Royale with Cheese
The French are seriously into burgers, if by serious you mean a mixture of meat, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, cornichons, capers, and parmesan shavings. Ooh la la.
CSAs: Front Page News
The growing popularity of community-supported agriculture (CSA) gets front page treatment by the New York Times.
The Zen of the Sushi Bar
Learn the magic of maki and other sushi secrets from the Zen of Fish author, Trevor Corson-- perhaps the country's first sushi concierge, courtesy of F&W's Mouthing Off.
TrendWatch: The All-Beer Restaurant
In Qingdao, China, home of the Tsingtao Brewery Co., a beer-themed restaurant has opened where every dish, including dessert, is made with beer ("beer coffee," a concept which I can't even get my head around, happens to be a bestseller). Customers dine at beer barrel-shaped tables, and waiters wear clothes that look like beer bottles. Hic.
Coffee Cupping Is the New Wine Tasting
The art of cupping (or tasting) coffee is all the rage at "third wave" coffee shops.
Ricotta Renaissance
Smooth, creamy ricotta is no longer limited to the strict confines of ravioli filling, writes Julia Moskin in the New York Times.
Pig Perfect
Time Out rounds up where to go in New York for the best of the pig, from nose to tail.
Crash Test Kitchen
As amateurs try to emulate their favorite celebrity chefs, the number of insurance claims for kitchen mishaps is growing.
Wine Bar Boom
Wine bars are proliferating in New York City, and some are carving out unique identities and menus that go beyond the typical salumi and cheese.
Italian Is Egyptian
As immigrants become a growing presence in Italy's restaurant kitchens, native Italians debate the impact on their nation's cuisine and culinary traditions.
Molecular Gastronomy's Moment
At Slate, Lisa Abend ponders whether Spanish avant-garde cuisine can stand the test of time?
Food Gone Wild
Could the "farm" trope -- fast becoming a cliche in today's culinary culture -- give way to a fashion for wild greens and game?
Hipsters Who Farm
The New York Times tracks the rise of the urbanite farmer.
Urban Orchards
Budding locavores in New York and Los Angeles are turning their tiny backyards into mini-orchards yielding figs, cherries, apples, and other fruits.
Cutting Out the Middleman
At restaurants such as Chicago's Schwa and New York's new Momofuko Ko, a new genre of upscale dining has emerged where the chef serves as waiter, cook, and host.
The Coinless Bill
A Hollywood restaurant has stopped giving change to customers when paying their bill. If you settle your bill in cash, your change will be rounded (up or down) to the nearest dollar.
The New Black: Duck Necks
Everybody is going gaga for duck necks.
Slow Food Begets Slow Design
The principles of the Slow Food movement are expanding out of the kitchen and into the home.
Ice is Hot
Oddly enough, so-called "chewable ice" is the next big thing, according to the Wall Street Journal. There's even an online forum for ice chewers to share tips.
Lectures and Lattes
Science cafes are attracting crowds who want to hear about developments in contemporary science while sipping cappuccinos.
The Pint that Puckers
Could Belgian-style sour beer be the next big thing for American craft brewers? See also: "American brewers mix it up Belgian-style."
Britons Love Fast Food
A survey of 13 countries found that the British are the biggest fans of fast food worldwide. The French? Not so much.
Tastes of 2008
Food & Wine's annual guide to 100 new foods, restaurants, and drinks to try in 2008.
Grenache at Gate 21
The Financial Times explores a new chain of airport wine bars.
The Globalization of Comfort Food
According to Travel + Leisure, the traditional American definition of comfort food is evolving to include more Asian flavors.
Year in Food
CHOW looks back at the past year in all things gastronomical.
Umami Mania
From top chefs to packaged-food companies, everyone's interested in umami, the so-called "fifth taste."
Food for Thought
Gastronomical highlights from the New York Times Magazine's annual "Year in Ideas" issue: culinary Orientalism, the edible cocktail, fish-flavored fish, telltale food wrapping, and vegansexuality.
Whither the Entree?
Under attack by the popularity of small plates, is the main course in danger of extinction?
Hot or Not?
The National Restaurant Association has released its annual "What's Hot…What's Not" survey of chefs (see pdf). The 1,282 chefs surveyed were asked to rate 194 individual food and beverage items, cuisines, and preparation methods. Small plates and craft beers came out on top as the biggest industry trends. Star fruit and tofu are offically passé.
