TrendWatch
Kara's CULINARY TRENDS BLOGI take my job as CCD Innovation's Trendologist to heart and make sure to visit the latest culinary hotspots, specialty stores, and food and beverage industry events to stay abreast of emerging trends. NEW! Follow my December 2011 – Racine, Wisconsin Although I'm only anticipating this at this writing, a highlight of my Christmas visit home to Illinois will be a trek up to Racine, Wisconsin to Bendtsen's Bakery for Danish kringle. This addictive coffee cake made from flaky pastry and layered with almond, pecan or fruit fillings, is a long-standing fixture in our family. My father was a Dane (via Wisconsin) and somehow the annual pilgrimage north became a holiday tradition years and years ago. My mother would buy nearly two dozen to give as gifts and there was always a kringle or two on the counter or kitchen table, paring knife nearby for easy and quick slicing of yet another skinny piece. Bendtsen's is only one of several Danish bakeries in Racine, but we swore our allegiance to it early on. I believe the bakery was featured on a Food Network TV show at some point. The place is now so swamped with holiday orders, Christmas deliveries must be in place by mid-November! Thankfully, one can pick up orders more casually, and so our trip is planned for December 22 with two of the youngest Nielsens on board for the hour journey north from Highland Park, Illinois, to the mecca of kringle. 
Bendtsen's Bakery 
Kringle November 2011 – Philadelphia I found many delights in Philly this past November when I managed to do a little evening restaurant hopping, then land on the mother lode of charmingness in the Old City the next day. I just love the historical feel of this town, which reminds me of Boston with its cobblestone streets, colonial architecture and informative plaques around town. But it's a good place to eat, too, and getting more interesting and varied all the time.
My evening adventures included stops at restaurants owned by two of the biggest restaurateurs in town. Alma de Cuba is a new Stephen Starr restaurant. He's the name behind New York's Morimoto and Buddakan, and his Philadelphia holdings are impressive and expansive. As was Alma de Cuba, a multi-level restaurant in a restored historic building in downtown. Cool white, geometric furnishings and no tablecloths gave the place a clean look. The menu covered a number of Latin American bases including ceviche, empanadas stuffed with red kale and manchego chese, and Peruvian inspired potato causas and antichuchos, or grilled skewers. Cocktails and bar snacks, like chorizo sliders, are also a draw. Food was tasty and I can see this place becoming a real hit. 
Garces Trading Company Lyonnaise Salad Some blocks away is Garces Trading Company, quite a different vibe indeed. More like a cross between a fancy gourmet shop and a casual French brasserie, this was a bright, tiled room surrounded by refrigerators of cured meats, cases of cheese and shelves of specialty products. José Garces is the owner and another culinary force in town. Here he has combined a provisioning locale with a restaurant that seemed better suited to lunch or a leisurely weekend afternoon nosh than an evening destination. Yet the dishes were creative and not your usual fare. A Lyonnaise Duck Salad with duck confit, poached egg, bacon lardons and mustard vinaigrette came fashioned into a cute nest. Sides like a Leek and Swiss Chard Gratin come in a cast iron dish; for a sweet accent the gratin was garnished with cherry fig marmalade. Plats du jour show off the brasserie nature of the place with standards like Coq Au Vin and Cassoulet, with some Spanish Paella and all-American Lasagna thrown in for good measure. 
Franklin Fountain 
Southern Sympathizer Sundae The next day, I wandered over to a place I've been trying to get to all year, Franklin Fountain, a renovated soda fountain serving phosphates, ice cream sundaes and a big dose of old-timey charm. Created in 2004 by the Berley Brothers, Ryan and Eric, the place is a gem. After their family bought an old apartment building in the city's oldest district, the brothers had the idea to turn a ground floor erotic bakery into an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. The family had long sold antiques and the young brothers were looking for a professional pursuit. So they learned the ice cream and building business, creating a marvelously intricate soda fountain with original tin ceilings and tile floor. The menu showcases old classics and some modern concoctions, including the sundae I tried, Southern Sympathizer. It's made with Rum Raisin and Pistachio ice creams with pecans and pistachios smothered in hot caramel and studded with praline brittle. The raisins were huge, plump and quite rummy; the caramel was a touch salty. Delicious and difficult to resist. 
Window at Shane Confectionery 
Shane Confectionery The most exciting part of this sojourn to the Old City was visiting Shane Confectionery two doors down from the Fountain. The Berley Brothers had just opened the shop the week of my visit after buying it from a retiring confectioner whose family had owned it for decades. In fact, the shop has been continuously selling candy since the mid-nineteenth century! With dedication and an amazing eye for detail, the shop has been restored into a dream of a Victorian candy store complete with mahogany display cases, mirrors and beautifully painted molding. The brothers have also taken over the candy kitchen upstairs and are producing a host of traditional buttercream chocolates, caramels, marshmallows and other candy. One specialty was candy toys, colored sugar poured into special molds to look like animals, boats and other toy-like objects. The principle chocolatier told me about her work and helped me choose a box of chocolates that are made with locally sourced chocolate, cream and flavorings, making for a unique and inspiring business. Really, I felt like I fell back in time and relished every minute in this amazing store. The chocolates were terrific, too.
