I like to check in on Foodie trends halfway through the year, because like the Earth Shoes and Pet Rocks of my teenage years, some hot trends tend to fizzle out. So, what was hot in January may be out by June. Other trends, like bell-bottom jeans, have longer staying power. I guess I should have held onto to those Jordache Jeans!
Tasting Menus seem to be a thing lately, especially at higher-end restaurants. While I love the idea of tasting menus, and have tried them in the past, some of these menus serve a bazillion small courses and come at exorbitant price tags. A friend told me about a spectacular meal she’d eaten at elcielo restaurant with Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos, so I looked up their website. The tasting menu of 19 courses looks amazing, (like something out of Noma) but it’s $289. The wine tasting is an additional $198. $500 for dinner for one? Maybe if I win the lotto.
Mash-Ups, like the French Onion Soup Burger or Dirty Martini Pasta, are a thing these days. Count me in for a Banh mi Wrap and S’mores Ice Cream Cake. I guess our mouths want as many flavors as we can cram into them these days!
Smashed Food I believe this trend started with Smashed Potatoes which increased the surface area of tiny potatoes, making them into a crisp and delicious bite. Now Smash Burgers (with or without mushrooms), Tacos and flattened Croissant Sandwiches are trending.
Passionfruit I loved the Passionfruit Martini with Li Hing rim I sampled all over Hawaii on a vacation last summer, so I’m delighted to see passionfruit springing up in all kinds of dishes. It was in a Ceviche I had at a Mexican restaurant last month, is in many desserts and I just bought some dried Passionfruit snacks at Trader Joe’s, where everything trending shows up.
Pistachio Cream I hadn’t heard of this trend before, but read about it in the New York Times. Supposedly, you can buy a jar of the green goo at Costco and, like Nutella, it can be spread on toast, croissants, pancakes, waffles, used as a Donut Glaze or put on ice cream. It’s high in protein and, if you love pistachio (I do!) perhaps you should give it a whirl.
Oxtail Whenever I go to a Caribbean/Jamaican restaurant, I avoid the Oxtail, even though I’ve heard it’s a tasty and tender cut of meat. I just can’t get over the visual of the Ox’s tail. Like other unwanted cuts of meat that used to be cheap (I’m looking at you Chicken Wings!) the price of oxtail has increased with the demand. Oxtail Stew, anyone?
Caribbean Food You don’t have to sell me on this one! I love me some spicy Jerk Chicken with Pigeon Peas and Rice and a Red Stripe beer to wash it down. In fact, I think a Jamaican restaurant, complete with a jamming’ Steel Drum band on the water, would be a perfect addition to the Florida Keys.
International Ingredients Consumers are becoming more sophisticated these days and the condiment section of the grocery store is keeping up. Cooking with an international ingredient is so much easier than traveling these days, so why not? One such condiment is Fish Sauce, with its punchy umami flavor; it seems to be showing up in many recipes these days.
Up Next: Traveling Out West
