Chefs warming up cooling days with hot local cuisine

With autumn in the air and winter in hot pursuit, area restaurants are making seasonal changes in both schedule and menu.

Feather and Flour, the trendy Palmer eatery which features fjord-, forest-, and farm-to-table cuisine with fresh local ingredients, recently transitioned to a new schedule that highlights the best of what the restaurant has learned in its two years of existence. Originally opening its doors as a brunch place, owners Heather Greenwood and Luke Hyce later added weekend dinner service, a special oyster night menu once a week, and light lunch for the summer months.

The oyster dinner is gone for the winter, although the fresh oysters will remain on the dinner menu. Brunch is now being served Sundays and Mondays, with dinner service set to begin in November on Fridays and Saturday. This weekend will be the last opportunity to take advantage of Feather and Flour’s popular three-course, price-fixed dinner service before the restaurant transitions to a traditional dinner menu with small and large sharing plates, entrees, and desserts.

Feather and Flour’s new brunch menu features popular standards, like their house-made biscuits and sausage gravy, made with local milk and Alaska-raised pork, alongside creative new dishes that highlight the bounty of autumn. Among them are cinnamon-spiced crabapple pancakes with vanilla whipped cream, candied pecans, and maple syrup, and Sous Chef Meagan Binkley’s pumpkin streusel bread.

Reservations are highly recommended.

In Wasilla, The Grape Tap remains open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday, and tasty autumnal fare awaits. Midweek special is Wine Down Wednesday, which offers a half-priced appetizer with the purchase of a bottle of wine.

Among the latest additions to the menu is an autumn grilled chicken salad from Chef Gretchen Hopping that’s composed of organic mixed greens, burrata, roasted acorn squash, cinnamon-and-sugar roasted almonds, and dried blueberries tossed with an apricot vinaigrette. Grilled steak or Portobello mushrooms can be substituted for the chicken.

In addition to the regular menu, nightly and weekly dinner specials are always available. French onion soup with gruyere crostini, topped with seared tenderloin bites, is a special this week.

In addition to regular dinner service, The Grape Tap will continue to do a monthly wine-tasting for the winter. These events feature five different wines, each paired with a light food course. Reservations are required. Keep an eye on The Grape Tap Facebook for dates and times.

The popular Dining in the Dark event will also continue monthly into the winter. A culinary adventure, Dining in the Dark is set in The Grape Tap’s lower level and challenges diners to enjoy a surprise three-course meal, with wine, while blindfolded.

The next dinner in the dark is set for Halloween. Costumes and reservations are encouraged. A new fall-winter menu will be unveiled this weekend at the Chop House at Lake Lucille. Meanwhile, the lunch service introduced in the summer will continue, although with slightly reduced hours.

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Mondays are dinner only, featuring the popular Burger and Brew special that includes a cheeseburger and local craft beer for $21. Service starts at 4 p.m.

Wine Flight Wednesdays are also a weekly fixture at Chop House, which follows with a Thursday night prime rib special – a 14-ounce cut with mashed potatoes and vegetable for $46. Looking ahead, the restaurant will be offering a huge Thanksgiving buffet from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 28. Among the featured offerings are turkey, ham, salmon, and prime rib.

Later in the year, on Dec. 10, Chop House is touting “an evening of indulgence,” for its Sips and Cigars night, where you can enjoy your favorite bourbons and a premium cigar. Chef Edward Rollins and his crew have curated a special meal for the evening, which will be served in a private space with access to outdoor smoking areas warmed by fireplaces.

Seating is limited, and reservations are required.