This roundup of Dallas dining news has a heavy heavy fall theme, which you can tell by how many times "butternut squash" shows up. (Eight unless you count the headline, in which case: nine.) There are new fall menus, Halloween specials, and loads of brunch. Many new brunches have debuted this month. There are a few openings, and lots and lots of sweets.

Here's what's happening in restaurant news around Dallas:

Meridian restaurant at The Village and chef Junior Borges have parted ways. According to a statement from The Village, chef Nick Walker will lead the culinary team at Meridian. Morgan Dillon, VP of Food and Beverage at The Village, will oversee front-of-house and back-of-house food and beverage operations. Borges said in a Facebook post that "we created something really special, a cuisine rooted in my heritage and diversity, something that hasn’t been done before. I hope I get to cook Modern Brazilian Cuisine again some day."

Cry Wolf, the acclaimed restaurant on Gaston Avenue from chef Ross Demers, has apparently closed. Demers did not offer a confirmation, but sous chef Mike Stites posted the closure on Facebook.

Brass Tap, the Florida craft beer chain, is opening a location in Cross Roads, at 11450 US 380 #160. The location will open on October 23. It's from franchsee Sid Patel, who owns The Brass Tap in Allen, Frisco, and Prosper, and has plans to open five more locations across DFW.

Dillas Quesadillas, the local fast-casual chain that does a gourmet twist on quesadillas, is opening a location in Frisco at 2055 W. University Dr., at the southeast corner of US 380 and Hollyhock Road, in November. It's the chain's second restaurant in Frisco and ninth across North Texas and Louisiana.

Crisp & Green, the chain that does salads, grain bowls, and smoothies, ha opened a location in the Work/Shop development in Addison at 5455 Belt Line Rd. #100. This is the fifth location in DFW, following Dallas/SMU, Dallas/Greenville Ave, Rockwall, and Southlake.

Feng Cha - The Colony has opened a location in The Colony at 4740 SH-121, #500, with a menu of teas, bubble teas, milk foam teas, fruit drinks, and cheesecake desserts. They have more than 20 locations across DFW.

Ladylove, the hip record lounge-bar-restaurant in Bishop Arts, has launched Sunday brunch from 10 am-2 pm, as well as new hours for Sundays, from 10 am-5 pm. The menu includes dishes like Huevos Rancheros and Cinnamon French Toast, plus cocktails like the Proud Mary.

Lyla, the swanky new restaurant-bar on McKinney Avenue has launch its new brunch menu served Saturday-Sunday from 11 am-2:30 pm as follows: Brunch Sandwich with scrambled eggs and pistachio mortadella on a croissant; Blini Brunch Platter; poached pear salad with Gorgonzola; tiramisu French toast; Greek yogurt parfait; avocado toast with salami & burrata; eggs ricotta; breakfast pizza with coppa, spinach & eggs; steak & eggs; Caesar salad; and whipped eggplant.

Poco Fiasco from Harwood Hospitality Group has launched weekend brunch Saturday-Sunday from 11:30 am-3 pm featuring: smoked salmon dip with brioche toast & smoked trout caviar; fried chicken biscuit with hot honey fried chicken breast; sausage & egg pizza; Italian sausage hash; maple bacon pecan sticky bun,=; and 1980s-inspired cocktails with clever nameds craft names like Pretty in Pink with tequila, lime, cream soda, Cointreau, and cotton candy.

Bulla Gastrobar, the Spanish tapas restaurant at Legacy West, has a new fall menu as follows: cream of butternut squash, Brussels sprouts with golden raisins & shoestring potatoes; shrimp Montaditos with roasted eggplant spread; chicken stew and meatballs; Mahou beer fish tempura; and truffle panna cotta.

Ellie’s Restaurant & Lounge at Hall Arts Hotel has new fall menus by chef Anthony Hsia including Huevos Rancheros; Croffle Stack, a croissant dipped in malted vanilla waffle batter, pressed and topped with bourbon whipped cream, bacon; & maple syrup; Three-Cheese Panini with Swiss, Cheddar, and American; Harvest Salad with shaved Brussels sprouts, squash, & toasted pepitas; Onion Dip en croque with herbed crostini; cardamom-crusted Hamachi Yellowtail; Spicy Butternut Squash Soup, Cider-Brined Roast Chicken, and Artichoke-Ricotta Ravioli. New desserts include Spiced Pear Cobbler and White Chocolate Bread Pudding.

The Saint Italian-inspired steakhouse has new dishes for fall including the Wagyu Tallow Candle lit table-side and served with miniature Parker House rolls; caviar; Prime beef carpaccio; tuna crudo; pappardelle stuffed with butternut squash, ricotta, pecans, & crispy sage; Diver scallops with butternut squash risotto & chili-dusted pepitas; and table-side shoestring fries drizzled with bone marrow. New cocktails include Smoke Rings After Dark with WhistlePig PiggyBack Rye, Cynar Amaro, Grand Marnier, Benedictine, and Cocoa Bitters.

