664481 Tue Nov 03 14:46:09 -0800 2009 32 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 5153211 I haven't been feeling the pumpkin urge this year. Maybe it was the flu. Maybe I'm unable to let go of summer. Also pumpkin seems to be eluding me. Stopped a few places ... nothing pumpkin. Today I went to buy my pumpkin sausage at the Tuesday El Cerrito farmers market and the vendor wasn't there. I was all geared up for that sausage on a crusty roll ... or sauteed with mashed sweet potatoes on the side. Sigh. Haven't tried much this year and most of it has be bleh though there were a few good items. Bouchon Bakery pumpkin macaron - Very nice. I got it at just the correct 'ripeness' ...a slightly crackly shell, soft almost marzipany interior. Three pumpkin seeds decorated the outside, pretty pumpkin color, nice spicing and while I'm not really sure if there was a pumpkin flavor there was the illusion of it with the texture and spicing. Screamin' Mimi's pumpkin ice cream. Just had a taste as I wasn't really in the mood, but this was very good this year. Nice pumpkin flavor that wasn't overwhelmed by spice Cheeseboard pumpkin scone - absolutely no pumpkin flavor. Nice color, moist scone though Jack in the Box pumpkin shake and Starbucks pumpkin latte. I've found over the years it depends on location and luck of who's making it. Sometimes overly sweet othertimes no taste. The latte was fine. The shake had no pumpkin flavor. Sooooo ... anyone have pumpkin recs Past pumpkin posts Pumpkin pie list http://www.chow.com/lists/edit/572 2008 Pumpkin Thread http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/444273 Tue Nov 03 14:46:09 -0800 2009 10264 rworange 1 5153366 Oh wolfie, don't you know who you are talking to? The whole making food thing gives me the vapors. However I am still circling and stalking that Galeux d'Eysines pumpkin at Berkley Bowl so I might do something cooking wise. If only they weren't so large. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/663443 A past pumpkin ice cream thread. IIRC, by the end of it Mitchell's came out on top. I still haven't found anything as good as Mitchell's pumpkin ice cream. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/332978 Gunther's in Pinole has a lovely pumpkin shake. I should have used my pumpkin shake calories there instead of Jack in the Box http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/457241 Along the junk lines I'm finding myself attracted to the pumpkin and gingerbread pancakes at IHOP. I have no shame at times ... or taste. Beckmann's still remains my favorite pumpkin pie with Bear Claw in Pinole second. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/570613 And though it is only pumpkin-shaped, that pumpkin princess cake at Scandia Bakery in Sonoma is good to keep in mind should I need to bring something for a Thanksgiving dinner http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/566867 My not very successful pumpkin stop at Fat Apples a few years back. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/39796 I also need to remember the Spring Hill pumpkin quark http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/40709 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/472460 I'm a little sorry now I didn't get the pumpkin millet bread at Oak Hill Farm in Sonoma but it sounded so ... healthy. Other pumpkin breads http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/338050 Tue Nov 03 15:42:30 -0800 2009 5153272 10264 rworange 2 5153985 You might want to wait on the Spring Hill pumpkin quark a bit. They need a new batch, as the stuff I had last week didn't live up to the usual quality. A bit too much spice (obscured pumpkin flavor), may have been less sweet (not that it's super-sweet, but this wasn't at all), and even worse, a grainy, uneven texture, as if the pumpkin hadn't been thoroughly incorporated - not smooth as usual. Tue Nov 03 20:28:45 -0800 2009 5153366 10074 Caitlin McGrath 3 5155395 The lemon quark we bought a month ago was nicer than the pumpkin one. Pumpkin ice cream at Spring Hill was good. Wed Nov 04 10:27:35 -0800 2009 5153985 14107 Cindy 4 5156751 I've liked the pumpkin quark in past years, but this batch was off. The lemon quark is always good IME. Wed Nov 04 17:43:46 -0800 2009 5155395 10074 Caitlin McGrath 1 5153652 It's not seasonal, they have them all the time, but I love the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins at Hopkins Street Bakery in Berkeley.....something I really miss now that I'm on the other side of the Bay. Tue Nov 03 17:28:42 -0800 2009 5153211 17199 Nina 1 5153669 Ricks ice cream in Palo Alto has some good pumpkin ice cream - really good with a scoop of their industrial chocolate :) Tue Nov 03 17:36:02 -0800 2009 5153211 21485 takuhead 1 5153978 At the Ferry Bldg last weekend, I noticed a sign at Imperial Tea promoting "pumpkin shao mai". Wondering if anyone has tried 'em. Tue Nov 03 20:22:07 -0800 2009 5153211 10039 Melanie Wong 2 5163453 The Berkeley location also has them on the specials menu. They were good but not really pumpkiny