Of Bourbon and Bar Rules
With the rebirth of cocktail culture comes a new interest in bourbon. See also: The new rules of cocktail enjoyment.
All You Can Drink
An emerging restaurant trend we can live without: charging anywhere from $2.50 to $5.00 for all-you-can-drink "house-bottled" water.
Brunch Boom
American-style brunch, complete with eggs, pancakes, and bacon, is newly popular in South Korea.
Vegetarians Who Love Steak
Why are a growing number of vegetarians starting to eat meat?
The New Yogurt Culture
Are Pinkberry and its frozen yogurt competitors the new coffeehouses? "More than merely offering discerning palates a new flavor for their summertime desserts, these new stores are shaping themselves as social gathering places."
Rise of the Eat-O-Plex
CHOW tracks the burgeoning trend toward cinema-eateries.
The New Black: Meatballs and Square Pies
New York's top chefs are going gaga for high-end meatballs, while Parisian pastry chefs are intrigued by four-sided tarts.
Cooking as Performance
The Los Angeles Times tracks the trend toward bringing elements of the restaurant kitchen into the dining room: "It's as if the concept of the chef's table has taken over the whole restaurant."
Rise of the Skinny Chef
Why are chefs getting thinner these days?
Dinner with Doctors
At a number of medical-themed eateries, waitresses dress like nurses, wine is served in syringes, and hospital beds function as dining tables.
L.A. Gelato: "Crazy Good," Says Scattergood
Artisanal gelato makers in Southern California are crafting delicious frozen desserts, from French macaron ice cream sandwiches to blood orange sorbetto, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Local Water on Tap
Heeding concerns about the environmental costs of bottling and transporting water, Chez Panisse and other Bay Area restaurants have stopped serving bottled water in favor of tap.
Tastemakers
Forbes chooses the top ten "tastemaking chefs" of 2007. You'll find usual suspects Thomas Keller, Mario Batali, and Joël Robuchon, but only one woman, Suzanne Goin, makes the cut.
Cleaner Camembert?
A cheese-making cooperative in Normandy has announced it will switch to using micro-filtered milk in order to respond to growing health concerns about consumption of raw milk cheese.
Time: "Forget Organic. Eat Local"
Trends: Time magazine's new cover story tells consumers: "Forget Organic. Eat Local."
More Dudes Cooking
Trends: Breaking: more dudes are into cooking these days, especially if there are guns involved.
Surveying the New Fast Food Landscape
Trends: The Los Angeles Times surveys the new generation of fast food chains, from Pinkberry to Pollo Campero.
Korean Fried Chicken Comes to New York
Trends: In the New York Times, Julia Moskin reports on the recent proliferation of Korean fried chicken places "reproducing the delicate crust, addictive seasoning and moist meat Koreans are devoted to."
Restaurant Blogs
Trends: "Sunday Styles" tracks the rise of New York restaurant blogs and the bloggers behind them.
Probiotics: Next Big Thing?
Trends: Probiotic foods are the next big thing, but are their health claims overstated?
Greenwashing Glut
Trends: The New York Times on the glut of greenwashing in the grocery store: "[I]t’s only a matter of time before Cap’n Crunch shows up in a hemp jacket, raising money to save the manatees."
New Year's Buzz
Trends: More 2006 wrap-ups and 2007 predictions at the New York Times (wine and spirits, food politics, home cooking), New York Sun, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, Cravings, Matt Bites, and Zagat.
2007 Predictions
Trends: Predictions for 2007: celebrity farmers and wheat germ oil are going to be big. Plus, expect more Greek and Spanish food.
Molecular Gastronomy is Dead
Trends: "Molecular gastronomy is dead." Plus: Wading into the brave new world of nano foods.
Seventies Cuisine
Trends: The Independent charts the return of Seventies cuisine.
New Tastes for 2007
Trends: One hundred new tastes to try in 2007, from Croatian olive oil to Japanese french fries.
The Year in Food Ideas
Trends: The year in food ideas: the beer belly flask, E. coli wipes, aromatic cuisine, reshaping salt so it won't stick, the LifeStraw, and instantly-aged wine.
Batali Partner to "Capitalize" on Burger Craze
Trends: Mario Batali restaurant partner Joe Bastianich plans to join the burger craze with a fast-food spot tentatively called Heritage Burger. New York reports that the restaurant will operate as a nonprofit serving sustainable food.