November 2011 – St. Louis Thanksgiving travel afforded me the opportunity to visit St. Louis for a short afternoon. CCD Innovation colleague Jeff Cirese offered me a list of places to visit as he has family there and knows the town well. I found another historic city with typical Midwestern red brick factories and even an old town section that also looked like Boston called Frenchtown. I kicked off my visit by hitting the Soulard farmers market in a part of this area once owned by a French-born surveyor, Antoine Soulard. His widow donated the covered market to the town in 1841; today it's home to various fruit and vegetable vendors, food producers and souvenir sellers. I sampled a bratwurst, which just felt like the thing to do. Next stop was an exploration of Culinaria, a gourmet market in downtown St. Louis owned by Schnuck's, a family grocery chain in town. Nearby I bought a local baked good specialty to bring back to the office, the Gooey Butter Cake from Park Avenue Coffee. This unique item is like a lemon bar but with no lemon in the filling, just butter, and some kind of meringue-like crisp layer on top. The cake comes in all kinds of flavors but the Original was a crowd pleaser. 
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard A final food stop was the highly recommended Ted Drewes, a frozen custard stand in an out-of-the-way part of town. Crowds of family members ordered frozen custard cups, called Concretes, and shakes and sundaes of various kinds from a line of windows looking into the kitchen. It seemed that one woman scooped the custard into a cup, then a flavor or two was added before being whipped together on an industrial blender. The frozen custard was of a singular texture, creamy yet light, delicious but not too filling. I felt like I did the city proud in only a few hours of visiting.
October 2011 – San Francisco Round-up Keeping up with new restaurants and cafés in San Francisco keeps quite a handful of journalists, bloggers and Yelpers busy. Trendologists sometimes struggle to keep up with the rapid-fire arrivals, especially when traveling to other trend-worthy locales out of town. October afforded me a chance to sample a few of the city's newest spots leveraging today's hot trends. 
I was excited to hit Umami Burger, the Los Angeles-based mini-chain devoted to layering on the umami that just opened this October. My Umami Burger did not disappoint, and how could it with this many umami-rich ingredients: shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, a parmesan crisp and umami ketchup. It was fantastic, as was the Bacon-Wrapped Scallop Burger, an only-in-San Francisco menu item made up of chopped scallops topped with pork belly, sweet chili sauce and yuzu-garlic aioli. Other choices include a Truffle Burger, a Port & Stilton Burger, a Hatch Burger made with New Mexican hatch chiles, and a turkey burger dubbed Greenbird, made from Diestel Farms turkey, avocado, green cheese and green goddess dressing. Sweet potato fries come topped with brown sugar, just to gild the lily. In the global cuisine department, I also finally visited Bun Mee, a fast-casual Vietnamese-inspired eatery on a popular shopping street serving upgraded banh mi sandwiches and rice and noodle bowls. Starters like salad rolls, green papaya salad, and salt 'n' pepper garlic fries round out the menu, as well as iced Vietnamese coffee, Kaffir limeade and a strawberry lychee drink. I tried the lemongrass pork noodle bowl, with accompanying nuoc cham sauce which I love for its own special umami kick. Another cuisine getting some attention in San Francisco these days is Cajun and Creole. The newly opened Boxing Room specializes in this style of cooking and serves a nice variety of deep-fried foods, including chicken, oysters and alligator. The entrées cover a few more classic bases with items like Fried Seafood Po' Boy, Red Beans & Rice, and Duck and Sausage Jambalaya. My Roasted Golden Trout came with Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, bacon and brown butter to illustrate the rich, indulgent yet still market-based way some dishes are composed. One fun lagniappe, or little extra treat, was a mini cast iron kettle of boiled peanuts, nearly irresistible once the steam cleared. My only quibble was with the pecan "pie", a beloved favorite. It really was a tartlet, with only a thin layer of signature goo. My dining companions were all disappointed but thank goodness we ordered two between the four of us! 
September 2011 – Austin A second trip to Austin this year allowed me to observe how the proudly weird Texas capitol continues to cement its reputation as a food trend destination, especially when it comes to food trucks. The number of trucks, carts, stands and even mini cars selling German-style doner kabaps continues to multiply in this anything-goes kind of place that welcomes food entrepreneurs of all stripes. What is so exciting about Austin, aside from the amazing artisan barbecue brisket at Franklin Barbecue, is how global it can be. Modern-cuisine-ized Japanese sushi at Uchiko, Indian meets Texan at The Whip In; new fusion street tacos and banh mi sandwiches brimming with Southern+Asian flavors (and that is regional American Southern food meets Asian...) at Peached Tortilla food truck. It’s a riot, really, and a testament to the diverse folks that roam the parched streets of this hot and lively town. 
Local food expert and journalist Mary Margaret Pack turned me onto The Whip In, a South Austin highway-side liquor store with a bar-café serving up a unique menu of dishes that blend Indian and Texas flavors and forms. Together. In the same dish. Breakfast naan, Mumbai Migas, Dal Puppies, Beef & Beer Chili Curry are just a few of the innovative offerings. Being in the mood to sample an Austin mainstay, I paired the Chips & Queso con Chutney with a just-right French rosé. The queso part came from a local salsa company, Texas Slow Burn, while the cilantro chutney was housemade; it made for a delicious combination. Aside from the intriguing menu, The Whip In has an impressive bottle collection of wine and beer, a small selection of specialty food items, and a room for live music (it is Austin, after all). Another mainstay is barbecue, slow-smoked brisket more specifically. I did my duty and waited in line to try Aaron Franklin’s renowned brisket and ribs at Franklin Barbecue, and, boy, were they worth the wait. He now has a larger smoker so will likely not run out of food within two hours of opening his doors, but on this medium-hot day in September it was actually fun and festive to wait in line and chat with other food lovers, hungry for a taste of sweet smoke and tender, melting beef. 