http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/665388# I think I need to give up on pumpkin this year and acknowlege that for me, this was the year of the apple. I've had great apples and apple dishes without really trying. While chasing around after pumpkin has yielded little. Di Brova didn't show up at the El Cerrito Farmers market on Tuesday and after driving down to the Friday Oakland Farmers market for the sole purpose of buying pumpkin sausage, I learned they don't have them this year. The place they contracted to make them didn't want to bother. Scream had sweet potato and coconut gelato, but no pumpkin. The flavor of the sweet potato was more Carribean than ... Autumn. Whole Foods Oakland had lots of things pumpkin ... none of which caught my attention. The free sample of the pumpkin pie was ok, but on the bland side. The pumpkin donut holes were a healthy version and there were just too many in the bag to try. They had pumpkin cheesecake, but that is low on my ladder of pumpkin cravings. Didn't see the pumpkin cookies or pumpkin bars. Naia Gelato at Whole Foods had a sign for pumpkin gelato ... they just ran out. The butternut squash gelato didn't do much for me. However, keeping with this year's theme, Naia's apple gelato is great and the free sample of mulled cider Whole Foods was selling was very good ... especially on a cold, rainy day. Lush Gelato didn't have pumpkin on the menu that day. The lady at the shop said she would ask about them making more since it fabulous. Sigh. The pear sorbet is amazing though. Forced to finally set foot in Fenton's, the pumpkin was a little too subtle but the other holiday flavor were wonderful. I also found out I really like Fenton's Ice Cream. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/665395 There was no nearby parking at John's $1 ice cream and it was raining too hard to walk far. And in last ditch desperation, I bought Safeway's pumpkin yogurt ... HFCS be damned. It didn't taste like much ... no spice ... no pumpkin flavor I bow to the food gods and will stop trying so hard to seek it out. If pumpkin happens fine. Sat Nov 07 11:18:46 -0800 2009 5153978 10264 rworange 1 5154073 Marianne's ice cream shop in Santa Cruz has the best pumpkin ice cream I've had. I ate a great pumpkin that was an Australian pumpkin with a pale green skin. It was so sweet that it was great mashed with butter and cinnamon. Tue Nov 03 21:30:29 -0800 2009 5153211 25148 finchycocoa 1 5155169 Tried the pumpkin gelato at Almare in Berkeley last week. . . rather faintly flavored. Wed Nov 04 09:29:36 -0800 2009 5153211 10039 Melanie Wong 1 5164108 Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale - seasonal microbrew bottled by the Pyramid folks. Saw it at Berkeley Bowl W for the first time this season yesterday (it may have been around longer, but I hadn't noticed). I've seen it other places, but cannot remember where - Whole Foods, I think. Sat Nov 07 17:41:02 -0800 2009 5153211 66085 pockyjunkie 2 5164131 Oddly enough I was drinking it as I opened the post. Usually Buffalo Bill is a flop. I avoided it ... but again ... it hasn't been a pumpkin year for me,, so I went ahead and bought a bottle. It is nicer this year with a pleasant pumpkin and spice aroma and a pleasant taste. I bought it at Whole Foods, but almost everone sells it. Raley's is a pain because they won't sell single bottles like everyone else, only six packs ... which is dumb because I am not going to commit to six bottles until I try at least one. Sat Nov 07 17:53:42 -0800 2009 5164108 10264 rworange 3 5164298 That's definitely why I like Berkeley Bowl - the one-offs make it much easier to go out on a limb. The Buffalo Bill Orange Blossom ale (spring) was far too sweet and heavy on the orange last season, so if you feel their Pumpkin's improving, I hope that will be refined as well. Sat Nov 07 19:31:41 -0800 2009 5164131 66085 pockyjunkie 2 5169088 My vote goes to Dogfish Head 'Punkin' Ale. http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/seasonal-brews/punkin-ale.htm Mon Nov 09 20:33:04 -0800 2009 5164108 49974 osho 3 5169116 Unfortunately, I tried it but sort of hated it Mon Nov 09 20:49:32 -0800 2009 5169088 10264 rworange 3 5182221 I loved the Dogfish Head 'Punkin' Ale; it tasted like a double bock. On the other hand, I don't recommend Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale from Half Moon Bay Brewing Co; It tasted watered down. Sat Nov 14 18:23:44 -0800 2009 5169088 43220 ssfire 4 5187784 Any other pumpkin brews you recommend ? Tue Nov 17 01:10:15 -0800 2009 5182221 49974 osho 1 5166271 Liked the pumpkin pancakes at Brenda's French Soul Food shown here http://twitpic.com/oi59i Sun Nov 08 21:50:23 -0800 2009 5153211 10039 Melanie Wong 1 5167486 The only thing pumpkiny about John's $1 ice cream was the color ... and it was icy on top of it. That never happened at John's before. They did have a really swell spumoni with little bits of fruit and nuts ... $1 swell though ... however maybe the best $1 scoop of spumoni in the world. It just wasn't fancy or anything ... low-class spumoni like I like it with green pistachio ice cream. Keeping with my pumpkin luck, even though it isn't seasonal, the only reason I sat down at the new L & L Chinese restaurant in El Cerrito was because of the sliced pumpkin with plum sauce. They didn't have pumpkin yet. