TrendWatch
Kara's CULINARY TRENDS BLOG: ARCHIVES - view current blogI take my job as CCD'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
november 2009 - CIA worlds of flavor World Street Food
World Comfort Food was the topic at the 12th Annual Worlds of Flavor Conference at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, CA. It’s hard to imagine a more exciting place for a food trendologist fascinated with both street and comfort foods! Experts from around the globe, noted culinary authorities, star chefs and writers, all assembled to share their knowledge in the august former Christian Brothers winery overlooking misty fall vineyards. Aligning with our latest Culinary Trend Mapping Report on Emerging Global Cuisines, I learned about and tasted samples of some tasty global grub:
Other notables -
Why is Peruvian food so hot?
CCD Chefs’ Council® sightings:
november 2009 – out the door for breakfast!
Out the Door Bush St.
November – A Visit to Quince San Francisco is all a flutter with the reopening of an expanded Quince. I paid a visit to the restaurant’s bar to check out the scene. It’s a stunning room with a handsome bar on one side, open kitchen on the other, and gorgeous oversized photographs on the wall that kept me guessing at the images all night.
The hospitality starts from the moment one sits down at the bar with tasty house-made chips. A tempting cocktail list follows. Chefs’ Council® member William Werner oversees all pastry and dessert production; he tipped me off that the gougères at the bar are not to be missed. He was right! I also tried two desserts, both spectacular: Warm Butternut Squash Fondant with Brown Butter Ice Cream and Caramelized Honey, and Bonét, a composition of Roasted White Chocolate, Espresso and Almond Gelato. The desserts defy description, really, made of intricate components that are artfully plated, but the resulting whole was delicious. I look forward to a deeper dive into the menu early next year. Quince
october 2009 - fall in napa While trend spotting, mentions of trends in the Napa Valley come up regularly, so I took a trip up there to see what new culinary trends were tempting taste buds in the North Bay. Napa: Oxbow Public Market First stop was the Oxbow Public Market, a smaller version of San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace. The collection of artisanal food stalls and shops is impressive and on-trend: Kara’s Cupcakes, with my favorite cupcake Salted Caramel; my preferred micro-batch coffee roaster, Ritual Roaster; Three Twins locally made ice cream; and my must-stop, Fatted Calf, for their housemade mortadella. At Pica Pica Maize Kitchen, I tried out the Venezuelan arepa, a (gluten-free!) grilled corn flour patty used as a sandwich carrier. Pica Pica serves as a good sign that more South American street foods are trickling into mainstream view. The exotic sandwich fillings included Pabellón (shredded skirt steak and cheese) and Dominó (black beans with cheese). The Maize’Wich, a grilled cheese, looked delicious but there were more things to eat of ahead of me.
Yountville: Bouchon Bakery Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery is another must-stop. As I have been tracking the growing popularity of Parisian macarons for years now, I need to see what this French-inspired bakery is offering in that department. Their macarons are now rather large (see Bouchon’s home page for a sense of scale), about two inches in diameter. Along with the more typical espresso and hazelnut flavors, Bouchon also had a brilliant colored blueberry macaron! It tasted as good as it looked!
Bottega Ristorante Top Chef Master, celebrity chef and author Michael Chiarello recently opened Bottega Ristorante, a new wine country restaurant in Yountville featuring his signature Italian cuisine and wines from his own family vineyard. Several menu trends were on display in Bacon & Egg, with pork belly confit, a soft-boiled egg fried in panko crumbs, slow-roasted peppers and cherry tomatoes. Present also was the nearly ubiquitous Bay Area ingredient, wood-grilled octopus. My favorite appetizer, however, was the dish that married a warming comfort food to a trendy presentation technique: Polenta Under Glass. The creamy cornmeal filled the bottom of a Mason jar and caramelized wild mushrooms were sprinkled on the top. A separate pitcher of a highly reduced balsamic game sauce served to garnish the polenta once spooned onto the plate. To round out the meal, Wild Coho Salmon with a creative ìpastaî of narrow zucchini strips tossed in tomato sauce with basil. All in all, a delicious, and trendy, meal.
