Top Five Dining Trends for 2011(2)
TREND #3 Nose-to-Tail Dining
Today's culinary trendsetters stem from a group that as teenagers returned home after school to an empty house, and had to fend for themselves by opening cans, microwaving frozen dishes and consuming a lot of soda. So where did they acquire their taste for exotic cuts, offal and more?
Gen X (and increasingly Gen Y) is much more sophisticated than its parents imagine! These are generations that were raised to be eco-sensitive and frown on waste. So they're game for experimenting with delicious combinations, unusual cooking techniques, and unique preparations of what some might consider exotic selections previously left off the plate: Sautéed kidneys, cured tongue, head cheese, tripe! No matter how unusual the protein or the preparation, today's eco-minded culinary trendsetters are saying "bring it on!"
TREND #4 The Finish: Torn Between Two Lovers
When it comes to choosing desserts, customers today are swinging wildly between two ends of the continuum: The renaissance of sumptuous pies and miniature guilt-free desserts. How can a restaurateur and pastry chef respond?
Offer both and leave it up to the customer to decide between rich decadence and attending to the waistline. Either way, the best finishes will offer spectacular flavor and lingering memories.
TREND #5 The World of Wine is Flat
The wine industry is now completely global, says Benchmark's chief sommelier, Mary Watson. Wines from China, India, Russia, Georgia, Moldova, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, etc., are competing for shelf space in the United States along side the more familiar wines of France, Italy and the U.S.
As global economics change, so goes the wine industry. A greater number of wine drinkers today are looking for good but less expensive selections, and are willing to explore varietals from countries not familiar to them to achieve taste coupled with value. Somewhere Bacchus is toasting the world's more adventurous yet economically-minded wine palates!
PHOTO: Benchmark Hospitality International's Hotel 1000 in Seattle, Washington.
