Merchant Street Embraces Fall With This Unique Dish

It’s easy to get scooped up in a fall frenzy with all this talk of hot apple cider, big cozy sweaters and football. At Tremont’s Merchant Street, executive chef Tim Crandall embraces the brisk season by utilizing another autumn fave: acorn squash. “My dad used to always eat acorn squash during the wintertime,” he says. “Everyone else in the family hated it.” Inspired by that memory, Crandall set out to create a dish that everyone can enjoy — a stuffed acorn squash and a warm Himalayan rice salad ($12). After roasting the squash with butter, brown sugar and salt, Crandall fills each half with a rice salad of arugula, roasted wild mushrooms, roasted bell peppers and dried dark cherries that’s tossed in a lemon thyme vinaigrette. Each squash, served on top of a beurre blanc dotted with Ohio heirloom cherry tomatoes, is like a mini cornucopia of flavors. “You’re not just eating something soft or crunchy,” Crandall says. “It’s also the mixture of hot and cold.” 2399 W. 11th St., Cleveland, 216-465-1000, merchantstreetcle.com