4 Must-Try Dishes to Keep You Warm on Dish Society's Winter Menu

As cool nights signal the changing of wardrobes from short sleeves to sweaters, it also means new seasonal menus are on the rise to usher diners from warm weather plates to winter-inspired meals. Reflecting on the new offerings from fast-casual farm-to-table concept Dish Society, owner and restaurateur Aaron Lyons says, "people are in the mood for different foods during different seasons. Coincidentally, that tends to coincide with what our suppliers are growing seasonally. Our menu reflects that."

Newly appointed Chef Albert Vasquez (Holley's Seafood Restaurant & Oyster Bar, Uchi, Benjy's) adds, "I wanted to create warming, wholesome dishes that fulfill [the] desire people have for hearty, comforting foods during the winter. Our chicken pot pie and spicy red curry chili are perfect examples of that."

Comfort and hearty meals are winter staples, but hearty doesn't always have to be meat heavy. With that in mind, here are our top four winter menu picks for enjoying a range of fresh, light lunch and dinner options at Dish Society. Whatever you choose, it'll be perfect for the chillier days ahead.

1.) Spicy Red Curry Chili

Spicy Red Curry Chili  [Photo: Kimberly Parks]

Cozy up on a cool day with Spicy Red Curry Chili in which Vasquez combines ground pork, white cheddar, and green onions in a cayenne-based curry sauce. Topped with house-made cornbread croutons this dish is a textural paradise great as a meal starter or full course on its own when paired with a chilled craft beer. For lighter beginnings (dinner only) turn to the Crispy Pork Belly Bites or the Goat Cheese Crostini, two crunchy options that evoke seasonal vibes via pecans and smoked maple syrup in the former and caramelized onions and balsamic glaze in the latter.

2.) Green Bean Salad

Green Bean Salad  [Photo: Kimberly Parks]

The winter menu boasts four fresh spins on winter greenery: the perky Green Bean Salad of pickled mushrooms, charred pickled onions, and a soft boiled egg dressed deliciously in a red wine Dijon vinaigrette; Bacon & Egg Salad which is just as good as it sounds with the happy marrying of crispy bacon and soft boiled countered by punchy pickled red onion and a mustard vinaigrette; Roasted Beet Salad featuring red and golden Texas beets and goat cheese, and a Grilled Pear Salad that pairs a champagne vinaigrette with almonds, parmesan and arugula.

3.) Brisket Stuffed Sweet Potato

Brisket Stuffed Sweet Potato  [Photo: Kimberly Parks]

If meat is on your to-eat list don't miss the astonishingly generous Brisket Stuffed Sweet Potato: a plate-sized tuber from Atkinson Farms is baked to a create a fluffy orange boat that is overflowing with grass fed brisket doused in house-made BBQ sauce and topped with green onions, cheddar, and cabbage slaw. Resist the urge to stuff yourself (ha!) as speaking from experience this dish makes for killer leftovers.

4.) Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding [Photo: Kimberly Parks]

Dessert is always worth saving room for and Dish Society delivers with a Sweet Potato Bread Pudding that is kind of like the best S'More spin-off you can imagine. Toasted marshmallow oozes out from between layers of pudding while a thick band of house made caramel and pile of pecans lay enticingly on the plate. If guilt is getting to you don't let it. You gotta get your vitamin A from somewhere, right?