And the winners are in!
A member of PA Eats team was proud to participate as a guest judge during the 2016 Phoenixville Pumpkinfest Best Pumpkin Dish Competition. Restaurants in Phoenixville were tasked with creating their most delicious dish using pumpkin as the not-so-secret ingredient.
When the scores were tallied, the Best Pumpkin Dish Award went to Molly Maguire’s Irish Restaurant & Pub for its spicy pumpkin gumbo with shrimp and scallops. The dish made fantastic use of the featured ingredient, boasting chunks of pumpkin as well as a spicy pumpkin puree that was chock-full of sauteed shrimp and scallops. The dish from Molly Maguire’s also won the People’s Choice award.
Other competitors in this year’s contest included Pepperoncini, which put forward a rich dish of pumpkin alfredo gnocchi with sage sausage. The creamy, stick-to-your ribs entry was comfort food at its finest.
Rounding out the entries was Bistro on Bridge’s BBQ bacon-wrapped shrimp paired with grilled pumpkin polenta and served with a Moroccan sweet potato salad. The tangy shrimp were an inspired counterpoint to the mellow polenta, and the sweet potato side brought it all together in delicious harmony.
Congratulations to Molly Maguire’s for the win and to Pepperoncini and Bistro on Bridge for their top-notch dishes. The competition was fierce, and choosing a winner was no easy task. Until next year!
- Photos: Michele Kornegay
