Chestnuts, oysters, butternut squash. Sounds like fall, and it is. The Hamilton Tavern and the Brewer's Art rolled out their fall menus this week. They're not posted yet on the restaurants' websites, but I have copies of them. Let's take a peek.
At the Hamilton Tavern, Sarah Thall's new appetizers include crispy fried broccoli and cauliflower with a warm Resurrection-cheddar dipping sauce, house-cured salmon-and-potato pancakes and steamed mussels with Andouille sausage and Cajun butter.
An apple-and-butternut squash salad, dressed in a bacon-and-walnut vinaigrette is debuting, along with a chicken Cordon Bleu and a rare roast beef sandwiches.
Downtown, David Newman's starters at the Brewer's Art include a chestnut bisque with roasted pears and a sherry-country ham cream. Kung Pao sweetbreads are new as are the fried Chesapeake oysters with horseradish potatoes. Returning entreethe Utz-crusted cod and a re-booted baked pumpkin polenta. New this year are an Ozzy-brined chicken with Fingerling potato hash and an oven-roasted duck breast with grits, Brussels sprouts and chestnuts.
