Here's Your Fall Menu Preview

It’s pretty darn tough to think about autumn when the weather in much of the country still approximates a sauna, but for some restaurateurs, it’s never too early to get a drop on the upcoming season. Consider the following:

• McDonald’s recent announcement that it would launch the McCafé Pumpkin Spice Latte on August 31 seemed to make it the first major brand to market the seasonal specialty; at the same time, it neatly preempted Starbucks, which typically introduces its massively popular Pumpkin Spice Latte on the day after Labor Day. But wait a minute, folks. Both beverage behemoths have been bested by Dunkin’ Donuts, which roared into New York City with its own pumpkin-inflected coffees on August 18, while simultaneously trumpeting their nationwide rollout on August 29. Good grief, Charlie Brown, menus will be awash in great pumpkin flavors more than two months before Halloween.
• Full-service restaurants also seem to be rushing things a bit. LongHorn Steakhouse’s rotating seasonal menu, dubbed Peak Season, is already showcasing its Flavors of Fall, which include Smoked Gouda Green Beans that replace this summer’s Fire-Grilled Corn on the Cob finished with Mexican crema and Parmesan cheese.
• Since cooler weather naturally demands heartier flavors, it’s worth keeping an eye on shakshuka, a Middle-Eastern specialty that is featured on menus at Shaya in New Orleans and Dizengoff in Philadelphia and New York City. Both concepts showcase the cuisine of Israel, where the dish, which typically comprises eggs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce with vegetables, is a breakfast favorite. Variations are popping up at chains like Chicago’s Argo Tea, where the Shakshuka,Feta & Red Pepper puts fresh eggs atop layers of roasted red peppers, feta cheese, baby spinach leaves and croissant dough; and Austin’s Snap Kitchen, where a local farm egg is cooked over-easy in a spicy tomato sauce and topped with chickpeas and crumbled feta.

Another hearty breakfast import, khachapuri, is native to Georgia—the country, not the state—and has turned up on Bon Appetit magazine’s list of What’s Hot in 2016. A kind of bread bowl filled with cheese and  egg, the dish is on bills of fare at Compass Rose in Washington, DC, and Sub Rosa Bakery in Richmond, VA, among other places.

• Speaking of hearty fare, foodie newsletter Tasting Table has run stories on savory versions of sweet standards, like the Salt Cod and Creme Fraiche Doughnuts at Beacon Tavern in Chicago or the Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion Jam Doughnuts at Doughnut Project in New York City. The piece neglected to mention a couple of nifty variations on this theme. The Tom + Chee chain, which focuses on tomato soup and grilled cheese, created the BBQ + Bacon signature sandwich that puts a layer of BBQ potato chips and bacon between a sliced, glazed doughnut. And Chicago’s Boeufhaus offers an appetizer of Short-Rib Beignets, served with jus for dipping.

Finally, for everyone who can’t bear to see this sizzling summer cool down, there’s some very good news. A state-fair favorite has crossed over from the midway to the mainstream with Wal-Mart’s introduction of—wait for it!—Deep-Fried Twinkies. These little gems are battered and partially fried before being frozen. They need to be finished for a short time in an oven or frying pan, but will give consumers an opportunity to savor the flavors of summer well into fall and beyond.  

Photo of Snap Kitchen’s Shakshuka courtesy of Nation’s Restaurant News