Taste 2004
Already revved up, nutrition, flavor and quality take off as trend forerunners
By Laura Yee, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 1/1/2004
Like a lion lying with a lamb, potato-crusted, oil-cured goat cheese with goat-cheese fondue and croutons shares the menu with vegan basmati rice-stuffed pepper, tofu emulsion and dried fruits at Los Angeles’ Grace. At Market in St. Helena, Calif., Thai marinated rock shrimp with sweet melon co-exists with “very adult macaroni and cheese,” its creamy sauce fleshed out with bacon.
Welcome to 2004, a year in which something for everyone will be a dominant theme throughout foodservice. As diets go head to head with a continuing demand for indulgence, restaurants have been challenged to address both with equal aplomb. Kitchens accustomed to preparing foods with nary a thought to nutrition must now school chefs in the nuances of Atkins, organic foods and calorie counting, all with the aim of keeping customers happy— whatever their diet regimes.
Charting 2004’s big trends may seem like little more than a sequel to last year, with nutrition, quality, authenticity and flavor returning as consumer-driven themes no operator can ignore. But an industry that thrives on excitement will have a healthy dose of that as well, ensuring that the year ahead will not be fully predictable, marked by sameness, a lack of spark or menu innovation. Chefs continue to find inspiration in unexpected places, stirring it into the ever-changing pot that keeps restaurants interesting.
The impact of diets, far greater than even the most observant trend spinner noted last year, has shaken up menus in virtually every industry segment. Coupled with drives for big flavors and better quality, nutritional concerns continue to exert strong force, driving new directions in food and a different attitude in the ways consumers are accommodated.
“People have become more sophisticated and more demanding,” says Timothy Ryan, president of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. “I am impressed by how the industry is responding to nutritional needs, bold flavors, the demand for quality. These trends will remain strong but will take different permutations.”
Carbo UnloadingDriven by the growing clamor of gram- and calorie-counting Americans, nutrition is the greatest force foodservice will reckon with in coming months. Chains are rolling out diet-minded menu options, either of their own devising or, in the case of Overland Park, Kan.-based Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, in collaboration with Weight Watchers. On college campuses, too, foodservice managers are alerting the student body to healthier alternatives— and serving them as well.
Which diet to model menus on is quite a conundrum. Low calorie, low fat, high protein, no carbohydrates—the variations are many, with adherents to each intent on finding menu boards full of choices that fit their plans.
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“High-protein diets are what pasta was in the 1980s,” says Christopher Muller, associate professor at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen School of Hospitality Management in Orlando. “The conventional wisdom was that high carbohydrates and just a little protein was healthful.” Enter Atkins, a diet plan that allows indulgence in meats and fats at the complete expense of breads, pasta, sweets and grains. “It’s a hard thing for the market to avoid, so you see rapid adjustment to those needs,” he says.
The current “nutrition craze” will continue, according to Stuart Orefice, director of foodservice at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J. “There will be more identification of grams of fat, carbohydrates and other nutritional information in quick service, casual dining, colleges and elsewhere,” he says. “We have to be ahead of the customer and be ready.”
When the fall semester at Princeton began, a health-and-wellness committee was formed to map a strategy. So far, foodservice is working toward smaller portions, providing nutritional data and lighter options. But Orefice says the committee will determine just how far the school should go.
“Students’ interest in organic food and sustainable agriculture is small but growing,” he says. “It could be the same philosophy as that of the vegetarians in the 1980s, a minority that was so vocal that 40% of the menu became meatless but it was the hot button for only 10% of the population.”
Despite heavy coverage devoted to diets, not all Americans live by the scale. For every Premium Salad sold at McDonald’s, a far greater number of Big Macs go out the door. For many, the desire to eat healthfully coexists or is completely replaced by notions that food is a pathway to comfort, a reward or a treat. Hence, comfort classics such as macaroni and cheese and meatloaf still command menu space.
Full-Distance Flavors
Whether it’s basic American or globally inspired, boldly seasoned
restaurant fare continues its upward trajectory, while eager pursuit
of ethnic foods, from Brazil to Laos, Spain to Thailand, remains
highly charged, with chefs delving deeper into each country, further
exploring regional nuances.
