Trends

A Four-Course Four Loko Dinner

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Dec 7th 2010 @ 3:00PM

Four Loko Photo: Paul J. Richards, AFP / Getty Images

When the makers of Four Loko set out to produce their canned caffeinated liquor concoction, we doubt they saw a four-course pairing dinner in their future. Philadelphia chef Matt Levin will, in fact, hold such a meal at Adsum restaurant next Monday, December 13. (Did we just hear the engines of every student-owned car in America begin to rev?)

Like many wacky ideas, the Loko dinner began as a joke on Twitter, but 15 minutes later, chef Levin already had 37 would-be RSVPs, reports the Philadelphia City Paper. The beverage faced its first ban in New York last month and may soon follow suit across the country, but Levin had already started stockpiling the drink when he found out it might potentially be gone for good.

What pairs best with Four Loko? Other than Funyuns and Easy Mac? Meat, of course. As in the "BBQ Picnic" featuring Loko pearls and pickled watermelon paired with Lemonade Loko. Then there's the Morrocan Lamb 'Sausage and Peppers' paired with a "Loko Yoko" cocktail. To satisfy your need for sugar and carbs, see the vanilla pain perdu (essentially a New Orleans-style French toast) served with Loko slushy and gelée paired with a Watermelon Loko. To finish: a Loko Pâté de Fruit (a fancy name for fruit jelly candy) to drink with Fruit Punch Loko.

OK, it's not dinner at Jean Georges, but it's pretty inventive. And maybe even delicious. The dinner runs $35 with two seatings at 6 and 8 p.m. That's a lot of Loko in two hours. Designated drivers highly recommended.

Filed under: Trends, Restaurants

2011 Food Trends: What to Expect in a Post-Labeling World

COMMENTS 0

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Nov 12th 2010 @ 1:00PM

Photo: [puamelia], Flickr

As we near 2011, restaurant chains have some menu scrunching to do. With consumers increasingly demanding to know what's in their food and federal menu labeling regulations coming into play, restaurateurs will have to bridge the gap between informative and appealing.

To see just how chains may be affected, Nation's Restaurant News has rounded up "5 Trends for a Post-Menu-Labeling World," taking cues from a new report from Mintel, a Chicago-based market research firm. The report, titled Mintel's Menu Insights, includes a survey showing that "62 percent of consumers say they plan to eat more healthfully in the upcoming year, but many complain that healthier food doesn't taste as good without the added sugar, sodium and fat."

In response, Mintel predicts that restaurants will shuffle in some "better-for-you ingredients" to dishes consumers already like. Something to keep in mind, they say, is exemptions. Mandates to post calories do not include limited-time offers, so watch out for those belly-busting seasonal treats -- dare we say the McRib?

Filed under: Trends

Forget the Corkscrew: This Wine Is on Tap

COMMENTS 1

by Kristine Hansen, Posted Nov 9th 2010 @ 4:00PM

wine keg Photo: greenlagirl, Flickr

The newest vino trend at bars, restaurants and lounges gets its inspiration from beer: wine poured from a keg and served on tap. And it's happening everywhere around the U.S. -- from Napa to Atlanta.

One advantage for the watering holes that serve the wine kegs is the ability to order wine in small batches, providing opportunities to get to know boutique wineries whose products aren't widely distributed or produced in high volume. Another plus is eco-conscious: fewer wine bottles end up in the recycling bin. Here's where to follow the wine-on-tap trend:

Tapping into smaller-production, lesser-known wines that customers may not have sipped before is the case at Vesta Trattoria in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. Raphael Winery on the North Fork of Long Island even creates custom blends for the trattoria. According to the restaurant, wine sales are up since the debut of wine on tap.

Los Angeles has at least one bar offering wine from a cask. Father's Office -- with locations in Santa Monica and Los Angeles -- offers eight different wines on tap, going beyond the two to four wines most bars sell. In Phoenix, the two Postino Winecafe locations source wine from a keg from Palmina Wines, based in Santa Barbara County, California.

Filed under: Trends, Drinks

GPS Provides Directions to Marketers

COMMENTS 1

by Naomi Shulman, Posted Nov 3rd 2010 @ 3:00PM

Starbucks Drive-thru Photo: Achim Hepp, Flickr

That handy GPS system in your car or phone is full of golden information -- and not just for you. Turns out it has some valuable market research data, too -- for big businesses.

Most of us use our GPS for more than directions to our ultimate destinations. We also use it to scout out our pit-stops along the way -- you know, coffee breaks and drive-thrus. That means the company that records all that data can provide exact figures on where people are going, what time of day, and along which routes. Now one GPS service provider, TeleNav, is sharing some of the information that impacts businesses, especially chain restaurants and hotels.

Filed under: Trends, Fast Food, News

Supermarket Sweep: Supercenters Are Out, Boutiques Are In

COMMENTS 2

by the Editors at YumSugar, Posted Nov 1st 2010 @ 3:00PM

groceries checkout line Photo: cafemama, Flickr

Are gargantuan Walmart Supercenters and their ginormous kin on their way out, in favor of smaller, kinder, gentler grocery stores? Yes, say the editors at YumSugar, who predict the downsizing (in a good way) of the supermarket. To find out more about what may be the biggest trend in food shopping, visit YumSugar.