Oddfellows has a new menu for fall with Butternut Squash Pasta featuring a butternut squash-based sauce, topped with crispy pancetta & fried arugula; Steak Tartare; Roasted Fig Salad; Escargot; Dark Chocolate Ding Dong; and Pistachio Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Roasted Figs.

Mexican Bar Co. has a new game-day menu featuring their signature MBC Burger with fries, wings; pork burrito with refried beans; quesadilla with pork, beans, & avocado; and carnitas tortas with Oaxaca Costra, horseradish aioli, and fries. The menu is only available at the bar and hightops. Their October cocktail of the month is the Socorro Sour, with Socorro and lemon juice garnished with a Novecento Malbec float served martini style for $17.50.

Thirsty Lion, the gastropub with locations in Dallas, Irving, The Colony, and Euless, has launched its fall menu available through November 26, featuring: seared rare ahi tuna, arugula & beet salad with fennel and candied walnuts, Wagyu beef burger with Malbec-caramelized onions & sharp white cheddar, shrimp & butternut squash linguine with red peppers, black cherry BBQ pork tenderloin with white cheddar mashed potatoes, and whiskey Bing cherry bread pudding.

Haystack Burgers & Barley, the neighborhood burger chain, has special menu items through October 31, including a Greek turkey burger with melted feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, and sliced cucumbers; fig & goat cheeseburger with fig jam, bacon, herbed goat cheese, & sauteed onions; spicy fried chicken sandwich with Tabasco honey and pickles; taco salad with grilled chicken or ground beef, greens, guacamole, cheddar cheese, corn, black beans, & tomatoes; truffle Parmesan fries; and strawberry shake. Haystack locations include Richardson, Preston Hollow, Lakewood, Frisco, and Hillcrest.

Birdcall has a new Fried Chicken Rueben, with crispy chicken topped with corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese, available through October 31 at both Texas locations in Frisco and Carrollton.

Hopdoddy has an October burger of the month: The Upstate, featuring grass-fed beef, meat sauce, macaroni salad, French fries, onion, mustard, & mayo, inspired by The Rochester Garbage Plate, a staple often found at NYC bodegas.

Dive Coastal Cuisine in Snider Plaza has specials for October including Tomato Basil Soup, Turkey Veggie Chili, Tomatillo Chicken Tacos, Roasted Salmon Dip, Glazed Carrots, and Fall Apple Salad with pistachio, hemp hearts, carrots, golden raisins, kale, & romaine.

Howdy Homemade, the Dallas-based ice cream shop, has Halloween two flavors through October: Reeces PB Cup and Cookie Nomster with blue ice cream and chocolate cookie crumbles.

Cicis Pizza has a new Tots N’ Bacon Pizza topped with tots and bacon, available to-go in varying sizes, from $10 to $14, through November 26.

Freebirds World Burrito has brought back the Shredded Beef Birria through the end of 2023.

Hat Creek Burger Company has launched a new Green Chili Queso, featured in three new side dish items: Green Chili Queso and chips, fries, or tots, through the end of 2023.

DQ restaurants in Texas have a new Spicy Chicken Strip Country Basket with fries and Texas toast, $10-$13 depending on order size. They already serve a chicken strip basket; this is just a spicy version and it's available for alimited time, how long that time is, they do not say.

White Rhino has new fall drinks: pumpkin spiced chai latte, xaramel apple cider, a S'mores-flavored campfire latte, and blue chai with butterfly pea powder. New seasonal snacks include Pumpkin Loaf, Spiced Krispie Treat, Pumpkin Whoopie Pie (with spiced pumpkin cake, maple frosting filling, and white chocolate drizzle), Caramel Apple Tart with streusel topping, Whiskey Peach Pop-tart, and the Pear & Pecan Salad.

Gong cha bubble tea chain with nine DFW stores Dallas area has two Halloween drinks: Chocolate Horror Delight with chocolate, coconut jelly, Oreo milk foam, & Oreo crumble; and Bloody Taro with white pearls, strawberry syrup, strawberry milk foam, & strawberry swirl, available through October 31.

SusieCakes has spooky selections through October 31 including Ghost and Pumpkin Sugar Cookies, a Cookie Decorating Kit (featuring six pumpkin cookies and six ghost cookies), Black “SusieKitty” Cake, Vintage Spiderweb Cake, Barbie Halloween Cake featuring a Halloween skirt covered in ghosts, Ghost Cake, Candy Corn Cake, and a “Boo” 4-Cupcake Box.

Tiff’s Treats has Halloween cupcake flavors like Spooky Tie Dye, Green Goblin, Eyeball, and Bear-ied Alive, plus a cookie flavor of the month: Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie with Reese’s Pieces.

