The Houston Brothers have struck again, and this time with a full restaurant concept. What is one of the hottest tickets in town has an impressive selection of seasonal dishes that come by way of Luke Reyes. One of the most innovative is the delicata squash with persimmon, burrata, and smoked trout roe for a surprising pairing of ingredients that create a perfect harmony of soft and crunchy and sweet and salty flavors.

Chef Kuniko Yagi’s pumpkin toast (another misnomer for kabocha squash) is inspired by yakimanju, a traditional dish of the Gunma Prefecture of Japan comprised of grilled soft buns coated with sweet and salty miso. Hinoki & The Bird’s version starts with a toasted crostini of baguette that is topped with house-made miso jam, sliced kabocha squash, and soft goat cheese. The toast is finished with a drizzle of honey and sprinkled with roasted pumpkin seeds and Maldon salt. [Photo: Dylan + Jeni]

Although it is a little trek for most, after being seated at a table with stunning ocean and cliffside views, there is no doubt that the trip was worth it. It doesn’t hurt that recently-appointed chef de cuisine Charles Olalia has brought a fresh menu revamp to the Palos Verdes gem, with subtle (and not so subtle) injections of his Filipino heritage. His butternut squash soup, accented by a hint of coconut milk and served tableside with a hearty base of duck confit and spaghetti squash, is arguably the best in town.

What is perhaps the most interesting uses of squash comes by way of John Rivera Sedlar at his modern Latin eatery. The acorn squash tamal uses the squash in lieu of any corn husk, and is filled with diced roasted pork shoulder and guajillo chile sauce.

Hangari Bajirak Kalguksoo is the epitome of a strip mall hole in the wall, and as one would hope, serves one of the best versions of their namesake clam soup with knife-cut noodles in town. Theirs comes with generous slices of kabocha squash, adding welcome sweet bites to the enormous serving of soup.

This East Hollywood pizza joint serves up Neopolitan-style pizza from their wood burning ovens. Their seasonal offering is topped with butternut squash, bufala mozzarella, sage oil, pancetta, pumpkin seeds, and is a surefire crowd pleaser.

Café Gratitude makes great strides in demonstrating that vegan cuisine doesn’t have to taste like cardboard. Their vegan butternut squash risotto with arborio rice, rosemary butternut squash, red onion, cashew crème fraîche, glazed walnuts, brazil nut parmesan, and preserved lemon is flavorful with a nice crunch.

This Korean bakery is tucked away in Koreatown Plaza, and specializes in what is arguably the most popular Korean dessert, tteok. The glutinous rice cake comes in a wide variety of preparations, but a popular seasonal variety is mixed with hearty chunks of kabocha squash, assorted beans, and chestnuts and is coated with a sweet glaze for a mildly sweet, sticky dessert perfect to conclude a spicy Korean meal or as a light snack.

This classic French bistro was one of the first restaurants to break ground in the now revitalized Arts District. Their tarte aux courge, or butternut squash tart, is topped with butternut squash, emmentaler, fried sage, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate, and arugula for those who want to get très français with their fall meal.

Perhaps one of the most familiar squash dishes is butternut squash ravioli. Republique’s butternut squash agnolotti is their take on the classic dish, and comes with brown buttered sage, grated amaretti cookies, and parmesan cheese.

This hole in the wall Japanese restaurant is a true West Hollywood gem. Their tempura pumpkin (actually kabocha squash) with curry salt comes piping hot and is best eaten dunked in the accompanying side of flavored salt and washed down with their popular tableside bamboo sake. The tempura is included in Yatai’s extensive happy hour menu, and at $3 is a real steal.

The squash craze has even hit Chipotle’s Southeast Asian-inspired fast casual concept. ShopHouse’s butternut squash is wok-fried with garlic, chilies, and fresh Thai basil, and is a great way to get a taste of the season on your lunch break.