In another Texas vein lies Contigo, a ranch-style restaurant and bar above the city near an old airport control tower. The parking lot seemed a bit vast until I watched it fill up one Thursday night with packs of diners, often accompanied by their pet pooches. Most of the seating is outdoors, which suits the casual menu made up of comfort food favorites, like small plates of pickles or tempura green beans, a great burger, grilled cheese on thick slices of brioche and upgraded pigs in a blanket. Beer comes in growlers if you are thirsty enough. The young owner sought to recapture the feel of his family's hunting lodge and did a great job making a trendy, casual spot that attracts a wide swath of folks. One of the finer dining establishments in town is Uchiko, sister restaurant to Uchi which I described here in June. Uchiko has the same spirit and mission: creatively flavored and composed Japanese cuisine, some based on raw fish, some more unique. The service was impeccable and friendly, and we were even treated to a special dish made with fried kale, fish and blueberries. My favorite item was a smoked duck in a jar, or Jar Jar Duck (is that a Star Wars riff or some Japanese reference?). It came to the table in a sealed jar, the clasp was released, the lid raised and out billowed delicious smelling smoke. As it cleared, our forks quickly dug around inside to find tender pieces of duck, perfectly enhanced by smoky flavor. Dinner concluded with a series of modern cuisine-influenced desserts with so many components, some dehydrated and crumbled, others as sauce or gelato that it was a challenge to get a sense of what the perfect bite would be. A small quibble after such a delicious meal in a town overflowing with tasty bites. 
September 2011 – Portland Portland remains an unparalleled food-lover's paradise. At every turn stands ready to feed and please a food truck, vegan bakery, ice creamery or cocktail bar. And I'm happy to report that, in the line of professional duty, I sampled as many goodies as possible during a couple of visits in September.Having been enchanted by Mississippi Avenue some years ago, I was delighted to find a new destination just a few blocks east on Northeast Williams with the same sort of casual, funky-yet-artsy neighborhood vibe. Tasty n Sons is a centerpiece of this neighborhood and also the place for brunch, serving a unique collection of egg dishes, griddle specialties and some rocking chocolate potato doughnuts. My Moroccan chicken tasted fantastic with its harissa cream and egg garnish, just one example of the type of internationally inspired dishes served here. 
Not far is another wonderful street to explore, Northeast Alberta. Vegetarians, vegans, breakfast lovers and beer drinkers are well served here by a great collection of cafés, bakeries, saloons and the like. Pine State Biscuits is a major draw. Owned by three North Carolina expats, the ever-buzzing spot serves monster biscuit sandwiches stuffed with crispy fried chicken, savory bacon, hearty gravy and a few other choice ingredients. Showing off the Southern Revival trend in all its morning glory, Pine State satisfies. Sweet treats also abound on this street. I had about the best sour cherry pie (aside from my own, an award winner at that!) at Random Order, well known for its baked goods and pies. The newly opened Salt & Straw spoiled me with an amazing scoop of ice cream flavored with housemade toffee, salted caramel and a ribbon of chocolate. So indulgent, and so worth it. 
In other tasty parts of town, I got to dig into a few more trends: well-crafted cocktails and New Old World Cuisine. Kask is owned by restaurateur Christopher Israel and is adjacent to his New Old World cuisine restaurant, Grüner. What a great combo! Kask, labeled a "modern saloon," serves up exceptionally well-made cocktails, mixed with precision and expertise by Tommy Klus. I couldn't resist the High Desert Swizzle made with Del Maguey Vida mezcal, strawberry shrub (a fruit vinegar mixer), lime and Demerara sugar. An Art Deco poker chip holder housed an impressive collection of bitters and potions, to give a sense of the fun these guys have making drinks. Dinner at Grüner followed, a feast of beet-pickled deviled eggs; an enticing salad made with shaved radishes, Styrian pumpkin seed oil, cider vinegar, herbs and toasted pumpkin seeds; and entrées created around hearty sausages, pork chops, pork belly, duck breast and traditional sides. What a treat to visit another part of the culinary globe, with Grüner-Veltliner wine to match, natch! 
A trip to Portland is not complete without a visit to Pok Pok Thai. A standout dish was the wild boar, eaten with a scoop of sticky rice and mustard greens to temper the heat. Wings, papaya salad and some really fun desserts, like a Chinese-style fried dough stick with a Vietnamese coffee affogato and a durian-coconut custard on top of sweet sticky rice, made for a memorable meal. And of course, I visited as many street carts and food trucks as possible, my favorite being Lardo, a temple to pork sandwiches and lard-fried fries found in the Good Food Here food truck court on Portland's Southeast side. They kindly served a pork sausage banh mi filling on the fries for me and it was one of the best things I ate that week. 
August 2011 – Philadelphia Philadelphia is a happening place. Neat restaurants, a bustling indoor market and even an old timey soda fountain give food lovers plenty of culinary trends to explore. I kicked off a recent trip with oysters and steak tartare at Parc Rittenhouse, the spitting image of a Parisian brasserie. I felt I like I had fallen into Midnight in Paris and expected to see a Lost Generation writer at the next table. At the charming and noteworthy new Talula’s Garden, I soaked up the locale with a cheese plate composed of Pennsylvania and East Coast specimens. The Reading Terminal Market was teeming with lunch goers and animated by a group of Pennsylvania Dutch bakers making fresh doughnuts for queues of delighted people. Traditional sausage, local honeys and jams, Bassett’s ice cream, all tempt visitors. We succumbed to the Flying Monkey Bakery’s whoopie pies which managed the flight back to San Francisco surprisingly well. We recommend the Oatmeal Caramel version. Next time, a trip to The Franklin Fountain for a cherry phosphate and housemade artisan sodas.
July 2011 – Washington D.C. I visited Washington D.C. for the first time to speak at the Summer Fancy Food Show. Although D.C. doesn’t have quite the same food scene as New York City, the show’s usual venue, there are a number of food and restaurant trends on view as well as indications of food’s growing importance in our culture. And how great to visit Julia Child’s kitchen at the Smithsonian’s American History Museum! 