Flavors that go the full distance command mightily, directing the development of menus and steering how chefs think about delivering tastes. José Ramon Andrés, chef-owner of Zatinya and two Jaleo locations in the Washington, D.C., area, and David Bouley of Bouley in New York City are among those delving into the science of cooking in order to coax the best from ingredients. Even the most elemental techniques—chopping, slicing, puréeing and reducing—are seen as methods to harness and intensify flavors.
Building on their growing expertise and knowledge, chefs pair unexpected ingredients to create high notes that contrast and complement. With the right amalgam of assertive flavors, fewer ingredients can be used to achieve cleaner, more straightforward dishes.
At Tampa, Fla.-based Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, tenderloin carpaccio is charged with caper-Creole mustard sauce. In New York City, Town uses spicy mustard oil and chiles to embolden tuna tartare, which is accompanied by pine nuts for crunch and green apples for acidity. At RM, also in New York City, Chef-owner Rick Moonen plays with the breath-taking intensity of mint pesto, using it to punctuate grilled octopus with ceci beans.
Always in search of individual statements, chefs eagerly explore unions of the unexpected. Moonen grinds tea into a powder and adds it to lobster Bolognese that enrobes house-made cavatelli pasta. “Tea gives the dish an earthiness that brings flavors together,” says Moonen. “But I’d challenge anyone to actually [identify] the ingredient.”
Regardless of concept, chefs borrow freely from the full range of ethnic ingredients. Asian, Cuban and Latin American foods continue to entice, bringing variety to the menu lineup. At some universities, including Princeton, Mexican is edging out Italian as the preferred cuisine.
Armed with culinary passports, chefs freely cross borders, giving rise to new fusion. Increasingly, authenticity is less of a rule and more of a guide. The criterion for judging a dish instead is, “Does it taste good?”
Sodexho USA developed an Asian concept called Mein Bowl. “The essence or premise is authentic, but we have given Chinese food a twist,” says Husein Kitabwalla, vice president of brand development and retail brands for the Gaithersburg, Md.-based contractor.
The menu offers Chinese mainstays such as sweet-and-sour pork and kung pao chicken but sake lo mein and sushi as well. “People are not hung up on the background associated with the region,” Kitabwalla says, explaining the culinary border crossings.
Quality Redefined
Operators agree that quality is expected at every level. “Good
food is the price of admission,” says the CIA’s Ryan.
“Fresh is not enough anymore,” says Steve Ells, chief executive officer and founder of Denver-based Chipotle. He and others agree that the sum of quality, value, service, ambience and convenience becomes the barometer for assessing quality.
“People need to feel engaged when they are dining out,” says Kitabwalla. “The art of preparing food today is not just having it displayed but seeing it finished in a wood-fired oven. This increases the perceived value and enhances the idea of healthiness. It’s changed how people eat.”
Knowing the origins of ingredients also amplifies perceptions of quality, operators say. “We are seeing a generation of customers born in 1987 and later who care about the environment and where food comes from. They are the ‘food without a face’ generation, people who put value in organic and vegetarianism,” Muller says.
While trends will play out in different ways, one thing is certain. “The combination of flavor, convenience and value will cut across all areas of foodservice in the form of the sandwich,” says Ryan, echoing a comment by others in foodservice. At Seattle University, panini serve as platforms for flavor with ingredients such as smoked turkey and olive tapenade; fresh basil, smoked mozzarella and tomato; and grilled chicken with provolone, red onions, spinach and artichoke pesto.
“Practically any sandwich has its following,” says Patricia Brussack, dietary specialist at the University of Georgia in Athens. “We expect that to become even more so in the new year.”
David Burke saw diners’ attitudes shift toward healthful and higher-quality fare as he traveled the country opening restaurants for New York City-based Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group. “But that doesn’t mean customers will stop eating [indulgent] stuff,” says Burke, who left the restaurant company after 11 years to open his own restaurant, David Burke & Donatella, in Manhattan. “The key is variety and choice delivered in an exciting but familiar setting with a high degree of hospitality no matter what level of foodservice.”
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