With autumn finally upon us, chefs across the country will look to integrate seasonal ingredients into their menus. Gone are those sultry summer days that call for crisp, cool, refreshing meals. As temperatures fall, the food will become richer, celebrating the harvest bounty and taking advantage of our natural cravings for rich foods with lots of butter, cream, and other decadent ingredients.

For some kitchen generals, the mission plan will focus on game, a perennial favorite of the waning months of the year for many. Chef Todd Gray of Equinox Restaurant in Washington, DC, for instance, has a special penchant for game in the fall. He told Cork & Knife he is thinking “about Breast of Scottish Pheasant with Apple-Chestnut Puree, Sausage Stuffed Cabbage, and Foie Gras Pheasant Jus.” He added that he could always shave some white truffles over the dish to be completely over the top, but he would prefer to save them for another dish because the pheasant stands nicely on its own.

In the Santa Monica Mountains of California, Steve Rojas of Saddle Peak Lodge will celebrate his first anniversary as Executive Chef there by turning to a number of spices. Rojas enjoys using cinnamon, cloves, and star anise around this time of year. Like others, he will also celebrate the harvest bounty with vegetables like sunchokes and squash. But the restaurant is perhaps best known for game dishes. The current menu reads like a directory of game from an enterprising butcher shop: elk, buffalo, pintade (also known as guinea fowl), venison, and squab.

Game also is a significant contributor to the menu of Chef John Ayaleanos at Birch River Grill in Arlington Heights, Illinois. One of the more unique dishes he plans to feature include Wild Game Chili with ground wild boar, ground buffalo, and grilled bison strip loin.

Not all fall menus rely on game, some keep it simple. Chef Scott Cutaneo of Le Petit Chateau in Bernardsville, New Jersey delivers classic fall ingredients like potatoes, fennel, venison, and Roquefort cheese as part of his restaurant’s menu. He promises “not just any meal, but a dining experience,” according to his web site. Chef Scott’s classic French training includes stints in some of the best kitchens, including the legendary Daniel in New York as well as the Ritz in Paris. His menu reads very simply, however, focusing on essential fall ingredients rather than on the often-complicated preparations favored by some French kitchens. For instance, you might find a simple “White Truffle Risotto” or “Rack of Venison with Vermont Maple Glazed Fennel” to entice you when you visit Le Petit Chateau. The powerful flavors of fall enable this type of simplicity to work, perhaps better than most other seasons.

Atlanta Chef Olivier de Busschere at Nikolai’s Roof plans to turn to the bigfoot of fall ingredients, the white truffle, in a dish he calls “Schnitzel of Diver Scallops and White Truffles on Micro Watercress and Opal Basil marinated in Fig Vincotto sided by Sherry Sour Cream Sauce.” It’s a mouthful to say, and surely a pleasurable one to consume.

At the more casual Metrofresh Café, also in Atlanta, Chef Mitchell Anderson turns to a couple of local favorites to create a Georgia Peach and Pecan Chutney. He likes to serve it warm on top of lamb or pork, as a spread on sandwiches, or even over a soft cheese like Brie or Camembert. Anderson says “finding a tried-and-true and versatile dish like this is a real ‘win,’ whether you are cooking at home or for restaurant guests.” The local, seasonal flavors are sure to be a hit, especially because the Chef describes it as “super easy to make and [it] can be featured in any number of ways.”

Of course, fall means comfort food to many, and several New York chefs will be offering a unique take on the pleasures of the season. One of them, Chef Sam DeMarco at the Fireside Restaurant in the Omni Berkshire Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, offers up a Bacon-wrapped Venison Meatloaf Spiked with Chestnuts and Truffle Whipped Potatoes. Not your mother’s meatloaf, surely, but it sounds like it just might hit the spot on one of those breezy fall evenings in New York City.

Autumn provides a bounty of fresh ingredients for pastry chefs as well. For those interested in seasonal desserts rather than the old standbys like chocolate cake or crème brulee, the flavors of fall can be an excellent capstone to an enjoyable meal. Pastry Chef Ryan Harris from the newly opened Caretta on the Gulf at the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater, Florida offers customers the chance to enjoy typical fall ingredients in a part of the country not known for its seasonality. Harris’ Heirloom Apple Dumpling with Spiced Pecans and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream partners classic autumnal elements, including apples, pecans, and cinnamon to transport diners away – at least in spirit – from the beach that sits just a short walk away.

Whatever your fall food craving, there’s probably a chef in your area that can cater to that whim. From over the top truffles to old standbys like venison, the fall produces a bounty of flavors that promise to warm the soul and satisfy your appetite.