My first stop was the National Archives to tour its current special exhibit, What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam? The fascinating historical exhibition used menus, letters, news clippings, cartoons, photographs, videos and other ephemera to chart the government’s effect on the American farm, factory, kitchen and table in the last few centuries. Government explorers finding exotic citrus in far away lands, inspectors checking out sordid factories, dietary recommendations, home economists and even presidents’ party menus were just some of the featured elements in the wide ranging show. In conjunction with the exhibit, celebrity chef José Andrés has opened a pop-up restaurant, America Eats Tavern, nearby featuring dishes inspired by America’s food heritage. The menu identifies the historical origin and region of each item, while the actual dish is an oftentimes-whimsical reinterpretation by Chef Andrés, known for employing modernist cuisine techniques. For example, my Waldorf Salad, attributed to Oscar Tschirky of New York City, 1893, included apple spheres injected with celery juice. The beverage menu listed shrubs, a fruit-vinegar based drink popular in colonial times and now on the list of emerging bar trends this year. 
Gastropubs have established a stronghold in D.C. and we even noticed a few beer gardens. I’ve written about the creative, retro desserts at Birch & Barley and was delighted to find a deep fried Virginia peach pie on the menu. But first, dinner: fig & prosciutto flatbread, pasta with heirloom tomatoes and fried green tomatoes (both dishes made gluten-free by request…wow!), honey-glazed duck breast with wild rice and brandied cherries. Birch & Barley is known for its beer list and extensive cheese offerings, but truly everything was inviting and delicious. 
Finally, Pitango Gelato. How many times a day can one stop for a soothing scoop when the temperature is pushing 100? As many times as possible. The pistachio was flavorful and creamy and I also enjoyed both quince and rhubarb sorbets (though what was autumn quince doing on the menu in July??). The company sources and makes its products on an Amish dairy in Pennsylvania from the milk of grass-fed cows. With four locations across the city, it is rarely a challenge finding a good scoop.
July 2011 – Summer Fancy Food Show Another Fancy Food Show, another welcome opportunity to be an official show Trendspotter. This year the group noticed a preponderance of cherries: cherry beverages, juices, chutneys, confections. Sure, cherries have been a staple flavor for years at the show, but this year, thanks to Dr. Oz and a big recommendation in February 2011, cherry’s health halo is shining bright, spurring on new interest and product development. Being a Midwestern native, I love it! Additionally, the panel noted: The official show trends:
Other notables:
June 2011 – Austin, Texas The International Association of Culinary Professions held its annual conference this year in Austin, Texas, the heart of Hill Country and thus barbecue. Nothing like hundreds of professional food lovers hitting a great food town like Austin to add a sizzle to the culinary landscape. Thanks to the recent economy, Austin is now home to hundreds of creative food trucks, often centered in empty lots or “trailer parks,” making for easy feasting. At the South Austin Trailer Park, I indulged in a couple of Torchy’s Tacos, acting on a tip from the hotel doorman to order the pork in green chile sauce. Another evening, while waiting in vein for a table at the too popular Barley Swine, I wandered over to the owner’s other outlet, Odd Duck Farm to Trailer, where the pork belly slider hit the spot. Fellow diners at my picnic table offered one of their Shiner Bock beers to make the meal complete. Dessert was a decadent maple doughnut topped in bacon from Gourdough’s, an airstream trailer equipped with a mean fryer turning out delicious, fresh, yeasted donuts, gussied up in all manners of indulgent flavors.
I got a fix of barbecue from Lambert’s, an upscale downtown restaurant, and from Franklin Barbecue, the cult outlet of a former food trailer owner who sells out of brisket a few hours after opening each day. Luckily, he spoke on the art of ‘que at the conference and brought along a savory taste of his exemplary brisket. The week’s highlights were strolling through the massive flagship Whole Foods store and a dinner at Uchi, Austin’s temple to updated Japanese cuisine. The care and talent that goes into crafting each of the unique fish dishes at Uchi is mind blowing. Each had delicate sauces, unusual non-Japanese elements, and stunning presentations. “Cool Tastings” include the Hama Chili, a dish of baby yellowtail, ponzu sauce, Thai chilies and suprèmes of oranges. On the “Hot Tasting” side, we enjoyed the Hot Rock, literally a hot rock used for cooking raw Wagyu beef slices. Chef Tyson Cole has deservedly won Best Chef Southwest in 2011 from the James Beard Foundation and penned an evocative cookbook.
May 2011 – Next in Chicago Modernist cuisine superstar Grant Achatz of Chicago’s Alinea opened a new kind of restaurant this year. Next, it’s called, and it’s nothing but unique. Every three months Next offers one pre-set menu based on a place and an era. To kick off the concept, Achatz took guests on a trip to Paris in 1906 with an eight-course meal inspired by Auguste Escoffier, the master French chef who opened the Ritz Hotel in Paris with César Ritz. The uniqueness begins with the reservation system. Mailing list subscribers were sent an invitation to buy a table of two or four during the three-month duration of the Paris 1906 menu. Like tickets to a concert, prices shift depending on the night and the time. There are no cancellations, either, but you can transfer your tickets to another if need be, again, like a concert. The meal I enjoyed did not include any of the modernist cuisine techniques Achatz is famous for, but instead was a well prepared, classical French meal including a gorgeous hors d’oeuvres plate, Potage à la Tortue Claire, Filet de Sole Daumont, Caneton Rouennais à la Presse and Bombe Ceylan (translation: turtle soup, filet of sole with a crayfish sauce, duck with sauce made from a duck press and a molded chocolate dessert). The recipes came from Escoffier’s seminal Le Guide Culinaire, the bible of French cooking techniques that became the foundation for Western cuisine. 