Redd To close the day, I stopped into Redd where Chefs' Council® member Nicole Plue creates marvelous contemporary desserts showcasing the best of today’s fine dining sweet trends. Strawberry Pain Perdu with Cream Cheese Ice Cream and Strawberry Verjus epitomizes the Breakfast for Dessert trend discussed in our Generational Comfort Food Culinary Trend Mapping Report. The Sweet Corn Fritters with Huckleberries and Vanilla-Corn Ice Cream illustrated how well corn can serve as a sweet finish. The most impressive was Dark Chocolate Pot de Crème.
The rich custard came in a globular crystal glass and was topped with a light, airy foam flavored with browned butter, ou beurre noisette en français. On the side, warm beignets dusted with powdered sugar, again Breakfast for Dessert. The perfect conclusion: Saltine Toffee packed to take home. The gang at the office loved me the next day!
September 2009 - flavor trends around town RN74 A number of trendy menu items called out to be sampled. A dish of Grilled Trumpet Royale Mushrooms sat upon a crunchy chickpea panisse, or pancake, a nice Southern France touch. Ultra-local Brentwood Gold Corn Soup was garnished with squash blossoms and Basque pepper. The Slow-Roasted Pork Sandwich was yet another entry in the growing list of great pork lunch entrées around town (see September Side Dish); the pork was melt-in-your-mouth gorgeous. The expected pork belly dish was one of the best I have tasted. Juicy, yet crispy strips of belly topped tender butter lettuce and were accented with dried sour cherries, pearl onions and hazelnuts. A black truffle sauce tied it all together.
Desserts were both inventive and great tasting. A square of Charred Watermelon rested on cucumber granita and was topped with juniper sorbet and gin foam. Brilliant combination. A delicate White Sesame Pot de Crèème was served with succulent caramelized plums. I skipped the accompanying Bugnes Lyonnais (a fried dough knot) with remorse, but relished this trendy meal nonetheless.
RN74
Wexler's
The dinner menu offers quite a few items with descriptions that start with BBQ: Cured Salmon with Fried Green Tomatoes, Scotch Eggs with Burnt Ends, California Quail, Short Ribs, Sturgeon and even chicken breast. Yet the smoke doesn't stop there. Beyond the more traditional smoked meats are more surprising ones such as County Line Little Gems Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Corn Bread Croutons and Smoked Cipolini onions, and Molasses Glazed Black Cod with Fennel Marmalade and Smoke Mission Figs. My lunch included the Little Gem salad with the incredible cipolini onions, the hot dog, made by local chef Ryan Farr of 4505 meats, and some amazing smoked chicken wings with Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese and yogurt.
While the smoke falls away at dessert, the fun doesn,t stop with Inside-Out Root Beer Float, Chocolate Fudge Pie with toffee and salted pretzels and Sour Cream Japanese Pear Pie with sweet spices and Winchester Aged Gouda cheese. Wexler's is a delicious and clever twist on the barbecue restaurant trend. Wexler's
Ferry Building Thursday Farmers, Market
My favorite stop, which I confess was made before eating lunch, was at Scream Sorbet. I just couldn't resist Kettle Corn Sorbet. It's part of the trend of popcorn flavored desserts but how it got into sorbet is something I loved to learn. The ground kernels made for a creamy sorbet with that irresistible salty-sweet taste. I got the chance to try another flavor the next day at Oakland's Eat Real Festival. Unbelievably full-flavor Coconut-Thai Basil. Hope they start selling retail soon!
