8 Canadian Restaurants With Fall Menus

Autumn is the time when farmers harvest their crops and restaurants prepare special dishes. Chefs are happy to use freshly ripened pumpkins, potatoes, beets, apples and pears to create new interesting dishes.

We will tell you about 8 restaurants that cook very well from the autumn harvest. There are both small rural restaurants and large urban ones, with each of them preparing autumn dishes in unique ways.

Restaurant at Pearl Morissette creates new dishes from local ingredients every day. They don't have a regular menu - instead, the chefs prepare what's freshest that day. For example, last fall they combined local celery root, chestnuts, late oyster mushrooms, goose, very ripe pears, cabbage and rose hips. They pair each dish with organic wines, making every visit special.

Photo Credit: facebook.com/restaurantpearlmorissette

The chef of this restaurant, Hector Laguna, uses local ingredients in a creative way. An autumn menu may include dishes such as foie gras and beetroot crêpe with pickled egg and caviar. They also serve fermented tomato water with koji oil and salty roasted vegetables. Botanist has a bar with a great selection of wines from small producers who follow sustainable practices. Their produce is sourced from the nearby Local Harvest farm in Chilliwack. 

Perched on the slopes of Tunnel Mountain, The Prow serves local meats like elk and bison. They offer a three-course menu that includes BC smoked trout and elk oso buco. They also have specialty drinks made with local beer and liquor. For example, the Karabiner cocktail is made with espresso, tequila, vodka, Kahlua liqueur and almond milk.

Photo Credit: banfflakelouise.com

The Deer + Almond menu includes dishes such as local goldi fish with potato pancakes and caviar, as well as trout dumplings, cooked in a French style. They offer a special four-course dinner featuring duck with Sichuan-style spaetzle salad. For drinks, you can try the Silver Queen cocktail, made of gin, Cointreau liqueur, lemon juice and vanilla syrup.

Photo Credit: facebook.com/deerandalmond

Chefs Ross Larkin and Celeste Ma prepare dishes such as Korean-style beef tartare, classic pork dumplings with sweet soy sauce, and marinated arctic char with cream cheese. They use autumn vegetables, for example serving rutabagas with Thai curry and parsnips with miso. For dessert, the Portage offers mango pudding with cardamom milk and wild berries.

Photo Credit: instagram.com/portagerestaurant

Their menu may include dishes such as preserved leeks, stuffed habanada peppers, and blue cheese strudel. They creatively use fall ingredients, for example, combining buckwheat and corn in a unique version of polenta. The Mon Lapin also has an interesting wine list with bottles from regions such as Jura, Campania, Champagne and Andalusia.

Photo Credit: instagram.com/vinmonlapin

This LOUIX LOUIS, located on the 31st floor of the St. Regis, is famous for its use of truffles in its fall menu. They serve filet mignon, rubbed with coffee and topped with scramble and grated truffle. For dinner, they offer a whole chicken with truffle, prepared in two ways - fried and deep-fried. At the bar, try the dirty truffle martini, made with truffle gin and a special brine. Other truffle dishes include lobster risotto and local mushroom cream soup.

Photo Credit: instagram.com/louixlouis

For more than 40 years, this restaurant has been trying to present authentic Quebec cuisine in a new way. They offer two tasting menus inspired by the history and nature of the region. One is served in the basement dining room, the other at the counter of chef François-Emmanuel Nicol. At Tanière³, the menu is constantly changing and can include from 15 to 20 dishes, all made from local products. They serve things like hand-picked lily-of-the-valley shoots on an edible soil (made of mushrooms and cheese) or venison carpaccio with nettles and roasted fern shoots.

Photo Credit: facebook.com/RestaurantTaniere