The second menu explores Thai cuisine. Sam Sifton in the New York Times Dining section reviewed it on August 17, 2011. Read more here. Next is located in a trendy restaurant quarter in Chicago where meatmarkets used to reign. Adjacent is Achatz’s much more modernist bar, Aviary, where mixologists ply their skills behind a metal gate, on view but not accessible, and concoct the most unusual beverages imaginable. Menu descriptions don’t do them justice: “Blueberry, verjus, sweet vermouth, rye” ended up being a multi-colored infusion in a glass canteen of sorts, jammed with flowers and fruit. The Martini was in fact three small glasses of a fresh martini, and two cask aged versions. “Popcorn, butter, crème fraîche” somehow tasted of buttery popcorn, though how that was accomplished was a delightful mystery. Both of these experiences showcase radically new ways of drinking and dining, including a new business model that saves costs and creates a reliable dining room formula a restaurant can depend on. The food at Next on my visit was not perfect; some dishes were lukewarm, others over-seasoned. The total experience, however, was exceptional and delightful, hospitable and novel. A winner worth a detour and some effort to snag a seat.
April in New York Despite gray skies, rain and some awfully chilly temperatures, I had a great time exploring the culinary trends on display in New York City this April. The comfort food trend remains heavily entrenched there (barbecue, braised meats/oxtail/bone marrow, homey desserts) and almost every restaurant I visited had some kind of pie on the menu. Ah, pie. New York foodies are plenty spoiled in this department. Peels, a Southern-tinged, all-day breakfast oriented spot in the Bowery had some of the best pie, made by former Bay Area pastry chef Shuna Lydon. Tasting Table hit the nail on the head calling her “the genius behind Peels’s pastry case.” There Shuna also makes a charming brioche-based monkey bread with a mascarpone icing, another baked good I saw on several menus, including David Burke Kitchen in the James Hotel. The most impressive pie assortment was at Hill Country Chicken, a clever, retro-styled fast-casual joint near Madison Square Park. Over a dozen mini pies in varieties like Apple Cheddar, Whiskey Buttermilk and even Salted Margarita with pretzel crust tempted diners, just the right size to encourage over-ordering. Guilty, as charged.
Another favorite slice was the maple pie at M. Wells, a converted diner over in Long Island City, Queens. As I have long been a fan of the Montreal-based Au Pied de Cochon, my interest was mighty piqued to visit M. Wells, owned by a Cochon vet. Hugue Dufour has brought the Pied fanatic love of pork, nose-to-tail ingredients and generous portions (and maple syrup) to this unsuspecting corner of town. With his Queens-born wife, Sarah Obraitis, who used to work for a heritage meat company connected to Slow Food USA, they have created a funky, hip and personally quirky restaurant that recently received two stars from the New York Times. Breakfast at the diner was hearty, needless to say. For example, the Bacon Hash featured large cubes of singed pork belly nestled among roasted Brussels sprout leaves strewn over a hockey-puck-sized hash brown cake topped with an immersion-circulator-cooked egg and gleaming, rich Hollandaise sauce. It was hard to make room for the puffy, golden biscuit with cranberry-apple butter, yet somehow digging into the maple pie was no problem.
Brooklyn, of course, is a hotbed of innovative, culinary creativity. I began my trendspotting adventures at Dram, a mixologist-run bar in Williamsburg that serves classic and modern cocktails, including tiki drinks in appropriate glassware. The menu has a “bartender’s choice” option for the curious and faithful imbiber. In the New York bars and restaurants I visited, I noticed that the cocktails in the Bay Area have more herbal, fruity and vegetal syrups and flavorings; the East Coast, by contrast, had more types of alcohol, though did showcase housemade bitters, fancy ice cubes and flavorings like housemade orgeat at Dram. Some examples: The Kilted Bastard – Jamaican Rum, Famous Grouse Scotch, Fresh Pineapple, Grapefruit, Lemon, Absinthe, Housemade Orgeat, Frank’s Mix; Fourth Mission – Siembra Azul Blanco Tequila, Mezcal, Yellow Chartreuse, Dolin Bianco Vermouth, Honey, Orange Blossom Water. I loved the bar snacks at Dram, especially when the tasty-sounding Chili Cheese Puffs turned out to be gougères, a French cheese-enhanced cream puff featured in our newly released Baked Goods Culinary Trend Mapping Report. And there is nothing wrong with Smoked Black Pepper Pork Belly with Kaffir Lime, made on a panini press at one end of the bar. And, you gotta love a bar that sells house made salted caramels, no?
Fatty ‘Cue, that mecca to Malaysian-scented smoked barbecue down the way in Williamsburg run by maestro Zac Pelaccio, delivered on its promise and reputation. The Heritage Pork Ribs were finger-licking delicious in a smoked fish sauce-palm syrup enhanced with Indonesian long pepper. A nice complement was the Broccoli Salad with charred florets, lemon preserve, lardo and toasted dry chile. First Prize Pies, made by a baker in town and sister of one of the cooks, serve as dessert; the ginger pecan pie fit the mode of Asian-accented traditional BBQ fare. 