For more info: August 3 2009 - Alley Dining: Little Skillet By Deputy Trendologist D Hayden Who would know that a small, nondescript window in a San Francisco alley near AT&T Park would offer such delicious fare? I was hungry on the way to work this morning and The Trendologist pointed me to Little Skillet, an offshoot of Farmerbrown a restaurant serving "farm-fresh soul food". There was plenty of that on Little Skillet's breakfast menu, but when the smiling guy at the counter said "Good morning! What can I get you, man?" I knew it had to be the andouille sausage and cheddar grits. It came quickly and was delicious. In fact, I had planned to take it to work and eat it at my desk, but when I popped the top off its cardboard container, it smelled so good I walked across the alley, sat on the edge of a loading dock, and spooned it in. The creamy and hearty grits were slightly sweet, balanced by the savory sausage cubes. Sharp cheddar was sprinkled on top and mixed nicely with the grits and spicy sausage, making for a great way to start the morning. Next time, chicken and waffles. Or maybe homemade biscuits and gravy. Or the po' boy pulled pork shoulder sandwich. Actually, could be tomorrow. Little Skillet July 2009 Highlights Meet Miso - The Japan External Trade Organization hosted a miso tasting seminar in San Francisco that included information on miso's origins, uses and nutritional benefits. Miso is a core ingredient in Japanese cuisine that is used to flavor soups, marinate meat and fish, and add umami notes to a host of other foods. The white, brown or red paste is made from fermented soybeans and either rice or barley. It comes in several styles, differentiated by color and flavor, and is a nutritional powerhouse. The seminar's highlight was the chef panel and tasting: five top S.F. chefs talked about how they are using miso on their fine dining menus. My favorite dish was the fried green tomato marinated in miso and coated in a corn meal-miso crust by Staffan Terje of Perbacco. Expect to see this salty soybean paste more widely in years to come as Japanese cuisine, and fermented foods, become more popular. For more information » 
Staffan Terje's Fried Green Tomato Namu is a Korean restaurant in the Inner Richmond district. It is owned by three Korean brothers with a hip California-meets-Seoul sensibility. Using organic and sustainable ingredients, the Lee brothers have put together a cool little neighborhood eatery with exciting dishes to share. They also have a stand at the new Ferry Building's Thursday Street Food Market. They are part of the emerging Korean cuisine trend, reinterpreting traditional dishes through contemporary filters. Meals begin with a pickled vegetable trio including the Korean staple condiment kimchee, fermented cabbage with chili. Chef Dennis Lee retools Korean classics, making new iterations like Korean beef short rib "tacos" with daikon and kimchee salsa, avocado and kalbi demi glace. The taco wrapper is nori. D and I loved the crispy free-range chicken wings with a sweet chili dipping sauce and appreciated the beauty of a rectangular plate of Chinese long beans studded with juicy, crispy Boccalone guanciale (Boccalone is a local salumaria) and trumpet mushrooms. To conclude, a fondue of warmed yogurt and honey and fresh fruit. All in all, creative, tasty and a great introduction to Korean flavors. 
Namu June 2009 Highlights Mission Street Food is part of the pop-up restaurant trend in San Francisco. Each week a new set of guest chefs prepare one meal in a "borrowed" Chinese restaurant in the Mission District and give proceeds to a different charity each week. June 25 was "McMission" night, with profits going to the Campaign for Better Nutrition. Menu items were re-worked McDonald's items such as... 
The McShaker Salad with sunflower seeds, watermelon and jicama 
And the McRib Sandwich, made with pork belly, smoky St. Louise rib roulade, cipollinis and ancho cress 
And finally the Bing Cherry Pie with malted vanilla ice cream. The clever packaging made the evening and all the food tasted good. I just wished they had fried the pies! Mission Street Food Susan Feniger's Street, Los Angeles The menu is divided into Tea Cakes & Dumplings; Vegetable Sides; Salads; Noodles, Soups & Curries; and Big Plates. A family group and I enjoyed a wonderful assortment of foods from all over the world including Mung Bean Pancakes with pork belly and kimchi and Singaporean Kaya Toast made with toasted bread spread with coconut jam and served with a soft-boiled egg drizzle in dark soy and white pepper. We also tried Japanese ramen and Thai curries, all delicious. Desserts also span the globe with Vietnamese Yogurt Panna Cotta, Egyptian Basbousa Cake and yummy Turkish Doughnuts. Boy, I sure wish this place were in San Francisco!  
