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2011 Food and Restaurant Trends November 13, 2010

Posted by Eli in : Cooking, Food Article, In the News, Uncategorized, Updates , 3comments

While everyone knows that the three top tier “creme de la creme” Food and Restaurant trend reports come from the ARSSSAOFA (American Restaurant Studies of Statistical Stats Association of America), the NFTASAOTCUS (National Food Trends and Safety Assocation of The Contiguous United States) and the NCSCLCMDMUA (National Chef Sous Chef Line Cook Matire De Mixologist Union of America) a fourth study is causing serious waves in the industry. Below, the fourth study with it’s key findings and trends for 2011

The Freshman in the Kitchen 2011 Food and Restaurant Trends Report

Brick and mortar restaurants- These are going to be huge in 2011. If you just got into food or you live in a dense urban center you might not have realized that in certain parts of the US, restaurants exist inside buildings with the name clearly displayed on the outside. In 2011, expect restaurants to move away from wheels and institute a floors windows chairs and tables policy.

New serving dishes/techniques – Things served in small portions and sent to the table in mason jars will be gone with the stike of midnight on Dec 31st 2010. Expect restaurants to embrace recycled brown paper bags, planks of wood and simply dumping the food right on the table as the new hot ways to deliver your food to you.

Fiscal Responsibility is the new being green/organic – With wounds still raw from the housing and financial implosion, fiscal responsibility is a huge industry buzz word as the calendar rolls over. Expect chipped plates, mismatched glasses, silverware remaining on the table for multiple courses and waiters bringing out skillets and sliding your food onto the same plate you used for your appetizer. When restaurants pass along the savings, everyone wins.

In restaurant slaughtering – 2010 was chock full of chefs passionate about breaking down large cuts of meat with an audience. Classes at restaurants filled up weeks in advance to see chefs break down a pig and then send everyone home with the remaining parts of entire animal. But the animal was dead every single time long before the class started which is kinda lame. We’ve already received word that in January a Portland gastropub already filled a 20 person class where in the first hour, each attendee will have the opportunity to kill a live lamb. Butchering classes? 2010. Slaughtering classes. 2011. Quite possibly the most aggressive of all the 2011 trends we’ve discovered.

Savory desserts in the shape of cupcakes and that taste like vegan brownies but are made of frozen yogurt – This 2011 trend may be hard to visualize, but it provides further evidence of chefs blending the lines between creativity, reality and perception. It’s all so very whimsical and eclectic and creative!

Outdoor restaurants (we mean seriously outdoors) – on the completely other end of the spectrum we’ve received word that outdoor restaurants with no running water, reliable heat sources, tables or permits will be making an imprint in several cities. We’ve received word of two illegal restaurants in parks (BYOBlanket), one in a parking lot where they cook off bunsen burners (window service like an old fashioned A&W) and a raw restaurant where you eat all the dishes in seasonal and evolutionary order while taking a 9 mile hike called Forage on Foot.

Indian Food – Certain trend reports are saying Indian is poised to make a huge  splash onto the mainstream with several high profile chefs attached to open  Indian restaurants around the world. We agree with other trend reports in spelling only. Yes, the big food trend of 2011 is going to indian food…but Indian as in Native Americans. Chief Greyfeather of the Inuit tribe (and long time oracle of wild game cuisine) is consulting on a new restaurant in the MGM grand called Sky.Earth.Water.Wind. If this is a success, expect the copy cats to be sprouting up everywhere. (ed. note: Phllip Stark will be designing the interior which has been reported as futuristic minimalist teepee)

The ten hot food items for 2011 (this year’s “bacon”):

1) Water from the tap – much more cost efficient than it’s purified or bottled brothers, this will be the go-to for restaurants wanting to display fiscal responsibility

2) Gushers –  Nabisco announced that the famous snack/lunchroom currency will be discontinued in 2010. Chefs across the United States have been acquiring boxes however possible (with one crate going for $3,400 on e-bay). Expect to see a few trademark desserts at Michelin starred restaurant finished with a handful of gushers.

3) Schmaltz- 2011’s top new hot app. 2 pieces of white bread served with chicken fat on the side. Gelatinous golden globules of flavor

4) Cheddar cheese – often marginalized and left off the charcuterie/cheese plate cheddar will move to the forefront and displace high priced, long aged stinky versions.