Continuing on the pork path was Traif, not far from Fatty ‘Cue. Owned by Jason Marcus and his partner Heather Heuser, Traif serves up small plates meant to entice today’s Brooklyn diners (plaid shirt, black plastic-rimmed eye glasses, Converse and tattoos are part of the uniform…for everybody). And, as the name implies, there is no shortage of pig. David Landers, Assistant Culinary Director at CCD Innovation, and I sampled any number of pork-enhanced dishes: Bacon-wrapped blue cheese-stuffed dates with spinach a la Catalana, Crispy Berkshire pig tails in a honey-curry-peanut sauce, Hampshire pork cheeks on cinnamon polenta and Seared foie on fingerling potatoes with ham chips, a sunny egg and maple syrup. What else would make sense for dessert than Bacon Donuts, which were warm, tender and the perfect level of sweet with the smoky-salty bite of bacon bits.
Over in another part of Brooklyn, I sampled a comforting and tasty brunch at Buttermilk Channel in Carroll Gardens, a neighborhood with old-time Italian-American bakeries and pasta shops as well as vintage clothing shops and trendy restaurants. Fresh-made donuts and coffee cake with a coffee glaze started off the meal that also included amazing bacon, copious egg dishes and a noteworthy cheddar waffle. Buttermilk Channel’s dinner menu is homey, comforting and on-trend with fried chicken, Benton’s Country Ham from Tennessee, slow-roasted spare ribs, a burger and seasonal specialties like ramps in a salad and sweet peas in linguini.
Nearby, the Brooklyn Farmacy revives the soda fountain and pays homage to “farms” with a small grocery area. In an abandoned century-old apothecary, the new Farmacy serves egg creams and warm malted milk, cherry lime rickys and local doughnuts and other pastry delights. The day I was there, the owner, Peter Freeman, was perfecting his signature grilled cheese sandwich called the Grumble, Grumble Grilled Cheese. The Farmacy is turning into a thriving community gathering spot and also showcases ingredients from many local producers (Adirondack Creamery, P&H Soda & Syrup, Caputo Bakery, The Good Batch Stroopwaffels, First Prize Pies), both on the menu and on the grocery shelves. The story behind the shop is a great one: It was picked to be on the Discovery Channel’s “Construction Intervention” show and got a remodel worth nearly half a million dollars. They did a great job preserving the integrity of the old pharmacy and creating a welcoming soda shop for all.
Finally, a visit to Brooklyn on a Saturday would not have been complete without a stop at the Brooklyn Flea, even in awful weather. This flea market sells vintage items and crafts but is also a center for local food makers selling their products, everything from ice cream to salsa to coffee to baked goods, tacos, grilled cheese, bison jerky and more. I made it just in time to sample wares at a favorite Brooklyn confectioner, Liddabit Sweets, and try an amazing doughnut from Dough, an artisan producer in Bedford-Stuyvesant. It glazes poofy, yeasted doughnuts in flavors like dulce de leche, chocolate-chipotle and hibiscus. The lemon meringue is filled with tart lemon curd and topped with browned meringue. Unfortunately, the rain caused most sellers to close up their stands by 2:30 pm, making it a sure thing that I’ll be back next time I’m in New York.
March 2011 – Chile Pies & Ice Cream Pie is a trend right now. We see it on restaurant menus, in cafés and in the press (this New York Times article for example). We profiled pie a few years ago in our Generational Comfort Food Culinary Trend Mapping Report and love following the growth. To that end, it was about time to visit San Francisco’s own Chile Pie & Ice Cream, a small café serving Green Chile Apple Pie…and another favorite, Frito Chile Pie! What could be better than Frito Pie for lunch followed by two kinds of pie and a pie shake?
Chile Pie & Ice Cream is a café offshoot of a larger Southwestern-themed casual restaurant, Green Chile Kitchen. It offers eight or so different types of pie, locally made Three Twins ice cream, and a few savory entrées in a Southwestern vein, like New Mexican Green Chile Pot Pie. The dessert pie is the star, especially the green chile apple which expertly weaves green chiles in with sweet apples. The savory cheddar cheese crust was a flavorful addition and nicely complemented the apples and chiles. Topped with walnuts and streusel, it’s an unusual, but wholly satisfying, apple pie. We also sampled the red chile-walnut pie, like a pecan pie but with walnuts and the deep heat of red chiles. The big delight was the pie shake, which guests assemble to order, choosing between the pie selection and various ice cream flavors. We concocted ours with Mexican Chocolate Pecan Pie and vanilla ice cream, a classic and delicious combination. The best part about slurping a pie milkshake was when someone lucked out and uncovered a sizeable piece of crust. I was reminded of Ben & Jerry’s now-departed Apple Pie Ice Cream that offered the same kind of treasure hunt between filling and crust.
Eating a few slices of pie we were reminded about what makes pie so good. For us, it’s the crust, both in flavor and texture. That day, we found the crusts a little tough — too much handling? A bit too much flour?— but the fillings were tasty, especially with little hits of green and red chile. The take-away message: Go ahead and play with adventurous flavors in pie but don’t neglect the basics and make sure you’ve got a good, tender and flaky crust to fall back on…because you can’t always serve Frito Pie at the same time to make up for it! Chile Pies & Ice Cream
Cotogna Cotogna means quince in Italian, a fitting name for a casual, Italian-themed restaurant by the chef/owner of neighboring Quince restaurant in San Francisco. Whereas Quince is elegant and refined, Cotogna is more rustic and casual, the focal point being an imported Italian rotisserie-grill combo. There is also a pizza oven, just one of the current restaurant trends on view here. The casualization of restaurant dining has been ongoing for years now and really took over during the recession when extra costs like linens and flower arrangements were tossed out. Diners love it, too, being freer to pick and choose smaller items to make a creative meal that heavily features sharing. Cotogna is perfect for that with a menu of antipasti (warm asparagus with poached egg; house made mortadella with gnocco fritto), primi (farm egg raviolo with brown butter; nettle tortelloni with olives and pinenuts), grilled items (spit-roasted pork loin with fennel and chile), pizzas (pizza bianca with asparagus and spring onion) and an impressive array of vegetable sides, none too big and all calling out to be shared. The vegetable focus is wholly in tune with today’s interest in seasonal specimens, like the carrots roasted with rooftop honey and anise, or roasted sunchokes with cipollini onions. Italian-inspired desserts, such as the requisite but always delicious doughnuts—called bomboloni with ricotta, kumquat and limoncello here—and affogato, finish the meal with a Mediterranean twist, but one can always squeeze in a cheese course. Cotogna offers à la carte dining as well as an affordable three-course prix-fixe plus daily specials, making it a place to go for something familiar or something new. The allure of the rotisserie and oven, in plain sight in the open kitchen, make Cotogna a great example of the restaurant as source of theater as well as sustenance. 