New York City Food Trends
Trends: The best and the worst New York City restaurant trends of 2006. Via eater.
Supersize it?
Trends: Critic Michael Bauer suggests the small plate trend is on the wane. What's the backlash? Extra large plates, of course. Look out for fewer menu choices and generous portions to come.
On Macho Chefs
Trends: What explains the rise of the "macho chef" phenomenon? "Why can't these posturing chefs just calm down and cook? It's like watching four-year-olds saying, 'My Dad's bigger than yours,' or boys boasting about how far they can pee."
Rise of the Mega-Restaurants
Trends: In the Los Angeles Times, Regina Schrambling tracks the rise of so many mega-restaurants in New York City: "These are restaurants that conceivably should be more at home in Disney World or Las Vegas."
Cameras in restaurants
Trends: Chefs and snap-happy food bloggers do a delicate dance around the subject of cameras in restaurants.
Coffeegeekdom in New York
Trends: The New York Times tracks the recent rise of coffeegeekdom in New York City.
High End Ham
Trends: In the New York Times Magazine, Rob Walker explores how online Spanish foods purveyor La Tienda has found a market for selling jamón Ibérico, which will fetch roughly $1,000 per ham.
Haute Baby Foods
Trends: Haute baby foods, which come in flavors like puréed peas with fresh mint, are all the rage.
Izakaya
Trends: In Los Angeles, Japanese pub-style izakaya are "starting to shove the sushi bar off its pedestal."
Shamburgers
Trends: In the New York Post, Steve Cuozzo decries the rise of "shamburgers", gimmicky burgers often made from costly sirloin rather than humble chuck: "Lots of chefs in nonburger eateries think ground chuck is tacky. They've created a Mutant Burger epidemic, tweaking their beef with all kinds of oddball cuts and stuffings."
Top Chefs, Global Brands
Trends: In the Observer Food Monthly, Jay Rayner asks how today's top chefs and their restaurants have turned into "international brands more akin to Gucci, Chanel or Armani?"
Pimp My Grill
Trends: Like rides and snacks, grills too have fallen victim to the pimping epidemic.
Of Velvet Ropes and Restaurants
Trends: New York Daily News restaurant critic Pascale Le Draoulec decries the velvet rope and other forms of dining humiliation on the rise at New York restaurants.
Google Gastro-trendwatching
Trends: Merlot beats pinot noir and Nobu trounces Buddakan, according to Google gastro-trendwatching at Amuse-Bouche and eater, respectively. No surprise in celebuchefwatching: Rachael Ray takes them all.
Eco-friendly Water
Trends: New York magazine tracks the rise of socially conscious bottled waters: "Ask not what your bottled water can do for you; ask what it can do for homeless children in Kenya, America’s polluted waterways, and the growing scrap heaps of our disposable society."
Candy, Cereal Flavored Milks
Trends: A new line of milks developed by General Mills will taste like cereal, but contain nary a flake. They will join an a line of candy-flavored milks already on the market.
Nation of Hotties
Trends: Americans are seeking bolder flavors in their foods these days: "If people really are what they eat, we are becoming a nation of hotties."
"Try some Jewish"
Trends: Matzo: It's not just for Jews anymore. "It's a seasonal snack food I really like," says one goyish fan of the bread of affliction. "The way it's marketed in the stores, why wouldn't you buy it? Try some Jewish. It's right up there with any other ethnic food."
Beauty Cuisine
Trends: Afterglo, a new Miami Beach restaurant, created by "restaurateur, nightlife mogul and celebrity dentist" Dr. Tim Hogle, stakes its claim in the brave new world of "beauty cuisine." Via eG.
Sushi Success
Trends: The Observer Food Monthly explores the ubiquitousness of sushi as the "global convenience food of choice" and how it got that way.
"Apples to Apples"
Trends: The New York Times explores the big business of pre-sliced apples: "'A bowl of apples is like a piece of art,' says Tony Freytag, marketing director at Crunch Pak, an apple-processing company. 'It's display. People won't touch it. But you put out a tray of cut-up apples -- that's food.'"
Big Brother
Trends: The New York Post warns diners: You're being watched. More and more restaurants are installing cameras to spy on their customers.
