We all know the signs. The leaves start to fall, the temperature drops, cozy sweaters get taken out of storage and the Great Pumpkin emerges in the form of a spice. Everywhere. Call the trend basic, but one can’t deny the deliciousness of “pumpkin spice”.
So where can one go to seek the seasonal joy of pumpkin spice? The answer is—nearly everywhere, but here are some of my favorites that serve it up:
The Bunnery
The greatest and first culinary manifestation of pumpkin is none other than- the pumpkin pie. Although Thanksgiving is still a ways off, there is no need to wait to indulge in a tender, flaky crust filled with a perfectly spiced pumpkin filling. For this, seek the established and time tested go-to breakfast and pastry stop. It has been a local’s favorite since 1975 and there is a reason for that. From now until December you can sit down and savor or take a piece of pumpkin pie to go, and see for yourself why it should be eaten more than just on Turkey Day.
Cultivate Cafe
The new, but already adored, organic cafe, coffee shop and bakery, has cultivated what I would call the quintessential pumpkin waffle. It is both gluten and dairy-free, and one might imagine spiced primarily from their own spices. This waffle is pure decadence- served with a chai butterscotch syrup and topped with salted caramel coconut cream. It is dangerously delicious.
Pearl Street Bagel’s pumpkin bagel, cookie and latte
Pearl Street Bagels
Our folks at Pearl Street have all the pumpkin bases covered. Overdose on pumpkin with a bagel, drink and desert, all populated with pumpkin. If you are seeking this pumpkin challenge you’ll have to go for their seasonal pumpkin bagel smeared with honey walnut cream cheese, paired with a pumpkin spice latte brewed by the PSB baristas and topped off with a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. Warning: upon completion, you may turn into a pumpkin.
Healthy Being Juicery pumpkin latte and cheesecake
Healthy Being Cafe & Juicery
This one is for the purist. Healthy Being makes a pumpkin spice latte with no artificial ingredients or shortcuts. They make their pumpkin goo from a combination of hand-pressed raw pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, clove, vanilla and dates. The result is a robust, healthy and delicious, pumpkin-seeming fall drink. And stay tuned because if you like this option they will soon be producing a similar pumpkin flavored, raw, vegan cheesecake. Whether you like cheesecake or not I encourage you to try this masterful and dare I say- healthy dessert.
Persephone Bakery pumpkin maple loaf
Persephone Bakery
To no surprise, we can count on those at Persephone to come up with the most artful ways of eating and drinking our pumpkins. In addition to the savory deliciousness of their pumpkin spice latte, you can seek the spirit of the Great Pumpkin from their moist, pungent and perfectly balanced pumpkin bread. The sweet to spice ratio of the bread is just right and the maple icing tips it over into nirvana. I thought I made a decent pumpkin bread until I tasted this.
So whether you are a PSL lover or not- don’t be a Scrooge and not indulge in the season of the pumpkin. The pumpkin is here to stay and even holds on through the holiday season so find your culinary favorites