Cotogna
February 2011 – Dining Notebook: Zero Zero Despite the lovely weather in the Bay Area this month, nothing beats a hearty meal of flavorful Italian-inspired comfort food. At Bruce Hill's Zero Zero, the choices for just that are many, from appetizers to desserts. The restaurant is in the current style of relaxed, informal dining accompanied by good drink. Cocktails fit today's trend mold and a number of wines are on tap. That's right. Wine. On tap. A great method for keeping wine fresh and bottle waste and cost down. The Italian-flavored menu offers starters of Crudo, Antipasti and Meats, as well as salads, pasta and, of course, pizza made with blistered crust cooked in a wood-fired oven. Seasonal ingredients change often, much to my dismay when a delicious Brussels sprouts dish I had in December was gone from the menu. Grilled Asparagus with Black Garlic, Basil, Asparagus Kimchee and Fiordolio Olive Oil is offered instead. I forgot all about the sprouts after this delicious dish arrived, kissed by the smoke of the grill. Local squid was a knockout served in a bowl of fregola (Sardinian toasted pasta, like large couscous) and topped with green garlic aioli but the real starter star was the Roman Style Dumplings with Slow Cooked Pork Belly, Crispy Broccoli, Poached Egg and Harissa. The dumplings seemed like semolina patties and the belly was just exquisite in its texture, flavor and juicy fat. The runny, golden-yolked egg and spritely harissa gilded the lily. Pizza is a consistently terrific option with flavors named after local neighborhoods. The choices range from the classis Margherita to pies with clams, bacon and pecorino, or Hen of the Woods mushrooms with leeks, four cheeses, garlic and thyme. Vibrant fava leaf pesto enlivened a plate of beautifully made potato gnocchi, ham and artichoke, the last ingredient brand new to the market and signaling springtime in California. Comfort, flavor adventure and indulgence all reign when it comes to the soft serve ice cream dessert. Guests are invited to fill out a menu with a teeny pencil, indicating which ice cream, base (hmmm…ricotta doughnuts or warm chocolate cake?), sauces and toppings they choose. House-made bacon brittle, poached rhubarb, peppermint patties, hot fudge and more tempt diners with enough room left in their stomachs to make a dent in the copious sundae made with organic Straus Family Creamy ice cream. It's a fun finish to a fabulous meal. 
Zero Zero
January 2011 – Fancy Food Spotting Again I had the pleasure of participating as a Trendspotter for the 2011 Winter Fancy Food Show. A few new products jumped out at my fellow trend watchers and me. I quickly noticed a new influx of Foods for Healing that are drifting into the specialty retail sector from the fringes of the natural food world, especially tea made from tulsi, or holy basil. We profiled tulsi along with turmeric in our recent Wellness Ingredients Culinary Trend Mapping Report so it was encouraging to see more of it here.
New Noodles were another show trend, made from kelp, farro and exotic Asian greens. NoOodle is made from a fiber-rich yam flour and has no carbohydrates and is gluten-free, yet the slippery starch is quite filling. Alternative Chips also continue to proliferate, providing more healthful options to snackers. I spied chips made from pinto bean, peas, mung beans, black beans, kale and even wild rice. Puffed rice also appeared in snack form, the coolest looking and best tasting product being 180 Snackitude's Almond Rice Pops with Blueberries. 
Chocolate for Breakfast also resonated this season. The Republic of Tea has a new line, Cuppa Chocolate Tea in flavors like Red Velvet Chocolate made with Rooibos tea and Coconut Cocoa, a blend of coconut, cocoa, dates and malted barley. It smells like an Almond Joy! I also enjoyed a bite of Julian's Recipe Belgian Waffles with Belgian Chocolate and spotted an imported Belgian Chocolate Granola from Lizi's. Of course, kids have been eating chocolate flavored cereal for decades but it's notable to see chocolate sneak into this daypart from the gourmet world, mostly thanks to the Belgians! 
Cocktail and wine cultures were in evidence with a variety of products. I tasted three types of wine cookies, including one brand that is designed to pair cookies with sparkling, white and red wine, Cookies & Corks from Cookie Zen. Tea Forte showed off Cocktail Infusions, tea pouches to steep in spirits for creative cocktail mixing; flavors include Lemongrass Mint and Lavender Citrus.Toss Olives offers two cocktail products, artisanal stuffed olives and also martini mixers, or olive brine infused with spirits, olive bits or habanero pepper pieces. These are signs that consumers will be well equipped to practice artful mixology at home.
