Whether it appears as a decoration or an edible treat, nothing better evokes the autumn season than the pumpkin. While many cooks are content to feature the pumpkin and its relatives in the gourd family in recreations of such classic fall delights as pumpkin pie, a number of New York City restaurants strive to elevate the lowly pumpkin to new culinary heights.
At fresh pasta destination Via Vai, in Astoria (31-09 23rd Avenue, 347-612-4334), the seasonal pumpkin gnocchi with sage, speck, parmigiano reggiano, crumbled walnuts, and amaretti is a perennial favorite. Petro Nolita, just north of Little Italy, (174 Elizabeth Street, 646-998-4999) draws on a cousin of the pumpkin — butternut squash — as well as fresh ricotta and parmigiano reggiano for the filling of its heart-shaped ravioli. A simple sauce of brown butter and sage completes the dish.
The Brooklyn-based mini-chain Natural Blend Café & Juice Bar (Crown Heights, Stuyvesant Heights, Flatbush, and Bedford-Stuyvesant) turns out an intriguing variation on the Jamaican-style beef patty by substituting pumpkin and pumpkin spices for the ground meat. Diners get to judge whether the crisp-crusted patty is savory or sweet.
When it comes to dessert, there is life beyond pumpkin pie. The Lebanese-Mediterranean restaurant ilili (236 Fifth Avenue, bet. 27th and 28th Sts., 212-683-2929) combines pumpkin with mascarpone, white chocolate mousse, honey nut squash purée, spiced sponge cake, pistachio paste powder, crunchy crumble, and chai latté ice cream to yield a pumpkin chocolate mousse.
Heritage Grand Bakery, across from Bryant Park (8 West 40th Street, 212-419-9163),
sets itself apart from other bakeries in town by using a proprietary blend of ancient grains, including seventeen varieties of wheat, and an innovative mill to make its dough. Among its creations you will find a jack o’ lantern-shaped focaccia and pumpkin muffins.
Stop by Loreley Beer Garden (7 Rivington Street, 212-253-7077) for evidence that pumpkinmania this time of year extends to liquid refreshment. Enjoy a brew from one of the house’s hollowed out pumpkin kegs, or order up a Pumking Blaze Martini concocted with Fireball whiskey, Pumking Ale, habanero, and a cinnamon-sugared rim. Once you have dispatched the potion, you’ll find a pumpkin candy at the bottom of the glass.
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