A few weeks ago my husband and I joined friends for dinner at Pumpkin BYOB in Philadelphia. The restaurant highlights the best seasonal cuisine with a daily rotating menu. All diners have a choice for each of the three courses, with the option to add items like bread, olives and oysters.

The dining room is small and cozy. This was our second time dining here. We first dined at Pumpkin several years ago, in the fall, so we were excited to try its summer offerings.

We enjoyed the wine we brought and ordered oysters to start the meal while we decided on the rest of the courses. For my first course, I ordered chilled beet soup. I love the earthiness of beets, so the soup was a perfect choice for me, and I cleaned my bowl. I was most torn on the second course and ordered haddock. It was prepared with chorizo and potatoes. While it was flavorful, it felt like more of a fall or winter dish. I preferred my husband’s order of flank steak with Thai basil, cucumber and carrots and regretted not ordering it. For the final dessert course, I opted for a chocolate torte with peanut butter praline. Chocolate and peanut butter is one of my favorite dessert combinations, and the torte did not disappoint.

Earlier this month the restaurant celebrated its 18th anniversary. With its cozy ambiance and unique menu, it’s easy to see why Pumpkin continues to thrive in Philadelphia’s booming restaurant scene.

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director