a garnish of pickled onions. Pair this appetizer with one of their house-made margaritas. 5029 Connecticut Ave. NW, DC; muchasgraciasdc.com // @muchasgraciasdc
The Red Hen’s Mafalde
All you need this fall is a cozy sweater, a glass of red wine and this pasta dish. Mafalde is a wide, flat, ribbon-shaped pasta with wavy edges on both sides. At The Red Hen, they toss their fresh mafalde with roasted mushrooms, swirl it in a silky, buttery, cream-laden porcini mushroom sauce and crown it with a sprinkling of crunchy breadcrumbs for a welcome touch of texture and decadence. 1822 1st St. NW, DC; theredhendc.com // @redhendc
Tiger Fork’s Mushroom and Broccoli Dumplings
Easily one of the best items at this Hong Kong street food spot, Tiger Fork’s delightful dumplings feature thin wrappers stuffed with a tantalizing blend of shiitake mushrooms, chewy vermicelli noodles and Chinese broccoli. Served with a heady chili soy sauce, you won’t want to share this dim sum treat. 922 N St. NW, DC; tigerforkdc.com // @tigerforkdc
Unconventional Diner’s Sweet Potato Curry
There is so much to love about Unconventional Diner, particularly right now when this spot has so many seasonal dishes. From roasted cauliflower to fun, crunchy kale nachos to an unbelievably hearty and delicious butternut squash chili, you will find all the best ingredients of the season at Unconventional Diner. One of the best is the sweet potato curry, where sweet potatoes and chickpeas are simmered in a sinfully rich and divine coconut curry gravy and served with coconut rice. Wonderfully aromatic and flavorful, it warms you from the inside out, even in the rainiest fall evenings. 1207 9th St. NW, DC; unconventionaldiner.com // @unconventionaldiner
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