New York's Best Fall Dishes

Fall doesn’t offically begin until September 22nd, but it’s starting to feel like summer’s already gone.  Many restaurants have changed their menus with an eye on fall.  That means plenty of pumpkin, zucchini, apples, brussel sprouts and meat.  There’s roast chicken with pumpkin pie, dinner and dessert in one, at Park Avenue Autumn, and exotic pumpkin soup in Queens.  For Oktoberfest, we recommend you head to Prime Meats in Brooklyn to feast on their vast array of sausages,  homemade sauerkraut and beer.

Turkey Leg Sandwich – Henry Public
Address: 329 Henry St., btwn. Atlantic Avenue & Pacific Street
Phone: (718) 852-8630
You don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to get your roast turkey fix. 
Henry Public makes a turkey leg sandwich that just might be better than the turkey your family
serves every November.  In keeping with tradition, the kitchen uses good old American white bread and layers it with incredibly moist dark meat that’s braised in milk, crispy nibbles of skin, and loads of fried onions. Hmm, I wonder if they’re open for Thanksgiving dinner. 

Roast Chicken with Pumpkin Pie – Park Avenue Autumn
Address: 100 E 63rd St., at Park Ave.
Phone: (212) 644-1900
There are many signs of fall.  The leaves change color, peaches disappear, while pumpkins appear, and Park Avenue Summer transforms into Park Avenue Autumn. The dining room loses its sunny yellow glow to make way for its farmhouse chic decor.  Really, we’re most excited about the changes on the menu, especially the roast chicken with pumpkin pie (pictured right).  It’s dinner and dessert on one plate – what more could
we ask for?

Bisteca Fiorentino – Lincoln
Address: 65 N. Broadway, btwn. Columbus and Amsterdam Aves.
Phone: (212) 875-5018
Lincoln, a 150-seat, upscale eatery in Lincoln Center, is one of the
most eagerly anticipated openings this fall.  The executive chef is Jonathan
Benno, a former chef de cuisine at Thomas Keller’s Per Se, which means he’s got quite a pedigree.  At Lincoln, he’s crafted a creative menu with haute Italian fare.  Since we’ve been eating light all summer, we’re looking forward to hearty fare, like Lincoln’s Bistecca alla Fiorentina, a 35-day dry-aged
black Angus porterhouse with buttermilk pannacotta for dessert.   

Brussels Sprouts Pizza – Motorino
Address: 349 East 12th St. btwn. First & Second Aves.;
319 Graham Ave. (Brooklyn)
Phone: Manhattan location (212) 777-2644; Brooklyn location (718)
599-8899
It’s funny to think brussel sprouts used to be A lot of
mothers would’ve convinced their kids to eat brussel sprouts, if only
they had served them on top of pizza.  That’s exactly what chef Mathieu
Palombino is serving at both Motorino outposts this fall.  Motorino has
earned its place among New York’s best pizza joints and the brussel
sprout pie reminds us why.  Sauteed brussel sprout leaves are scattered
over a thin, crispy crust, along with cheese, garlic, olive oil
and pancetta.  The result is delicious.

Pumpkin Soup – Lu Xiang Yuan
Address: 42-87 Main Street (Queens)
Phone: 718-359-2108
Restaurants serving the cuisine of China’s northeast region have been
popping up all over Flushing, Queens in the past few years.  Lu Xiang Yuan is one of
the stellar new arrivals with plenty of exciting dishes.  Right now, we’re most enchanted by a dish called the “milk fragrance
pumpkin soup,” as thick and creamy as flan, and laced with chunks of fresh whitefish.  It’s more of an entree than an appetizer, so strategize your order accordingly.  

Surkrut Garnie – Prime Meats
Address: 465 Court St., at Luquer Street (Brooklyn)
Phone: (718) 254-0327
Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovois’ steakhouse is an ideal
Oktoberfest destination.  You can eat the Surkrut Garnie anytime of year, but this meaty feast tastes especially good in autumn.  It’s like a German party on a plate, features pork belly, bratwurst, knackwurst,
tender calf tongue and homemade sauerkraut.

Fried Chicken – Hill Country Chicken
Address: 1123 Broadway, at 25th Street
Phone: (212-257-6446)
New York may soon be the official, fried
chicken capital of the Northeast.  We have lots of terrific options these days, including Pies ‘N Thighs, Bon
Chon, Buttermilk Channel and now, Hill Country Chicken.  The original Hill
Country is one of our favorite barbecue joints, so we were excited to learn
that owner Marc Glosserman is tackling another home-style staple at his brand new, fried chicken joint.   Hill Country’s
fried chicken is “buttermilk-brined-fried,” just like the kind his
grandmother used to make.  And it opened just in time for fall.  How lucky for us.

Apple Risotto – Miranda
Address: 80 Berry St. nr. Ninth Street (Brooklyn)
Phone: (718) 387-0711
We’ve loved this unique, Latin America-Italian restaurant ever since it opened in Williamsburg a few years ago.  Miranda is what happens when two people in the restaurant business marry and decide to open a restaurant of their own.  They both worked at celebrated Italian spots, including Alto and, the now shuttered L’Impero.  At Miranda, their soulful menu features a wonderful apple risotto, laced with gorgonzola and roasted poblanos.  The peppers imbue the dish with a subtle heat, but it’s the caramelized slivers of apple that really make the dish exceptional.

Zucchini Lasagna – Pure Food and
Wine
Address: 54 Irving Place bet. 17^th and 18^th
streets
Phone: (212) 477-1010
There’s no pasta to speak of in Pure
Food’s take on an Italian-American classic, but this
raw and vegan
lasagna is still one of our favorite dishes of the season.  That’s
because it’s
loaded with fall vegetables, including zucchini as well as pumpkin seeds, which are whipped up to look like ricotta cheese.  It’s just as filling and savory as any meaty version.  We swear.