Susan Feniger's Street Trend in Action 
Butchering a pig at A16. Lunch at San Francisco's A16 can have added attractions when the kitchen staff starts butchering whole animals at the front-of-the-house bar station. The restaurant purchases whole animals to use for its rustic menu inspired by Italy's Campana region. Salumi of all kinds is a house specialty. May – Artisan chocolate discoveries While doing research on new American chocolate makers, I came across a number of outstanding small producers making bean-to-bar chocolate around the country. Each company has a compelling story and all are committed to sourcing good quality, sustainable cacao beans from around the globe to create distinctive chocolate. Together, they have created the Craft Chocolate Makers of America organization. A few highlights:
May 09 - Barlata Chefs’ Council® member Daniel Olivella, of B44 restaurant in San Francisco, opened an authentic tapas bar in Oakland’s trendy Temescal neighborhood last month. The name, Barlata, refers to the traditional Spanish lata, or tin can, in which many foods are preserved. Think sardines, mussels or squid. In addition to the seafood-centric latas, Barlata serves cold and hot tapas and larger plates like seafood paella, fideua (a sort of paella made with noodles and seafood), and local roasted fish. Friends and I enjoyed three versions of gazpacho, a roasted vegetable plate accented with Cabrales blue cheese, an octopus and fingerling potato lata, brandade and Mar I Muntanya (lamb meatballs mixed with squid in a chocolate and tomato sauce). I’ll be going back for dessert bocadillo: a grilled chocolate sandwich with crema Catalana sauce! Barlata
April 09 – Heaven’s Dog Charles Phan, of the Slanted Door Vietnamese restaurant mini-empire here in San Francisco, has a new spot in town, Heaven’s Dog. It’s a noodle bar + restaurant + lounge in the SOMA Grand building next to the new Federal Building. The menu includes trendy favorites like Momofuku-inspired Braised Pork Belly in steamed buns and Northern Chinese stalwarts like Shanghai soup dumpling and Mapo Tofu. The classic Sichuan noodles Dan Dan Mien delivers a punch. The cocktails are delicious, too. I tried the Pisco Apricot Tropical made with Marion Farms Biodynamic Pisco, made in California.
Heaven’s Dog
Late March - Boston Bites Nothing like spring break in Boston! It's still so chilly, that taking shelter in restaurants is the way to go. Restaurant trends in Boston include: restaurants selling house-made prepared foods in attached retail spaces; lots of local and sustainable products, especially fish; unique egg dishes; and comfort food desserts. No visit to Boston is complete without a visit to Cambridge's Formaggio Kitchen. I regaled myself with artisan chocolates, like Taza from nearby Somerville; some delicious, perfectly ripened camembert from Switzerland; and the best tasting sour cherry nectar ever from somewhere in Europe. Highlights:
Myers + Chang 
Persephone is the latest from 2009 James Beard-nominated chef Michael Leviton (Lumière in Newton, Mass.). This restaurant/bar/lounge is part of the Achilles Project, a retail-restaurant space in a renovated brick building in the emerging Fort Point neighborhood on the water. It's credo, as long supported by Leviton, is local, sustainable and eco-considerate. I dined on Saturday, March 28, the night of Earth Hour; Persephone participated and turned off all non-essential lights from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. The New-American food here is fabulous: creative and surprising while still being familiar. Case in point is the Maine Peekytoe Crabcake on a bed of roasted cauliflower, curried apple, golden raisins, almond and coriander in curry vinaigrette. Who would have thought to meld those ingredients together for a crab cake? My vote for best Boston dessert: Baklava Napoleon made with phyllo crisps, Vermont honey mousse, a maple-brown sugar filling and candied walnuts with, I swear, a touch of pepper. Outstanding and crave-worthy. Persephone 
If only there was a Sofra Bakery and Café in San Francisco! This new eatery is from award-wining restaurateur and chef Ana Sortun (Oleana, Cambridge, Mass.) who has made a name for herself with creative Middle Eastern-inspired cuisine and one of the best pastry chefs around, Maura Kilpatrick. Together they have created a totally original café space with foods inspired by Turkey, Lebanon and Greece, including pastries (za'atar croissant, date walnut coffeecake, Persian-spiced donut), a mezze bar (green olive and walnut salad, Moroccan carrot salad, whipped feta with sweet and hot peppers), and stuffed flatbreads (chickpea, potato, labne and za'atar, pictured below). Sofra sells unique pantry items as well as house-made pita chips, Allepo pepper honeycomb and spiced nuts. My favorite item was the umm-ali, an Egyptian-style bread pudding made with pistachios, citrus peel and shredded phyllo. Outrageous! Sofra Bakery and Café   
march 2009 - trending in texas COO Marc Halperin and I presented CCD’s Generation Y research at the annual Research Chefs Association conference in Dallas this year. While in town, we checked out high and low Dallas dining. Cowboy Chow is an only-in-Texas roadhouse-style restaurant serving updated “cowboy” favorites like Cast Iron Chicken Pot Pie, Mash Tater Parfait (layers of brisket, mash taters, cowboy caviar (?), cheddar cheese and tortilla strips), and Dr. Pepper Braised Beef Ribs. The Navajo Fry Bread, a flaky piece of fried dough on a spire with spicy black bean and honey dips, was a fun, interactive change-of-pace appetizer. The cowboy theme pervaded with Mason jars full of utensils, dishtowel napkins and a tavern-like décor that included a couple of mounted buffalo heads.
