TGIF Local Lunch Post – Pump(kin) It Up for Harvest Dining

Fall into Taco Punk! Butternut Squash brings a healthy zing to their famous duck tacos!

When it comes to the three D’s of the autumnal table – dining, desserts, and drinks – the venerable harvest squash – the simple, glorious, healthy pumpkin -takes center stage.

I think all pumpkins are great, Charlie Brown, and if I can get my fair share in coffee, beer, pasta, pies, and ice cream, life is good!

Here are a few suggestions to give your appetite a head start for lunch over the weekend and in many cases, through Thanksgiving. Feel free to submit your favorite dining establishment or market and its contribution to the spirit of the season where pumpkin is on the menu.

Here are a few ideas, fresh from the pumpkin patch to consider:

A pumpkin pie latte blended with white chocolate should boost the spirit of the season at Heine Bros.

Tap a pint of Flesh Gordon at Against the Grain Brewery. That’s pumpkin spiced ale.

Taco Punk adds zesty pumpkin to their vegetarian chili as well as a sweet addition to their duck tacos.

Raise a toast to October with a bottle of Punkin from Dogfish Head Brewery at Cafe Lou Lou.

The folks at Please & Thank Youmight just have the corner on pumpkins with pumpkin cake donuts with Ganache frosting, pumpkin chocolate chip loaf , and pumpkin loaf. For some heat ask for butternut squash soup with thyme & goat cheese biscuits

Seared sea scallops with pumpkin pesto sauce leads the bountiful fall menu at Lilly’s.

Pumpkin cheesecake or a scoop of pumpkin ice cream is on the saucer or in the cone at Comfy Cow.

Greater’s has a smooth and spicy pumpkin pie ice cream that is so popular it might run into early December.

The establishment with my favorite slogan -A Locally Grown Restaurant -is Harvest and they have a seasonal offering of omelettes with available squash, also fresh-baked kabocha squash biscuits. Top it off with a Schlafly Pumpkin Ale.

Gluten-free pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, and pumpkin cupcakes are a sumptuous treat at Annie May’s Sweet Cafe.

Order a whole pumpkin pie or a slice and don’t forget the vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Halloween to Thanksgiving, the Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen cater to your  traditional cravings.

Keep this list on the fridge for the Metro Louisville Farmer’s Markets. Many of them have fall/winter hours – and I’d venture to say tons of squash!

Today’s recipe comes from Robin Garr of Louisville Hot Bytes fame. “Food is to be shared,” he said, ” table fellowship and all that.” So Robin is sharing one of  his pumpkin carve favorites. Get  a knife, turn on the oven, summon a few friends!

Cut it into one-inch cubes. Do the same with potatoes and onions. Toss them in lots of olive oil, salt and pepper and roast on a sheet pan at 400 for 20 to 30 minutes until caramelized on the outside and creamy within. Move to a serving bowl and have at ’em.

The slow-growing pumpkin has a lot to offer before becoming a jack-o-lantern! Take advantage of it flavor and fiber by the cup, bowl, or platter!

Thanks for feeding the local economy! Enjoy All Hallows Eve and Day of the Dead in style! Don’t be afraid to buy local!

Let’s close on a musical note with “The Balland of Peter Pumpkinhead.”  This one goes out to XTC fan John Timmons and anyone who’s tired of the presidential campaign commercials.