Familiar items take on new forms with products like Brownie Brittle and Holly Baking's Cookie Brittle in peppermint, butter and hazelnut; Fall Rivers Wild Rice Bites in wasabi, cranberry-almond and dark chocolate; and Mia Dolci sweet crackers from Partners. Seems like a thin, crunchy sweet bite has fans. Finally, chocolate covered more products than usual, such as dried strawberries and Jelly Belly jelly beans, while Himalayan pink salt was this year's It flavoring on confections of all kinds. Other notable products:
November 2010 – Something New to Savor The Bay Area restaurant scene exploded this year, producing an exciting collection of creative eateries that are redefining dining. Gone is the ubiquitous beet and goat cheese salad, nearly a joke at this point for its preeminence on every menu in town. In its place diners can now savor Roasted Beets and New Onions with Sorrel and Pistachio (Plum). Or Handpicked Dungeness Crab with Chilled Beets, Vadouvan Yogurt, Spiced Onion Rings and Meyer Lemon (Prospect). What about Raw Lamb, Grapefruit, Beet, Nasturtium (Sons & Daughters)? Or, at the very least, Roasted Local Beets and Housemade Ricotta with Walnut Pavlova, 19-year-old Napa Balsamico and Ruby Grapefruit (Wayfare Tavern). Ah, something new! 
Chefs around here are thrilling themselves and diners on new ingredients and playing with newish techniques. Diners are seeing more cool vegetables, herbs from Asia, foraged plants and flowers, and intriguing sweet-savory combinations as well as bursts of umami, all in dare-devil juxtapositions that are unlikely to have been encountered elsewhere. So-called molecular gastronomy tools and ingredients are letting some chefs add gushes of gels, bursts of bubbly foam, crunches of dried whatever to enhance dishes with novel textures and layers of flavor. Toothsome barley, bulgur, quinoa and farro add new depth to some dishes while dandelions, sunchokes, chicories and pickled anything are brightening others. At least, that is what we are seeing this season.
As with Benu (August 2010) and Noma (October 2010), the chefs of these restaurants are going to new places, rooted both in local ingredients and personal histories, classic technique and adventurous new ones. This makes for highly personalized and localized experiences. Eating at Daniel Patterson's Plum in Oakland or Mario Carbone's Torrisi Italian Specialties in Manhattan will afford highly different experiences, but the ethos is the same. Each chef wants unique ingredients, ones that reflect the locale as well as deliver memorably delicious flavor, but they also want to forge a path to a new frontier of dining. Oh, lucky us. 
Plum
Prospect
Sons & Daughters
Wayfare Tavern
October 2010 – Hearing from René Redzepi of Copenhagen's Noma Earlier this year, the U.K. magazine Restaurant named Noma its restaurant of the year. After only seven years in existence, this was quite a coup. To accompany this win is a newly published, massive coffee table cookbook, Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine (Phaidon). Lucky for us, chef René Redzepi visited San Francisco to promote the book and get the word out on his unique take on food. Essentially, René seems like a cross between Thomas Keller and Ferran Adrià; not surprising as he spent time in both chefs' kitchens. He scours the Danish and Scandinavian countryside and seaside for unique grasses, flowers, berries, vegetables and sea creatures with which to formulate his dishes. Connected to a corps of local farmers, as well, Redzepi assembles his dishes to recreate the natural settings, the local environment of many of his findings to create a taste of place unique to the North Atlantic. For example, one dish he described at a book talk sponsored by Omnivore Books involved white and green asparagus grilled with spruce boughs from a tree growing alongside the asparagus patch. Essences, oils, dehydrated powders, gels and blossoms come together with roasted, braised and grilled items on plates like you've never seen before. It's an amazing book and Redzepi is an articulate, intellectual and thoughtful cook who has a deep understanding of how rich and varied a cuisine can be. Expect to hear a lot more about Nordic cuisine this year! For some great photos of a meal at Noma, including the asparagus, see Fiona Beckett's blog Food & Wine Finds
September 2010 – Artisan Pizza Nothing is hotter in San Francisco right now than artisan pizza: the thin crust stuff, made by a certified pizzaiolo in a wood-burning oven with a limited set of Neapolitan-approved toppings like San Marzano tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil. While I haven't made it to the city's new Una Pizza Napoletana, Anthony Mangieri's transplant from Manhattan's East Village, I did venture to nearby North Beach to try another Tony's award-winning pie. This Tony is Tony Gemignani, a nine-time World Pizza Champion who beat out a bunch of Italians for the best margherita pie some years back. Tony's Pizza Napoletana (spot a theme?) makes 73 of his award-winning margherita pizzas a day in its wood-fired oven and, frankly, the pizza is divine. At first, one might not understand what the big deal is. Yet after a couple of bites, the lightness and flavor of the crust really sinks in. The tangy tomatoes, just enough cheese. This is an amazing pie; just compare it with a different crusted pizza on the menu, and you'll see. 
Over in Berkeley, Paisan Pizzeria opened with its own Italian pizzaiolo and fancy oven. The menu, however, spans a broader terrain, offering seasonal salads and appetizers with a decided Italian bend, as well as flavorful entrées cooked in the wood oven. The porchetta with balsamic onions and plum mostarda was a particular delight. It's really a great time for pizza, and don't forget the soft-serve ice cream many pizzerias, like Zero Zero and Addie's Pizza Pie, are serving as a sweet finish. Una Pizza Napoletana Tony's Pizza Napoletana Paisan Pizzeria
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Kara Nielsen, CCD Innovation TRENDOLOGIST 
WHAT IS A TRENDOLOGIST?One who studies hot and happening food and beverage trends. As the CCD Innovation trendologist, I track and translate culinary trends by immersing myself in a plethora of food-centric media, that is when I'm not off visiting markets, specialty stores, cafes, hot new restaurants and off-beat food happenings. The purpose of my work is to inter-weave my findings with influential consumer trends as a way to help create on-trend successes for CCD Innovation clients. Visit my trends blog or subscribe to one of our Trend Publications to stay on top of the latest culinary trends! CCD Innovation Trend publications
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