5) Infused hot waters. Often referred to as soups, broths or teas, expect to see lots of hot liquids taking on lots of different flavors.

6) Asafoetida – sulferic in smell, rarely used. Will start popping up in broths because its tough to surprise anyone anymore and this is used so rarely it will help chefs differentiate themselves from those that simply fall back on finishing everything with truffles.

7) sunflower seeds – long marginalized as a baseball player snack n’ spit, these seeds will be encrusting kobe beef steaks and anchoring sauces in 2011.

7a) Balsam seeds – usually used to flavor hippocras (a type of mulled wine) and usually restricted to times of celebration due to its scarcity, balsam seeds are already being used as drink garnish in Abu Dhabi because purchased by the oz, the seeds are now more expensive than gold.

9) Goldfish – a goldfish disaster at the largest fishery in Maryland has left many goldfish varieties extinct. With limited quantity comes greater desire from the dining public. Prices rose to $120 an oz. in November so expect goldfish to push caviar to the wayside in 2011 as prices continue to soar.

10) Ostrich – new legislation in North Dakota has helped subsidize the largest ostrich farm outside of Australia. Designed in part to steal a piece of the $22 billion a year non-beef/chicken market (made up primarily of rabbit, alligator and quail sales) ostrich burgers are rolling out in Portland, Seattle and New Orleans. Expect Red Robin and Chili’s to be close behind.

If there are other trends this report missed that you’ve seen first hand or read about, please leave them in the comments section

Detroit – where Middle Eastern, Greek and Polish food traditions reign (almost) supreme (and the coney Dog is still King) July 8, 2010

Posted by Eli in : Coney Island, Food Article, Michigan Food, Stories , add a comment

What's on our Fourth of July table? You won't find our collective menu anywhere else in America. It ranges from coneys to hummus and square pizzas to pierogi. What we eat says much about who we are, so on this most American of holidays, we went looking for the foods and flavors that define metro Detroit, the ones that best tell the story of our geography, our diverse backgrounds, our history and even our future. Some of our 50 picks were invented here; others are transplants. Some occur almost nowhere else; others are universal but so key to our identity, Detroit wouldn't be the same without them. This is not a "best of" list. It is not arranged as a ranking. And it is not about the whole mitten of Michigan. It's about metro Detroit, and of course, it's entirely subjective, which means everyone will have other ideas. We invite you to share yours! Shown: a hot dog at American Coney Island, Detroit.

Today the Detroit Free Press, or as adoring Michiganders refer to it – The Freep,  published a slide show that had my heartstrings a’ strumming and my belly a’ aching.

Faygo! Sliders! Greek Salads! Ray’s Ice Cream!

Can life’s moments (pre-LA) be so intrinsically tied to the cuisine of a city? You know when John Cusack arranges his records autobiographically in High Fidelity? I can do that with coney island meals. Most of all my amazing nights, high school shenanigans,drug and booze experimentation and sexual experiences…all come with an accompanying pita, greek salad or chili cheese fries.

A secret all Michiganders share (along with being able to point out on their  hand where they were born), is the secret of the Coney Island. We will gladly talk to blank faced ‘outsiders’ about the glory that is “The Coney Island”  until we get stopped by this statement “ok, I get it, coney islands are cheap, open late with greasy food. We have those too. They are called diners.”

But no my dear friend from out of state. No, you do not quite understand the coney island for the same reason you cant point out where you are from on your own hand.

Go to any Coney Island at 6am and you will see it packed with seniors eating early bird breakfasts, business men and woman grabbing a quick coffee and bite before heading to a generic office building downtown or along 696. Check in at a Coney at noon and you will see it packed to the brim with nurses, construction workers and teens on high school lunch breaks grabbing burgers, gyros and that classic beet filled Greek Salad. And peek into a Coney Island after 1am and you’ll surely see punks, goths, skaters, kids violating their curfew, club goers drunkenly pounding chicken finger pitas and everyone cheering each time an order of Saganaki flame tickles the ceiling.

Some of the best conversations, laughing fits and wild nights I’ve ever had occurred or culminated when packed 4-6 deep into a booth wolfing chicken finger pitas (with honey mustard), slurping enormous fountain pops (YES – pop) and ordering saganaki just because fire is even more cool when you’re wasted.

So what’s your favorite Coney Island moment and your favorite Coney Island food?

Entire FREEP Slide show here: http://bit.ly/aLK0X6