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Pile your plate high with fall flavors at these Chicago restaurants.

Wednesday Oct 08, 2008.     By Stacy Warden

Food Feed

When we're not busy carving pumpkins and bobbing for apples, we really enjoy eating the things. Fortunately they're in abundance this time of year - not just in the fields and trees, but in plenty of Chicago's kitchens. We've rounded up a few crafty spots that are making the most out of fall.

Pumpkin Fudge at Windy City Sweets
We're not ashamed to start our list with dessert. After all, it is the season for baking and whipping up sweet confections. And that's exactly what the Windy City Sweets crew has been up to with its popular pumpkin fudge. The sinful stuff is strictly (and thankfully) seasonal and makes for a decadent holiday gift. That is, if you can manage to not eat it all yourself. The fudge keeps well when stored properly, so stock up before winter hits.

Apple Tart at Lula Cafe
This Logan Square cafe keeps it sweet this fall with an upside-down apple tart, served with sage ice cream and aged balsamic, $8. You may be tempted to skip dinner entirely, but the restaurant's main courses are heavy with seasonal selections, too. Try Lula's butternut squash dish, prepared with matsutake and trumpet royale mushrooms, leeks, baby mustard greens and squash panade (a thick paste mixture), $19. Don't let all the fancy food jargon scare you; this dish is hearty, down-home perfection.

Golden Apple Crumble at HB Home Bistro
What can we say? Apples just make damn tasty desserts, especially the Golden variety used in Home Bistro's seasonal apple crumble. The fresh fruit, picked straight from Chicago's own Green City Market, gets paired up with toasted almonds and whipped cream for one truly comforting treat, $9.

Foie Gras with Apples at Lockwood
And when they're not used as the shining star in some seasonal sweet, apples make a crisp complement to more savory fare, like the foie gras at Lockwood. Add honey, pomegranate, amaranth and ginger crumbs to the dish and call it dinner, $22.

Pumpkin Pizza at Volo
Pumpkin is the new pepperoni, or at least that's the case at this Roscoe Village restaurant. Chef Stephen Dunne uses the key ingredient, along with crispy sage and garlic, to create an autumnal pie, $13. Dunne will also be cooking up butternut squash fritters, we recommend both (or frequent trips to Volo).

Roasted Japanese Pumpkin at Yoshi's Cafe
This earthy treat is a staple at Yoshi's Cafe. The Lakeview restaurant takes a Japanese Pumpkin, which is actually green in color (think acorn squash) and completely hollows it out. It is then filled with goodies like tofu, mushrooms, baby vegetables, cumin and ginger, plopped into the oven and roasted until it's good and ready. And that's not the only pumpkin recipe Yoshi's has up its culinary sleeve. On occasion, the restaurant will serve a special pumpkin soup, beautifully presented in its own hollowed-out shell, as well as a pumpkin-stuffed ravioli.

Honey Crisp Apple Salad at Naha
Our list just wouldn't be complete without one more apple-inspired dish. And this one is as simple as they get. Naha's fresh seasonal salad consists of "Gem" young lettuce, honey crisp apples, camembert cheese and balsamic, $14. This one is certainly a meal on its own, but if you're looking for something heartier, or just hotter, try the whitefish. The Great Lakes fish comes with squash puree, cremini mushrooms, wheatberries with roasted baby leeks, onions, spinach and lobster red wine jus, $29.

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Looking for more ways to celebrate the season? We've got you covered with scarily accurate info on:

Haunted Bars
Costume Shops
House Party Essentials
Candy Stores
Creepy Chicago Tours
Pumpkin Patches
Spooky Stage Shows