Best of – All Things Pumpkin

We have officially succumbed to our fall 2011 pumpkin obsession and we’re dragging you down with us.  I don’t know about you, but we remember when pumpkin season meant pumpkin carving, toasted seeds and pumpkin pie, and that was pretty much the extent of it.  Those days are long gone.  Chefs, bakers, ice cream makers, even bartenders are inspired by this orange, autumn squash.  Pumpkin’s being served up in all forms this season — from pumpkin custard to pumpkin cocktails. There’s Chinese pumpkin buns in Chinatown and pumpkin martinis at Art Bar. If you really want to meditate on all things pumpkin, head to Baked for a delicious roster, which includes homemade pumpkin marshmallows, pumpkin cheesecakes, and whoopie pies. Here’s a few of our favorite pumpkin finds this fall…

Golden Steamer
Address: 143 Mott St., Grand & Hester Sts.
Phone: (212) 226-1886
When considering great pumpkin finds, don’t overlook Chinatown.  Golden Steamer specializes in China’s steamed, stuffed buns, which are like pillowy clouds filled with everything from roast pork to red bean paste, egg custard, chicken or lotus root.  You might even catch a glimpse of the chef kneading bao dough in the back.  While we usually opt for traditional pork buns, their steamed pumpkin buns satisfy that craving.  Instead of the sugary sweet pumpkin puree you’d find in a pumpkin pie, Golden Steamer fills theirs with fresh, simply pureed pumpkin and tucks it inside a doughy, slightly salty bun.  You might want to get an early start because doors open at 7am and close at 8pm.

Amazing 66
Address: 66 Mott St., btwn. Canal & Bayard Sts.
Phone: (212) 334-0099
After picking up steamed buns at Golden Steamer, we recommend you head over to Amazing 66.  The menu at this Cantonese spot has over 200 dishes, like bbq honey quail, and more importantly, short rib beef in pumpkin.  It’s one of the most popular dishes all year round for good reason.  The short rib is slow-cooked in a whole pumpkin, then topped with curry sauce. The server will cut it open for you at the table, so you don’t have to spend dinner carving up your pumpkin to get to all the succulent meat.

Baked
Address: 359 Van Brundt St., btwn. Wolcott & Dikeman Sts. (Brooklyn)
Phone: (718) 222-0345
Website: www.bakednyc.com
Owners Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito are constantly reinventing dessert classics at their Brooklyn bake shop.  Their sweet-and-salty brownie and their peanut butter banana cream pie may have brought Baked national acclaim, but we’re obsessed with the breadth of pumpkin  offerings on their menu.  Where to start?  There pumpkin whoopie pies were voted one of the ‘best things Time Out Magazine ever ate’ in 2007. Then, there’s the outstanding pumpkin cheesecake bar — a shortbread crust with a spiced pumpkin filling and tart cream cheese frosting.  One of the simplest pleasures on the menu is the pumpkin chocolate chip loaf or their classic pumpkin pie nestled in a whole wheat oat crust.  If you can believe it, there’s one more. Pumpkin marshmallows are made on-site daily.

Cones
Address: 272 Bleecker St. between Morton and Jones
Phone: (212) 414-1795
Just when we thought we’d made our way through every ice cream flavor this summer, fall flavors arrive, giving you a new excuse for an ice cream run.  If you’ve never been to Cones, it’s a good time to change that.  All of the ice creams are handmade and there’s over two-dozen flavors, many of which are internationally inspired, like yerba mate, corn, or taro.  Year round, we love their coffee mocha chip, hazelnut, and almond cream, but right now we’re all about the pumpkin.  It’s as dense as gelato, super creamy with the perfect dose of pumpkin spice.

Art Bar
Address: 52 Eight Ave. at Horatio St.
Phone: (212) 727-0244
Website: www.artbar.com
Starbucks isn’t the only one with pumpkin-flavored beverages.  Art Bar has taken a cue from the season with an impressive menu of fall cocktails, including a caramel apple, almond joy, and tiramisu martini.  As for pumpkin, there’s pumpkin pie martinis and pumpkin brews.  The smooth body and slightly sweet flavor of the UFO Pumpkin Ale provides a malty blend of pumpkin, spice, and hops that lingers with each sip.   Instead of dessert, try the pumpkin martini, which is like sipping pumpkin pie straight from a martini glass — a mixture of pumpkin spice liqueur, coffee liqueur, buttershots, and cream.

Shake Shack
With several locations around the city, Shake Shack is as famous for its burgers and fries as it is for its frozen custards.  October has just arrived and with it comes new flavors on the Shake Shack Custard Menu.  (Think PB & J or Figs & Honey.)  The custard calendar is revamped each month, and with October comes Pumpkin Pie Custard.  It’s outrageously good on its own or you could blend it into a Concrete along with whipped cream, marshmallow and shortbread cookie. No matter how long the line, it’s well worth the wait.

Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Address: 126 Rivington St., btwn. Essex & Norfolk
Phone: (212) 995-1960
Website: www.sugarsweetsunshine.com
This Lower East Side bakery has been on the dessert circuit for years.  Their cupcakes give both Magnolia and Billy’s a run for their money and then there’s the terrific cakes and puddings of the banana sorts.  And now, there’s pumpkin cake frosted with cream cheese icing.  It’s surprisingly, light and moist with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting, so it’s not overly decadent.  If it’s decadence you want, sample their Pumpkin Eggnog Pudding.

Stand4
Address: 24 E. 12th St., btwn 5th Ave. & University Place
Phone: (212) 488-5900
Website: www.standburger.com
We won’t touch the great burger debate, but we’re confident asserting that these are some of the best milkshakes in the city.   Fact.  They’re creamy and thick, and come in imaginative flavors, like blueberry pie, mint cookies & cream and black & white.  If that’s not enough, they also make Stiff Shakes with liquor.  (You might want to skip that on your lunch break.)   For fall, there’s a frothy pumpkin gelato milkshake, or even better, a Captain Morgan Pumpkin Stiff Shake.

Momo Sushi Shack
Address: 43 Bogart St., btwn Grattan & Moore Street (Brooklyn)
Phone: (718) 418-6666
Website: momosushishack.com
All pumpkins are not alike.  While we’re most familiar with local, orange pumpkins, there’s plenty of other varieties to savor this fall, like kobucha, a dark-green Japanese pumpkin.  Break it open and you’ll find that familiar orange filling with a distinctly sweeter flavor.  We found a wonderful rendition at Momo Sushi Shack in Brooklyn.  A recent newcomer, locals seem to approve of the black walnut communal tables, sushi menu and extensive sake selection.  And there’s a long list of vegetarian and vegan tapas, including simmered pumpkin in a vegan dashi broth — a perfectly simple, yet satisfying way to get your pumpkin fix.

Casa
Address: 72 Bedford St., btwn. Morton & Barrow Sts.
Phone: (212) 366-9410
Website: www.casarestaurant.com
For a Brazilian take on pumpkin, we didn’t have to look further than Bedford Street in the West Village. Casa offers regional Brazilian home-cooking, such as feijoada (stew), yucca sticks or spicy black bean soup.  Casa also makes another traditional dish called Camarão na Moranga.  Simply translated, Camarão na Moranga is kabocha pumpkin with shrimp, and can be served a variety of ways.  Here, it’s carved and served with its puree and shrimp along with Brazilian catupiry and rice.