| CHOW BELLA | t Café Fall Flavors Savor the flavors of the season at these 12 metro Phoenix spots. BY GERI KOEPPEL N ow that daily high tempera- tures are firmly under 100 degrees, it’s time to usher in the long-awaited flavors of fall. Pumpkin is a given, but beyond that, apples, caramel, cranberries, figs, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts are making welcome appearances again on Valley menus. Here are a dozen metro Phoenix restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and breweries with dishes and drinks show- casing the tastes of the season. Caffe Vita 509 West McDowell Road 602-675-3227 caffevita.com The sweet-and-salty miso caramel latte ($7 for 12 ounces, $8 for 16 ounces) is a special at Caffe Vita, a Seattle staple that opened its ninth location on McDowell Road last summer. The drink is brewed with artisan Jonboy caramel, another Seattle favorite, and creamy white miso paste. If you want something more traditional: Anyone who wears a costume to the shop anytime in October gets a free 12-ounce Great Pumpkin drink, made with real, organic pumpkin. The Farish House 816 North Third Street 602-281-6659 farishhouse.com Leave it to Farish House chef and co-owner Lori Hassler to concoct a homey and hearty yet dignified comfort food dish out of the best autumn has to offer. She says they call this out in the kitchen as “pork chop and applesauce” (a sly reference to an episode of The Brady Bunch), but that’s laughably humble. It’s a 10-ounce bone-in Frenched chop that’s brined, pan-seared, topped with a chunky, savory apple-fig chutney, and cooked down with Marsala wine, caramelized onions, and thyme, with a smattering golden raisins and cranberries ($29). This sweet and savory stunner is accompanied by duck fat fingerlings and pomegranate-glazed fall vegetables. Mingle + Graze 48 South San Marcos Place, Chandler 480-726-2264 mingleandgraze.com At Mingle + Graze, a cozy café and wine and cheese shop in historic downtown Chandler, the aptly named Fall Crunch Salad ($13.50) hits several seasonal notes with Brussels sprouts, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin spiced Gouda, bacon, apples, and apple pie vinaigrette. Owner Mahfam Moeeni-Alarcon started the business in 2017 and opened the storefront in 2019, providing cheese tastings and cooking classes in addition to a funky little place to nosh. It won Best of Phoenix for best cheese shop this year, too. Mora Italian Above: Caramelized pumpkin side dish at Mora Italian. Below: Frenched pork chop with apple-fig chutney at The Farish House. Miracle Mile Deli 4433 North 16th Street 602-776-0992 miraclemiledeli.com Miracle Mile Deli’s TurkeyCran sandwich ($14.50) is loaded with sliced breast meat, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and red onion, and topped with cranberry sauce. The metro Phoenix staple also offers a full Thanksgiving feast ($17.50) after 3 p.m. daily with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, and bread and butter. Both of these stalwarts are on the menu year-round for anyone who wants to conjure that Thanksgiving experience anytime without the family drama. Mora Italian 5651 North Seventh Street 602-795-9943 moraitalian.com Celebrity chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author Scott Conant built his name at acclaimed eateries in New York City in the 2000s and on food reality TV beyond that. He is revered for unpretentious food that lets the ingredients speak for themselves. This fall at Mora Italian, an example of that is a side dish of caramelized pumpkin ($14) made with seasonal squash roasted in a wood-fired oven and paired with a nutty pepita pesto and crispy dehydrated kale. The Farish House Morning Squeeze Three Valley locations morningsqueeze.com The pumpkin cheesecake stuffed French toast ($14) — actually a blend of caramel cheesecake and pumpkin garnishes — is on the menu at retro-themed Morning Squeeze until the end of October. The dish includes two slices of original French toast packed with caramel cheesecake and >> p 32 31 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES OCT 27TH–NOV 2ND, 2022
