Look out. The 2013 trend reports are coming.
It’s that time of year when trend trackers begin to make their predictions about what will be hot in the coming year. I just wrote about some of the trends identified by Baum+Whiteman. Now I’ve taken a look at the 2013 hotel and restaurant trend report from Andrew Freeman & Co. These two hospitality and restaurant consultants are some of my favorite sources for food and dining trends. There’s a lot in the report, and I’ll be back with more, but here are some of “In”gredients from Andrew Freeman & Co.
1.Get your Freekeh on!
Freekeh Risotto with Chanterelles, Zucchini and Pea Shoots by Linda Reilly on Flickr
Haven’t I been saying that for a while? Remember, Freekeh is the new quinoa? Glad to see this roasted green wheat from the Middle East get some love. The example Andrew Freeman & Co. provided was Freekeh Risotto at Northern Spy Food Co.
2. How Bulgur!
Ok, two of my favorite Lebanese ingredients are getting some recognition. The restaurant dish featured in the report: Pan-seared Trout Over Bulgur Wheat Tabbouleh at Ruxbin in Chicago.
Pan-Seared Trout Over Bulgur Wheat Tabbouleh at Ruxbin from TriphenaW on Flickr
3. Ricotta A Lotta – Homemade of course
The dish featured in the trend report: Homemade ricotta garnishing gazpacho at Congress in Austin, Texas
4. Out on a Lamb – breast, riblets and belly
We’re not just talking lamb chops. All parts are popular now, including Lamb Belly with Labne and Orval-Braised Beluga Lentils (Ressto, NY) and Lamb Riblets with Tamarind Sauce from Plum Alley (Salt Lake City)
5. The secret’s out: Pork Secreto is the hot spot on the pig
Secreto — literally “secret” in Spanish — is a tender strip of pork hidden beneath a thick layer of pork belly. You can read more about this hot spot on the pig at Time Out New York.
Pork Secreto with Romano Beans, Marinated Peppers and Pickled Watermelon Rind at The Purple Pig in Chicago by Edsel L on Flickr
6. Show me some skin!
Some examples of this trend: Chicken Skin Tacos at Woodshed Smokehouse (Fort Worth, Texas) and Pig Skin Spaghetti at Incanto (San Francisco)
Chicken skin chips by Sifi Renka on Flickr
7. Who you calling pig headed?
Fat Dragon Bar-B-Q (Vancouver) serves smoked roasted half pig head to share; you can order confit and roasted milk-fed pig head for two at Craigie on Main (Cambridge, Mass.)
Pig head at Craigie on Main by ArtJonak on Flickr
8. Heavy necking
Who knew that necks would be big. Examples: Poutine with chickpea fries, yogurt curds, and lamb neck gravy at Ink (Los Angeles) and Massaman Curry braised goat neck at Kin Shop (New York City)
Braised goat neck with fried shallots, purple yams, mustard greens and toasted coconut at Kin Shop by The Food Doc on Flickr
9. Push-Pops
It seems push-pops are the new desserts in a jar. Saint Cupcake (Portland, Oregon) layers the pops with cake, Pop Cycle (Sacramento, Calif.) delivers artisan ice cream push pops by bicycle
Cake Push Pops by Emkatt77 on Flickr
10. No-dles vegetable “noodles”
All sorts of non-pastas going on, including Pan-Roasted Snapper with Squash Noodles and Carbonara Sauce at Pican (Oakland, Calif.)
