Posted on: Wednesday, January 11, 2006
TASTE
Trendy for '06: Cafes and funky fusion food
By Jerrry Shriver
USA Today
What are the trends that will guide our visits to restaurants and grocery stores this year? Experts from the food and wine world weigh in on the culinary matter. The only consensus among them is that something new and probably delectable awaits every taste bud:
Colman Andrews, editor in chief of Saveur magazine: "In our new list of 100 favorite things for 2006, we say that fun fusion food will go mainstream, as evidenced by the Goan avocado salad at Manhattan's Tabla restaurant, the Philly cheese steak spring roll at Philadelphia's Four Seasons Hotel, spicy Thai Kettle Chips, and the crispy buffalo won tons from the Ruby Tuesday chain."
Alton Brown, cookbook author and host of the Food Network's "Good Eats": "Americans are starting to realize that 'fresh' and 'raw' aren't always the same thing. I've come to rely heavily on top-quality organic frozen foods, especially vegetables, and I think it's a perfect concept for modern living."
Peter Hoffman, national chairman of Chefs Collaborative, a group that advocates a sustainable food supply: "More and more people want to know the whole story about where their food comes from. They're starting to care about terms other than 'organic.' For example, with poultry, the term used to be 'free-range.' But we've learned that chickens don't necessarily roam free on their own. So now the better term is 'pastured.' "
Richard Betts, sommelier of the Little Nell, Aspen, Colo.: "In the wake of the 'Sideways' phenomenon, we are going to see people getting more in touch with their elegant side. Everyone rushed to pinot noir, and they found that wine can be fun and friendly. Grapes such as syrah and grenache from France's Rhone Valley, South Australia and even our own California are producing wines that are plush, round, super-fragrant and balanced."
Jane Walsh, spokeswoman for the Chefs Warehouse, an importer/distributor of specialty foods: "Hot products will include high-quality frozen prepared foods; heritage-breed meats; raw-milk cheeses; grass-fed and grass-finished Uruguayan beef; and American Kobe beef."
Michael Whiteman, president of international restaurant consultants Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Co.: "Look for more small cafes specializing in chocolate, coffee and red wine — all three having a commonality of bitterness. Top-drawer sandwiches play an increasing role in these cafes — so a new category of eating-and-drinking places is emerging."
Tanya Steel, editor in chief at Epicurious.com: "Sous vide ('under vacuum' foods that are sealed in plastic bags for boiling or simmering) will come to a supermarket near you. High-profile chefs realize that's where the real money is. How brilliant to come home from a long day and pop in a bag of short ribs by Jean-Georges Vongerichten."
Wanda Adams is on medical leave. Please hold on to your recipe requests until she returns later this month.