New Ideas in Food
Trends: New ideas in food from the annual Year in Ideas issue of the New York Times Magazine: Gastronomic Reversals, The Synesthetic Cookbook, Why Popcorn Doesn't Pop, Localized Food Aid, In Vitro Meat, and The False-Memory Diet.
Fine Dining in the Sky
Trends: The New York Times tracks the rise of fine dining on private jets, where sushi from Nobu can be had, along with ice cream made fresh at high altitudes.
Designer eggs
Trends: Navigating the wide new world of designer eggs -- from organic to kosher, free-range, certified animal care, and nutrient-enhanced varieties.
Personal Assistants
Trends: The latest celebrity chef must-have? Personal assistants.
Bring the Hate
Trends: Ten restaurant trends that Epicurious hates.
Hooked on Curry
Trends: British toddlers are "hooked on curry," according to a recent survey of 1,500 three- to five-year-olds asking them to name their favorite dish.
French Baguettes
Trends: Tracking "the fall and rise" of the French baguette with Cornell University history professor Steven Kaplan. See also: What makes a great baguette . . . great.
TV Dinners in Public Spaces
Trends: Eating in front of the television moves from the living room to the restaurant.
"Kimchi Chic"
Trends: The New York Times on "a new wave of Korean-American restaurateurs whose goal is to put a modern spin on their traditional cuisine."
Salmon
Trends: Slate on salmon's transformation from subject of "worship" to "fatigue" and "an abiding sense that the wonder-fish has become déclassé": "It's pretty much passé," says chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill.
State of Small Plates
Trends: In the Los Angeles Times, Leslie Brenner looks at the current state of the small plates phenomenon and finds that the craze has "gone haywire" and "devolved into a format that has lost its meaning."
Trash Diet
Trends: Increasingly, bears are descending upon urban areas to dine on widely available and calorie-rich garbage: "Unlike a berry patch that produces fruit only once a year, the trash bins are like a chain of luncheonettes for bears that never run out of food."
Pasture Perfect
Trends: The New York Times on how Greenmarket farmers are meeting a growing demand for pasture-raised beef, lamb, and pork.
Cupcake Craze Moves West
Trends: Westward ho! New York's cupcake craze takes Los Angeles by storm.
Sci-Fi Synchronicity
Trends: In a case of bi-coastal synchronicity, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times head to Chicago to explore the brave new world of sci-fi cuisine.
Cheese Ascendant
Trends: The New York Times reports on the ascendance of cheese as New York's gastronomical obsession of the moment.
India Eats Out
Trends: With increased trade and rising incomes, India is experiencing a cultural shift towards dining out and the use of foreign ingredients.
Foraging
Trends: Foraging for fungi and other "produce" from the forest floor.
Whither the Pie?
Trends: Is the British savory pie going upscale? Upstart chains are trading "mystery meat" for modern fillings: "For perhaps the first time in England, hungry eaters may find themselves choosing between a confit duck, pistachio and plum pie or a chorizo, butter bean and mozzarella pie."
Tiny Cupcakes
Trends: Next big thing: tiny cupcakes.
Kit-Kat Kraze
Trends: Japanese students are going crazy for Kit-Kat bars as good luck charms. Apparently, the name resembles "kitto katsu," an expression used by students to wish each other good luck before exams. Via np.
Flavor Factory
Trends: New taste combinations from the flavor factory.
Hollywood Goes Gastronomic
Trends: In a spate of recent films, from Sideways to Spanglish, "Hollywood goes gastronomic."
Whither Crudo?
Trends: Bar Tonno rides crudo craze wave, then closes up shop three months later. New York magazine reports that the restaurant will morph into Bar Sasa, a sushi and sake bar, replacing "the previous establishment’s 'modern Italian raw bar' concept for a traditional Japanese one." Via gothamist.
The Refrigerator As Object of Desire
Trends: The refrigerator as object of desire: "People with means who feel a need to express themselves in the theater of cold cuts and fruit juice are opting for elaborate four-figure cooling complexes with multiple parts and satellite units to flank the main attraction. Refrigerators have become a fashion item." Plus: Fancy fridge slide show.
UK Potato Chip Habit
Trends: In the Observer Food Monthly, exploring why British children are hooked on potato chips.
Cereal Obsession
Trends: The New York Times reports that college students have regressed into a cereal obsession. See also: Cereality.