While there are plenty of ways to make the most of this fall season, what’s a better way to celebrate than eating delicious seasonal food at your local Bloomington restaurants? Sometimes you just want to eat at a restaurant and order a seasonal dish that you wouldn’t typically make at home. Here are just a few of the best options for a cozy fall dish as the temperatures dip.
FARMbloomington Restaurant
While this restaurant is great year-round, I especially love eating here during the fall season. They recently switched to their fall menu, serving seasonal dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Their brunch and dinner menu offers the Big Autumn Salad. It comes with kale, butternut squash, granny smith apples, aged white cheddar cheese curds, dried cranberries and spiced pepitas, topped with their mustard and cider vinaigrette. I favor this salad because it includes popular fall flavors and it doesn’t make me too full. Their dinner menu also includes entrees that are perfect for fall, such as the Penne Al Forno. The dish is served with local wild mushrooms, autumn vegetables and garlic mushroom cream. You can also add Mediterranean grilled chicken, salmon or steak to either of these dishes for an additional price. FARMbloomington is open Tuesday-Sunday, and you can visit their website to find their specific hours for lunch and dinner.
Feast Market and Cellar
This restaurant is the perfect place to enjoy a delicious fall meal. Feast Market and Cellar has now opened started to serve new seasonal items on their menu.
You can order the Maple Mallard as a small plate. The meal includes baby kale, arugula, mixed greens, confit duck, shaved fennel, sliced pear, dried orange crisps, sesame seeds and maple miso vinaigrette. If you’re looking for a filling main course, I suggest the Autumn in Vermont. This seasonal sandwich is served with smoked ham, caramelized onions, spice-roasted sweet potato, gruyere, Jarlsberg cheese, maple aioli and arugula on toasted ciabatta. Nothing beats a juicy sandwich, and you can also substitute with gluten-free bread. Their dinner menu also includes the Stuffed Squash and the Duck, both of which are excellent fall themed dishes. You can either reserve a table online or walk in any day except Monday. They are open 9 am-9 pm on Tuesday-Thursday. They are open 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m.on Fridays and Saturdays, and their weekend lunch hours are 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Their website includes all of this information as well as the prices for each meal.
The Elm
The Elm changes their menu quite often, keeping their customers eager to try new seasonal dishes. Their restaurant is now serving their fall menu, and it’s safe to say that I am excited to try these fall dishes.
You can order the Pumpkin in Dashi as a small plate, and it comes with nori furikake and pumpkin oil. Not only is this a delicious appetizer to start with, but it is also vegan and gluten free. They also serve Butternut Squash Caramelle. This pasta is served with brown butter, sage and hazelnuts. This unique, vegan dish combines all the best fall flavors.
The Elm’s dessert menu is a must try as well. For those who love a good pumpkin pie, they have a Pumpkin Cheesecake Cannoli. It’s served with caramelized white chocolate and candied pumpkin seeds. Don’t worry, they still have a dish for apple pie lovers. Their Apple Crisp comes with candied pecans, cashew and oat milk ice cream. This dish is vegan and gluten free too. You can access their website to make a reservation, and their online menu includes the prices of each meal as well. Their café is open from 7:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Tuesday-Friday and their dinner times are 5 p.m.-10 p.m from Wednesday-Saturday.