Uchi has launched Ice Cream by Uchi, with their inaugural flavor, Fried Milk, inspired by one of the restaurant’s most beloved dessert items. Created by pastry chef Ariana Quant, the Fried Milk Ice Cream is made of sweet cream ice cream mixed with salted fudge, dulcey chocolate-covered cornflakes, & blondie pieces. Quant is a first-generation Chinese American and a passionate baker who oversees desserts at all Uchi and Uchi-related concepts. Pints will be $12.50 at all Uchi locations for takeout after dining in, and for delivery on UberEats. Availability is limited, with only 25 pints made per night.

Kate Weiser chocolate eyeKate Weiser

Kate Weiser has a limited-edition lineup of fall sweet treats including a new Halloweeny verson of her hot chocolate snowman called Pumpkin Spice ‘Lil Carl - a milk chocolate snowman filled with Cookie Butter Pumpkin Spice Latte Mix and mini marshmallows that you heat in milk, and watch melt. There is also a new Halloween Candy Bar featuring salted caramel layered with peanut butter gianduja, Halloween candy crunch, and crispy chocolate cereal in a dark chocolate shell; and a collection of chocolate confections you crack open to reveal more treats inside including a dark chocolate pumpkin, a chocolate eyeball, or a chocolate witch. Plus a 10-piece Halloween collection of bonbons including Cookie Monster, Caramel Popcorn, Apple, Pumpkin Cheesecake and Blood & Honey.

Smoothie King, the Dallas-based smoothie chain, has two new Smoothie Bowls flavors: Açai Cocoa Haze and Coco Pitaya-Yah, packed with vitamins and antioxidants and topped with a dairy-free and vegan chocolate hazelnut drizzle. Each bowl boasts superfoods like açai or pitaya, topped with fruit, granola, coconut, dairy-free cocoa nibs, and a new chocolate hazelnut drizzle made with only four ingredients.

Yogurtland has a new frozen yogurt flavor: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie, accompanied by mini caramel Stroopwafel topping.

El Chico has a seasonal cocktail: Mr. Fireball ‘Rita, a frozen margarita with Fireball cinnamon whiskey, grenadine, and Mr. Pibb, available through January 8.

Luckys on Oak Lawn has a new cocktail menu with six new drinks: Luckys Top Shelf ‘Rita with tequila, Grand Marnier, agave nectar, and lime; Uptown 75 with Zephyr Gin and Prosecco; a Paloma, Mexican mule, an adult Palmer, and limeade spritz, all priced at around $13.

Blue Goose Cantina has two new margarita flights – one frozen, one on the rocks, at all seven Blue Goose locations in Frisco, Plano, Highland Village, McKinney, Grapevine, Fort Worth, and Grand Prairie, for $20. The frozen flight has the original, mango, and a swirl; the rocks flight has a classic, hibiscus, and mango.

Cantina Laredo will offer Dia de los Muertos cocktails through November 6: Berry Awakening has tequila, blackberry, ginger liqueur, served with Red Bull Yellow Edition; and Spice of Life with tequila, pineapple, cayenne, served in Cantarito clay cups to take home, while supplies last.

Bar Louie has a limited-time Fall Spiced Old Fashioned with Maker’s Mark bourbon, pumpkin spice, orange bitters, orange peel, and cinnamon stick, classic for $11 through November 30; and Louie’s Cosmo, their featured Martini of the Month with Absolut Citron, O3 Liqueur, simple syrup, lime, cranberry, and a lemon twist.

Harwood Hospitality’s Fig & Favor has launched the Harwood Wine Club, with four wines selected every month by Master Sommelier Barbara Werley, in two price points: Premier Cru for $125, and Grand Cru for $250. Premier Cru for October focuses on New Zealand with Catalina Sounds Sauvignon Blanc, Escarpment Chardonnay, Black Cottage Pinot Noir, and Burn Cottage “Moonlight Race” Pinot Noir. Grand Cru features rare, hard-to-find vintages produced in limited quantities; October’s selection features Ramey Wine Cellars’ Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.

Villa Azur, the French and Mediterranean restaurant with locations in Dallas and Miami, has a new executive chef: Vincent Catala. Hailing from the south of France, he has two decades-plus of experience within his homeland and abroad, at renowned French establishments, boasting Michelin stars ranging from one to three, most recently as an educator at the International French Culinary School in Miami, and with dual mastery as a kitchen and pastry chef. He'll oversee both Dallas and Miami locations.

Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek concierge Mary Stamm celebrates her 40th anniversary at the Texas hotel, starting in 1983 at the front office then joining the concierge team before eventually leading it.

El Taco Rico won the 2023 Save The Tacos Contest held by the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau, placing first with their El Taco Rico, a beef taco marinated in orange and lime juice, cumin, Mexican oregano and chipotle peppers, topped with pickled onions, cilantro, cotija cheese and avocado crema in a flour tortilla beating eight other participants.

Farm Sanctuary is one of the many organizations urging consumers to speak out against the "EATS Act," introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), which would override states' autonomy and dictate that every state allow the sale of products that are harmful to the environment or to animals. It's an attempt to override recent state intiatives banning the sale of pork from cruelly confined animals at factory farms. Link here to weigh in.