Cowboy Chow Bubba’s Cooks Country – Finger-licking-good never tasted so fabulous. I couldn’t go to Texas and not try a meal of authentic, non-chain fried chicken, especially since it’s such a trend in urban restaurants these days. Sides included overcooked green beans, sweet sweet potatoes and the fluffiest roll possible. But the star was the chicken: ultra-crispy, not greasy, tender and moist. The fried apricot pie as a finish was perfect. Bubba’s Cooks Country Fearing’s – On the fine dining side of the spectrum, Fearing’s was exciting, both in setting and cuisine. The restaurant has four stunning dining rooms and a bar in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Dallas. Chef/owner Dean Fearing, formerly of the Mansion at Turtle Creek, has created an inviting menu showing off his unique style of cooking, marrying Southwestern ingredients with French classical cuisine or elevating down-home-style dishes to a higher level.
Some examples:
Fearing’s, Ritz-Carlton, Dallas Dallas Food Find: Savoy Sorbet – I found Linn Madsen at the Dallas Farmer’s Market after reading about her delicious sorbets online. Linn grows herbs and flavors refreshing and unusual sorbets with them. I loved Rose Geranium Raspberry and Ginger Orange Honey. Lavender was lovely, just the right amount of herbal flavor, and Lime Thyme took a familiar flavor to new places. Inspiring.
january 30, 2009 - restaurant bites Luce, San Francisco SF Dine About Town, a local promotion where restaurants offer affordable prix-fixe menus, is a great time to check out swanky, high-end dining rooms to get a taste of what they have to offer. I was curious to hit Luce [lu-chay] in the InterContinental Hotel after learning that Esquire’s John Mariani named its female chef, Dominique Crenn, “Chef of the Year.”
My prix-fixe menu featured a silky salsify velouté with an oyster fritter and cacao nibs lending a welcome crunch to the creamy soup. Other starters included a perfect mushroom risotto and a slate (literally, a piece of slate) of barely-cooked vegetables on dried, ground olive “soil.” Entrées covered the bases with a crispy branzino filet on red quinoa, flavorful flat-iron steak and my choice, a cube of bronzed pork belly, garnished with an adorable fried quail egg and the tiniest piece of bacon I’ve ever seen. We all enjoyed the well-balanced, well-seasoned food dramatically presented on rectangular white plates adorned with dots of various sauces and swipes of different sides (the pork came with an earthy celeriac purée). Desserts were disappointing (no noticeable Nutella in the name-sake pôt de crème; too thick a layer of yogurt in a citrus parfait) but service was attentive and we all enjoyed the chance to taste what Chef Crenn is cooking.
Luce Restaurant
La Mar Cebicheria Peruana, San Francisco
La Mar Cebicheria
january 20, 2009 - winter fancy food show observations As a dutifully trendologist, I ate my way through the aisles of the recent Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. Going regularly affords one valuable insights into how certain foods and ingredients are moving – or not! For example, salted caramels are very in and peri-peri sauce, the African birdseye chili condiment, has somewhat disappeared.
