2011 Food Trends
1. Foraging
elBulli, the world’s top restaurant for a record five times according to Restaurant Magazine, handed down its crown to Copenhagen’s NOMA. NOMA and Chef Rene Redzepi took eating local to a whole new level thanks to his emphasis on foraging for local ingredients. Freed from the confines of Whole Foods, chefs around the world started scouring their streets, woods and backyards for the perfect plants for their seasonal salads.
2. Macaroons
Macaroons had been slowly creeping into American bakeries for years, but when the Parisian granddaddy of all macaroon shops (Ladurée) opened a New York location, it was clear that macaroons were here to stay. Some have written them off as just another cupcake trend, and they very well may be. However, these tricky little boogers are trickier to make and decidedly more expensive when made right. In 2012, with the market saturated with poor macaroon imitations, be sure to save your money and spring for only the truly exceptional ones.
3. Gluten-Free Diets
The “Gluten-free” trend didn’t start in 2011. The diet had been around for years for those that had gluten intolerance, but the gluten-free bandwagon grew exponentially last year, with even people that were not gluten-intolerant hopping onboard. Restaurants and bakeries now regularly offer gluten-free options, and all sorts of gluten-free products are now manufactured, including brownies, cereals and even beer.
4. Bacon
Bacon, by itself, is hardly a trend. However, what started as a simple, fatty and delicious breakfast side has been transformed, and even distorted, into things that bacon was perhaps never meant to be. For better or for worse, bacon showed up on menus around the country in savory and sweet dishes, vodkas and even swine-themed wrapping paper. The world may never tire of pork belly, but will bacon-flavored floss make it to 2012? Who knows, maybe King Curtis was really on to something.
5. Smart Phone Food Apps
With approximately 44 percent of Americans owning smartphones, and 100 percent of them eating, the explosion of food related apps was bound to happen. Groupon and Scoutmob apps allow smart phone users to buy and use food-related deals and coupons. There are even apps that keep tabs on food trucks, give restaurant recommendations based on chefs’ tips, and will give you complete nutritional information. Maybe 2012 will give us the app that lets you immediately eat the food on your Pinterest board.
2012 Food Trends
1. Affordable sous-vide
The Modernist Cuisine cookbook catapulted the sous vide movement, a movement that has reached nearly every high-end chef and restaurant in America, but probably not yourself or anyone else you know. That’s because not many people are willing to spend $300, $400, or $800 on a sous vide machine, even if it will perfectly poach your eggs. Sous vide is a method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath for a long time at temperatures much lower than normally used for cooking. The result may take a lot longer, but the end product is never overcooked and always juicier – or so they say. The exotic and mysterious sous vide machine will hopefully become a little less mysterious and a little less pricey in 2012 as demand for it continues to rise.
2. On-tap Experiments
Draught beers are not going away anytime soon. That being said, more and more bars and restaurants are experimenting with taps – what you can do with them and what’s coming out of them. The bartenders at New York Czech restaurant Hospoda are pouring normal beers into completely different textures and tastes by playing with taps. And why stop at beer? Mario Batali’s Birreria even has wine on tap. Instead of pouring wine from bottles, Birreria pours wine glasses from huge barrels, wasting far less wine. Whatever is left over at the end of a night is just kept until the next day instead of being poured down a drain. Chicago’s Bull & Bear even has self-serve taps to get customers to try more beers.
3. Fast-Casual Asian
The restaurant industry was hit especially hard with the last few years’ economy blues. But one sector that has flourished is “fast casual” – restaurants that don’t offer full table service but offer a higher quality of food and atmosphere than regular fast food places (think Taziki’s, Jason’s Deli and Zoe’s). Traditional fast food markets like burgers, pizza and Mexican are already insanely competitive and don’t offer a lot of room for growth. The fast-casual Asian food market, however, is still widely untapped, so be looking for a lot of interesting action happening there.
4. Moonshine
Moonshine? Yes, moonshine. If Boardwalk Empire doesn’t make you think it’s cool, then an episode of Moonshiners will (and I’m being only slightly sarcastic). It’s just like making your own beer, only completely different and potentially lethal. If you have a liquor license and are paying taxes on your distilled drink, then it’s called White Dog or Corn Whisky, not moonshine. To quote epicurious.com, “Let’s leave the moniker to those brave souls who make it illegally in a mountain still under the light of a silvery moon.”
5. Mismatched dishes
My mama has been doing it for years, but apparently it’s a trend now. For the past few years, most restaurants and foodies had been finding unique shapes for white plates and bowls (see Top Chef). And while they make a beautiful canvas for food, it can get to be expensive. When you break a few dishes, you have to buy a whole new set of your matchy-matchy china. It can also create an austere and sometimes stuffy atmosphere for diners. Since nostalgia, family style and comfort food restaurants are popping up everywhere, it makes sense that cozier, friendlier and slightly quirkier china will also see an upswing.
