With the beginning of autumn comes the beginning of cozy food season, when hearty dishes help us adjust to colder weather.
From comfort foods to tasty beverages, it was easy to find seasonal drinks and menu items bursting with fall flavors in Montgomery County, Maryland. Below, you’ll find just a sampling of some of our favorites, including Apple Pie-Stuffed French Toast, Roasted Acorn Squash Flatbread, and Grumpkin Smoked Pumpkin Ale.
Silver Diner
Rockville & Gaithersburg
Crafted by Chef Ype, Silver Diner is no stranger to locally sourced dishes inspired by the fall season. Choose from the Creekstone Farms Meatballs and pappardelle, swimming in a hearty marinara with English peas, mushrooms, and roasted butternut squash, or Pork Chops breaded in panko and served with sauteed apple cider kale, bacon, and butternut squash mac and cheese. If you’re looking for a sweeter choice, try the Apple Pie-Stuffed French Toast crusted in cinnamon sugar, layered vanilla crème, and served with roasted apples, pomegranate, and drizzled salted caramel.
Caruso’s Grocery
North Bethesda
Experience an old-school Italian-American ‘red sauce’ restaurant at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda. At Caruso’s Grocery, try traditional dishes like chicken parmesan, mozzarella en Carozza, or creamy burrata with basil pesto, toasted pine nuts, and garlic bread. You can’t go wrong with fall comfort food like a Baked Eggplant Rollantini. For something sweet after your meal, get the Classic Tiramisu or wine down with an Espresso Martini.
Breweries & Cidery Along the Tastemakers Trail
Rockville, Laytonsville, Germantown
Pumpkin spice is all the craze throughout the fall and local craft breweries are no exception to the trend. At Third Hill Brewing Co., try the PS Stout (Nitro), which is smooth and creamy with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice, to help remind people of the upcoming holidays. Try Two Story Chimney Ciderworks Over the Falls Barrel Aged Cider, which was aged in red wine barrels with complex flavors of hints of oak and red wine from the aging process. Locals also enjoy a Grumpkin Smoked Pumpkin Ale from Waredaca Brewing Company, a complex porter-style ale with smokey, pumpkin and spiced notes. If apples are your preferred fall flavor, try Doc Waters Oak Aged Still Cider, an award-winning dry cider, slow cold fermented from their own apples, then aged with French oak to develop depth of flavor and notes of vanilla.