However, Food & Wine reports that peri-peri is an ingredient to try this year, maybe at Nando’s Peri-Peri, a flame-grilled Portuguese chicken joint in Washington DC. Kara’s notable fancy food sightings:
january 4, 2009 - noodle theory 
What else would one eat the day before starting a New Year's, post-holiday-indulging diet but noodles. They are tasty, satisfying and a bit of a forbidden food the rest of the year (darn carbs!). They are also seriously trendy these days, getting more so since we profiled noodle houses in our Specialty Cafes Trend Mapping Report in early 2007. New York may have its new trendy soba houses (Sobakoh, Matsugen), but Oakland has had its own Pan-Asian noodle shop going on two years now. Noodle Theory is a small, cozy yet up-to-date spot with a wall of windows looking out onto the popular Rockridge neighborhood. The restaurant's focus is clear with its menu divided into cold noodle salads, dumplings and appetizers, soup noodles, and saucy or sauteed noodles. Noodle Theory does not make its own noodles but does use sustainably sourced meat and poultry. Dishes are inspired by Japanese and Chinese cuisines with touches of Thai. My favorite dish was Five-Spice-Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries with Thai Curry Aioli. Heat blistered the dark magenta skins of the amber potato wedges adding flavor and texture. My Grilled Niman Ranch Spicy Loin of Pork Ramen in Peanut Lime Cilantro Broth was another example of Noodle Theory's cultural fusion. Japanese ramen were a fine complement to thin slices of spicy pork, a flavorful broth and a hearty peanut sauce buried under the noodles like treasure. The udon in D's Grilled Fulton Valley Chicken over Ginger Noodles with Crushed Peanuts was toothsome and tasty in the hearty sauce. Overall, a satisfying noodle-centric meal with favorite flavor profiles. And while we wait for the buckwheat noodle trend to move farther out of Japanese neighborhoods and urban centers, Noodle Theory is a great spot for a noodle fix. Noodle Theory Upcoming stop: The Fancy Food Show comes back to San Francisco; stay tuned for my discoveries. december 7, 2008: brown sugar kitchen, west oakland 
Chefs' Council® member Tanya Holland has created a delicious oasis in a sparsely populated section of West Oakland with Brown Sugar Kitchen. Warm toned and roomy, the space features an inviting counter with attached vinyl stools and a glass panel backing. Being tall, I could peer over the glass to see what Tanya was cooking up in the open kitchen. Let me tell you, it was tasty and on-trend. Tanya offers updated versions of soul food favorites, dishes accented with ingredients from local artisan producers. I couldn't resist sampling the buttermilk fried chicken and corn meal waffle with creamy apple cider syrup; the chicken was moist and tender with a crispy, Creole-spiced coating (fried chicken nights in local restaurants are a mini-S.F. trend these days!). The waffle, another trendy fixture, was light and crispy, the perfect foil for the tangy-sweet syrup. Darrell tucked into organic cheddar cheese grits and poached eggs with abandon; the grits were perfectly cooked and satisfying. We both slathered hot beignets with a delicious plum jam made by Oakland producer Blue Chair Fruit Co. Perfectly brewed Blue Bottle Coffee made the meal. A locally enhanced down-home feast. Brown Sugar Kitchen november 20, 2008: gitane, san francisco 
Spanish tapas have been on-trend for years now. What's next? Perhaps more traditional Basque cuisine, which is what San Francisco's new Gitane offers in a sexy, downtown space. Gitane's chef Lisa Eyherabide presents an enticing menu of Basque classics with additional inspiration from France, Spain and Portugal. The result is one of the more original and inviting menus I've seen lately. And the food tastes great! 
Darrell and I began our dinner with Bacon Bonbons, prunes stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon. They perfectly accompanied our creative cocktails, a must-have in this town these days. Mine was called Ribera and made with Patxaran sloeberry liqueur (a hot new bar ingredient), crème de pêche, Blue Ice vodka and melon juice. We also shared char grilled Monterey squid stuffed with Portobello mushrooms. My Hill natural baby back pork ribs were meltingly tender and savory-sweet with a honey-soy glaze. Darrell relished his Cataplana, a Portuguese fish stew laden with delicious sea creatures. Spinach with pine nuts and golden raisins was the perfect Spanish accompaniment. Gitane happily illustrates that Mediterranean cuisine still has new flavors and forms to wow us hungry diners. Gitane november 1, 2008: the moss room, cal academy of sciences 
