WASHINGTON -- A survey by the National Restaurant Association of more than 1,000 professional chefs, members of the American Culinary Federation, found that "small is big" on restaurant menus, as bite-sized desserts and small plates/tapas/mezze top the list of hot trends when it comes to courses.
Other items among the top trends in the second annual "What's Hot & What's Not" survey include alternative-source ingredients, ethnic flavors and specialty alcohol.
"I have seen these trends first-hand, so I know they are indeed [image-nocss] the hottest right now," said Chef John Kinsella, CMC, CCE, AAC, president of the American Culinary Federation and senior chef instructor at Midwest Culinary Institute in Cincinnati. "The trend of small plates is definitely hot, including offering tasting menus of small portions of food, wine or other alcohol beverages. The trend I see as the fastest growing going into 2008 is the alternative-source ingredientslocal produce, organics, sustainable seafood, grass-fed and free-range items."
Another overall trend is alternative-source ingredients, including locally grown produce, organics, sustainable seafood, grass-fed and free-range items and alternative red meats (buffalo, ostrich, venison). In addition, incorporation of ethnic cuisines, flavors and ingredients into restaurant menus is also shown to be an overall trend, with fusion ethnic cuisine, flatbreads, Asian entr ae salads, Asian appetizers, Latin American cuisine, ciabatta bread and Mediterranean cuisine rated high on the list of hot items.
Various types of alcohol are also hot on menus, according to the surveyboth as an ingredient in cooking and on the drink menu. Craft beer, energy-drink cocktails, martinis/flavored martinis, mojitos, artisan liquors, organic wine and specialty beer (seasonal, spiced, fruit, etc.) are all among the top 20 hot items. Among non-alcohol beverages, flavored/enhanced water leads over espresso/specialty coffee. Among trends in preparation techniques, braised items is considered the most trendy over pan-seared/saut aed and grilled items.
In this second annual survey, some items rated high last year have dropped significantly when it comes to being considered a hot trend. Bottled water, fresh herbs, exotic mushrooms and whole grain itemswhile still popularhave dropped out of the top 20 hot items this year. Rated highest on the list of cool/pass a itemsitems that used to be hot trends, but are not anymoreare fruit/flavored wine, star fruit, low-carb dough and tofu.
Also included in the survey were questions about trends in kitchen equipment and culinary uses of alcohol. In equipment, the hottest trend is multi-purpose equipment, followed by environmentally friendly equipment, and equipment that speeds up cooking and preparation times.
The top trend in alcohol is signature cocktails, closely followed by deglazing/reductions/sauces, food-beer parings and beer sommeliers, as well as food-wine pairings and wine sommeliers.
For full 2007 "What's Hot & What's Not" survey results, click here.
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