Autumn is upon us and with this new fall season comes cozy trends in fashion (hello, boots and sweaters) and decor (we see those pumpkins and mums on your doorstep) and our favourite, food. When the days turn chilly and damp, we start to crave comfort foods and seasonal flavours, and White Rock’s restaurants and coffee shops are ready to satisfy that craving with seasonal menus, harvest flavours and all the pumpkin spice you can handle!
Fall in White Rock means Oktoberfest at Ulis and this year is no exception. From September 22 to October 7 book a table at Uli’s Restaurant and enjoy a traditional menu of German favourites. The menu includes ham hocks “the size of your head” or Weisswurst (a traditional Bavarian sausage) served with mashed potato, sauerkraut and red cabbage, and Sauerbratten, a German “soured” roast served with red cabbage and semmelknödel (dumplings). Plus there’s spaetzle and pretzels and apple strudel, and German beer! The folks at Uli’s go all out to make it feel like a classic Oktoberbest celebration, from the lederhosen and dirndl skirts to Franzl and his squeezebox (if you know, you know) performing German drinking songs!
Thanksgiving will soon be upon us and the incredibly popular take-home Thanksgiving dinners from Hillcrest Bakery and Deli are back. Made from scratch, the dinners include all of the traditional fixings including roast turkey, mashed potato, stuffing, veggies, gravy, cranberry sauce, and of course dessert, which is your choice of a classic butter tart or pumpkin tart! Dinners are available for pick up or delivery on Saturday, October 7th, or pick up only on Sunday, October 8th. And while you’re ordering dinner, you may as well order extra dessert, and arguably pie is the must-have fall dessert. While the jury seems to be split between a classic apple pie and the less popular, but much loved, pumpkin pie, every year the folks at Hillcrest bake, from scratch, their own unique blend of pumpkin or apple, and spices into a delicious, light and flaky deep-dish pie crust and they might just be better than your grandmother’s pies! Order both and see for yourself.
For those who love Jan’s on the Beach, and really who doesn’t, you can pick up your Thanksgiving Dinner hot and ready to go on Sunday, October 8. This 3-course meal comes with a salad, fresh herb-roasted turkey breast, buttermilk mashed potatoes, homemade stuffing, gravy, orange cranberry sauce and Jan’s delicious Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake. Order by the end of the day Friday, October 6.
And for Thanksgiving dinner with a view, and no work, make a reservation at the Washington Avenue Grill on Sunday, October 8 or Monday, October 9. Enjoy house-brined roasted turkey breast with herb stuffing, mushroom gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, balsamic glazed brussel sprouts and carrots and an orange-spiced cranberry jam.
If you are one of the aforementioned pumpkin pie lovers but are feeling the need to elevate your dessert, then get yourself to Chez Christophe. Try the Pecan & Caramel Gateaux de Voyage (Travel Cake), a toasted pecan sponge cake layered with salted caramel and glazed with 35% caramelized white chocolate. Or the Pumpkin Spice Latte Cube – their signature croissant cube filled with homemade pumpkin spice latte mix made with espresso and real pumpkin puree. And don’t miss the Pumpkin Tarts created in collaboration with Vancouver’s Paragon Tea Room: featuring cinnamon namelaka (kind of a cross between a super smooth ganache and creme patisserie), Paragon roasted green tea monte and pumpkin filling on a tart shell. This is not your grandmother’s pumpkin pie!
Our favourite vegan eatery, Grounds and Greens Cafe, is taking fall head-on and bringing back the Pumpkin King and the Great Pumpkin Latte. In keeping with the great tradition of pumpkin spice lattes, the Great Pumpkin Latte is a frothy and smooth pumpkin spice latte topped with coconut whip, caramel sauce, graham cracker crumble, and pumpkin pie meringue. Its partner in all things fall, the Pumpkin King is an autumn twist on their classic “Ice Queen”, an epic whipped coffee confection. And their popular s’mores cookie has been reinvented for fall with a vanilla base, roasted sweet potato, candied pecans and a caramelized marshmallow on top! Put them together and you have the quintessential fall experience.
Cooler days and changing colours mean more full-bodied beers are in demand, and White Rock’s craft breweries have got you covered. Try 3 Dogs Brewing‘s “Scoobys Spice Sour”, with hints of cardamom and apricot it is a perfect fall sour. White Rock Beach Beer‘s “Border”, is a Baltic-style Porter with a big, malty aroma and chocolate notes. Sure to keep you warm on cool autumn nights. Or maybe you’re not quite ready to let summer go, in which case Galaxie Craft Brew House‘s Solar Pineapple Sour is just as summery as it sounds. At 4.5% ABV, it’s a nice light option on a beautiful day and just might transport you, at least in mind, to a tropical beach