Filed under: Business, Trends

World's Largest Gummy Worm Makes Us Squirm

COMMENTS 1

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Oct 26th 2010 @ 1:00PM

Giant Gummy Worm Photo: YouTube

With a length of more than two feet of rubbery goodness, the Vat 19 gummy worm is the perfect solution for all of you who prefer your candy mutant looking (the worm version of the irradiated ants in the 1950s horror flick "Them"). In fact, the company claims it's the world's largest worm, at three pounds (and it offers a couple days' worth of calories, 4,000 to be exact).

Don't worry about eating it all in one sitting, though (and, frankly, we don't even want to go there) -- it has a shelf life of about a year. And if you need something a little more cuddly than a huge worm, you can always opt for Vat 19's five-pound giant gummy bear.

Filed under: Trends, Food from the Edge

Peanut and Seed Brittles Have Us In a Dessert Crunch

COMMENTS 2

by Robert Sietsema, Posted Oct 21st 2010 @ 3:00PM

Photo: sassyradish, Flickr

Peanut brittle might remind you of something grandma kept in a jar and doled out during special visits. Crunchy, sweet and translucent brown, brittle tasted of peanuts in a way far different from peanut butter. But it was also one of those candies the dentists warned you about -- with brittle's adamantine hardness, you were bound to lose a filling or chip a tooth. Spoilsports.

Now, according to Nation's Restaurant News, peanut and other nut and seed brittles are undergoing a revival in restaurants across the country, where pastry chefs are crushing them and sprinkling them over other desserts such as puddings and cakes (think pistachio brittle over creamy cheesecake), to add texture. They're also using brittle as a component of layered confections, spicing it up with cayenne and cloves, or simply incorporating it into the mix of components on the dessert plate (such as a panna cotta served with olive-oil cake and figs).

With a startling protein content of 24 percent, making it the most nutritious of legumes, peanuts may be making a comeback, and in its simplicity and ease of preparation, peanut brittle will be leading the charge, followed by brittles made from, among others, pecans, pistachios and pumpkin seeds. (Visit Kitchen Daily for a selection of peanut brittle recipes.)

Filed under: Trends, Restaurants

Cooking on the Dark Side: Black Chicken

COMMENTS 17

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Oct 20th 2010 @ 11:00AM

Photo: Shubert Ciencia, Flickr

A little black dress is always the go-to for high style. But a black chicken? It worked for chef Rick Moonen, who made it into a mousse for his stint on Top Chef Masters. Far from the pale yellowish tinge of its plain old chicken sisters, the Silkie may have fluffy pale feathers but its bones and flesh are the shade of onyx (it has a genetic combination that causes the color, as a result of melanin), and has a rich, gamey flavor to match. Some cooks say there's literally no flavor difference between traditional and black chickens. You'll have to judge for yourself. Will it look a little off-putting in your chicken divan? Of course it will. But it's almost Halloween after all, and, something about this chicken says macabre.

According to the Chinese, who have for millennia eaten black chicken (which in China is called wu gu ji, or black-boned chicken), putting the dark poultry into a stew or soup may be just the thing to cure a cold,cramps, or a headache. Some people have called it an anti-oxidant powerhouse -- a true superfood. But don't look for Silkies at your local Piggly Wiggly market. Urban Asian markets are where you'll find these midnight-colored chickens, but it's worth the search. As a very wise man once said, black is beautiful.

Filed under: Trends

Pick Your Gifts at an Urban "Orchard"

COMMENTS 1

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Oct 19th 2010 @ 10:30AM

Harry & David Orchard Store Photo: HARRISON & SHRIFTMAN PR

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus but there is no such thing as a peach orchard on Fifth Avenue. Until now.

From October through January, the 75-year-old kings of the fruit basket, Harry & David, are bringing "pop-up orchards" as imagined by the king of restaurant design, David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group, to 16 cities across the country, from Fairfax, Virginia, to Manhattan's Fifth Avenue to the land of Georgia peaches, Atlanta (in the Lenox Square Mall). Channeling the company's Oregon roots, Harry & David re-creates the mood and pick-your-own experience of a country (albeit high-style country) farmstand, taking to the outdoors with the temporary markets featuring their Royal Riviera comice pears, Honeycrisp apples, and preserves made from sweet Oregold Peaches, and of course, the mile-high towers of fruit in gift baskets.

Filed under: Trends, Food News

Weird Foods Kids Love, Part 2

COMMENTS 1

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Oct 13th 2010 @ 1:30PM

Goldfish crackers Weird Kid Meals Photo: Micah Taylor, Flickr

As if the carb mash-up otherwise known as the spaghetti taco wasn't enough, more examples of weird foods that kids love keep pouring in from parents around the country. Fruit sculpted into animal shapes or made into smiley faces are big themes from mom and dad. But when kids have their way? Bring on the PB& J in a cone! For a gallery of kids' wacky food indulgences, visit the New York Times.

Filed under: Trends, On the Blogs, Food News