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/665833 Mon Nov 09 11:13:32 -0800 2009 5153211 10264 rworange 1 5181796 The chalkboard at Venus listed pumpkin pancakes today. Sat Nov 14 14:43:22 -0800 2009 5153211 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 5182079 There are pumpkin cream puffs at The Bread Workshop on University Ave. I didn't try them. Sat Nov 14 16:55:22 -0800 2009 5153211 92823 milklady 1 5182574 Sweet Adeline has really good cupcakes. The pumpkin cupcake w/ chocolate frosting & some pomegranates is good! $2.50 ea. Had dinner at King of Thai (O'Farrell @ Powell) Union Square and there was a special chicken & pumpkin curry dish. Didn't try it. Sun Nov 15 00:22:35 -0800 2009 5153211 10677 hhc 1 5182936 Had a nice pumpkin shake at the original Taylor's last night -- good pumpkin flavor, not too much "pumpkin pie spice". (If you want to go to Taylor's and not wait in line, a cold November evening is a good bet, and eating under the heat lamps is really not too bad!) Sun Nov 15 07:55:58 -0800 2009 5153211 17199 Nina 1 5183386 Firefly restaurant has Jack-o-Lantern pumpkin steak on the menu. I have never had it myself but have heard good things about it. Sun Nov 15 11:52:23 -0800 2009 5153211 12456 Euonymous 1 5184316 I have been enjoying the pumpkin muffins at Specialty's. For ice cream, Double Rainbow is a perennial favorite. I also like the pumpkin "rocks" (cookies) and pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting at Sweet Things. Last night my husband and I had an informal pumpkin pie tasting. The contestants were Sweet Things, Tartine, Bay Bread Boulangerie, Mission Pie, and Trader Joe's (the ringer - hey, it's $4.99, I had to try it). Sweet Things came out the winner, for their very traditional pie crust and filling. The overall flavor was light, not overly spiced, and familiar - like Libby's recipe. Next favorite was Bay Bread Boulangerie's pumpkin tart. I liked that it had lots of filling, with a deeper flavor (brown sugar?) and more spice than Sweet Things' pie. It has a tart crust rather than pie crust, but that was fine with me. Trader Joe's pie was actually not bad. The spice in the filling was a bit harsh, but we thought it was a good value. Mission Pie's filling had a nice, somewhat different flavor and was clearly from fresh pumpkin; I didn't mind the stringiness of the filling, but there were some seeds which definitely detracted from the eating experience. Their crust tasted good, but could be a bit more tender. Surprisingly, the least favorite was Tartine's pie. The filling was too rich and creamy, not quite sweet enough, and overly spiced - the pumpkin flavor just didn't come through. I also prefer a more traditional crust to their super flaky, super dark crust. I was especially surprised that I didn't like it more since I've baked (and enjoyed) the pumpkin pie recipe from their cookbook (although I might have ad libbed a little - can't remember for sure). Sun Nov 15 18:57:21 -0800 2009 5153211 13664 Anya L 2 5190181 Thanks for doing this tasting. I also saw pumpkin pies, along with apple, sweet potato and pecan at Cheese Plus on Polk Street. I think they are made by Katiana, but couldn't find any info online. The pies are $15. I haven't tried any yet, but I'm tempted. Tue Nov 17 18:23:49 -0800 2009 5184316 11323 melisky 1 5185563 Thep Phenom does a pretty good Pumpkin Curry, although I still find them to be slightly overpriced. I haven't been, but Helmand Palace's pumpkin-heavy menu has always enticed me. Mon Nov 16 09:34:21 -0800 2009 5153211 292347 vulber 1 5190180 There's pumpkin pie flavor frozen yogurt at TuttiFrutti on Piedmont Ave. I actually really liked it -- usually frozen yogurt flavors don't really taste like much, but this was very flavorful, lots of pumpkin pie type spices and such. Tue Nov 17 18:23:24 -0800 2009 5153211 92823 milklady 1 5191831 Pumpkin buttermilk doughnuts on Pizzaiolo's breakfast menu. The pumpkin flavor is not very pronounced, but with the wonderful crumb and crunchy sugar dusting, all is forgiven. Wed Nov 18 10:54:03 -0800 2009 5153211 16006 dordogne 1 5193083 I tried a sample of the pumpkin bread at Semi freddi. It was quite good, very moist and nice balance spicing. Has anyone tried their pumpkin pie? They only sell it whole. Also, Moterrey Market is selling Sierra Glen pies. Any one tried the pumpkin or any of them? Wed Nov 18 19:31:15 -0800 2009 5153211 10264 rworange 1 5196976 Lucca has pumpkin ravioli for $6.50 a flat. They are vegetarian and have their usually ricotta in them. Very tasty with a little sage and olive oil. They are not pumpkin-flavored pasta though, and mild if you're on a bright orange flavor kick. Fri Nov 20 13:42:12 -0800 2009 5153211 10966 Windy 1 5197097 Anyone try Humphry Slocombe's pumpkin 5 spice? Fri Nov 20 14:32:46 -0800 2009 5153211 15001 jsaimd