Local, seasonal and sustainable are the trends in abundance at The Moss Room, the California Academy of Sciences' fine dining room (see blog entry on 9/28). This makes sense: Chef Loretta Keller has been committed to these principles for many years and deliciously brings them to life in an institution that shares her values. The perfect example is her Sustainable Seafood of the Day menu item. This sets the tone and shows how committed the restaurant is to sourcing food items that are produced or harvested with the earth in mind. These trends, now life- and business-styles in the Bay Area, serve the menu well. I loved my ultra-seasonal grilled persimmon salad with endive, Medjool dates and ruby-red pomegranate seeds bursting with flavor, a lively proclamation of autumn. Bacon-wrapped pork loin was stuffed with sweet fall apples. My companion enjoyed a unique dish of shredded Brussels' sprouts accented with hazelnuts and a pasta dish with seasonal mushrooms. Poached quince topped the olive oil cake dessert. I felt like we were at the farmers market seeing old friends (Bellwether Farms, Star Route Farms, Cowgirl Creamery). Other trends on display: whole roasted branzino, a sustainably farmed fish that originated in Italy; house-made pita bread with a selection of Middle Eastern dips; country pork terrine with cornichons; and local cheeses on the dessert menu. october 23, 2008: unwrapping the candybar 
The Candybar, San Francisco's first dessert lounge, is not a candy store for kids. It's a sleek, contemporary space dedicated to soothing guests with comforting savories, sweets and drinks fit for grown-ups. Start with a sweetish cava cocktail or the white sangria brimming with fruit then dive into the compact savory menu. A happy-hour-portion of Sweet Onion-Apple Soup with croutons and jack cheese kicked off the evening along with tasty walnut levain toast topped with Harley's Farm's ricotta cheese scented with lemon verbena and with a layer of paper-thin pear slices. Further comfort came in the form of the Savory Sage and Squash Challah Pudding. 
As a former pastry chef, I always admire a dessert list that sounds so tempting its tough to choose. Of the nine sweet offerings, I tried four with help from Karen Cascio, CCD's kitchen manager. Pastry chef Ben Witten lightly douses his Buttermilk Panna Cotta with olive oil and a sprinkling of grey salt in perfect proportions. Frozen grapes add a contrasting bite. We loved the Pocky Stick garnish on the Chocolate Mousse served over Peanut Butter-Pretzel Semifreddo (pretzels in sweet items are a bit of a trend!). The Cedar Smoked S'Mores with homemade marshmallows and a trail of pine sugar were a fun, gooey adventure. To conclude, the Chicory Milkshake with Espresso Caramel did the trick, though we couldn't resist two last bites of ice cream in small glass jars. We have already promised to return next month when the menu changes to see what magic Ben will be working with cranberries, sweet potatoes and pomegranates! september 28, 2008: trendy dining at the new california academy of sciences If you live in San Francisco – heck, if you live just about anywhere – you probably heard about the spectacular opening of the newly rebuilt California Academy of Sciences. Along with a rainforest, an aquarium and a planetarium all under a living roof, the LEED Platinum-certified Academy is home to two new trendy dining spots. Charles Phan of the City’s beloved Slanted Door, runs The Academy Café while Loretta Keller, of Coco500, oversees the fine dining Moss Room. In the café, guests pick from stations offering different street foods. Along with Phan’s Vietnamese staples like spring rolls, steamed dumplings and rice dishes, guests can sample braised pork tacos from the Taco Man station. Downstairs is the Moss Room, the moody fine dining room with a living moss wall. The restaurant will offer a menu of Cal-Med dishes with a focus on sustainable and seasonal. Read more about the Acadaemy's dining spots in Food & Wine and 7x7.
september 17, 2008: sojourn to seattle
The artisan food trend is alive and well in Seattle. A jaunt to the Emerald City confirmed that those looking for authentic, tasty products won’t be disappointed. Unless, of course, like me, you succeed at locating Skillet, an Airstream trailer serving gourmet lunches in various locales around the city, and the kitchen has just run out of propane! Yes, after a valiant search in an industrial neighborhood requiring GPS on both a car and an iPhone, I finally discovered Skillet in an empty lot behind a chain link fence; alas, they were no longer serving the Kobe “style” burger with cambazola, bacon jam, arugula on brioche. Skillet, “a mobile joint,” is part of a trend the Hartman Group dubs “authentic convenience” – trailers, carts, and stands serving real food for modest prices in unusual settings. Think taco trucks (or dessert trucks if you are in New York City!) or the lunch carts that are found in cities across the country. Cooks with a passion but not a lot of overhead can pursue their dream and serve up delicious, even gourmet, fare to a hungry public on the run. Other stops on my artisan food tour included, of course, Top Pot Doughnuts, a newfangled old-fashioned retro donut shop with well-made donuts in familiar flavors. Cupcake Royale delighted with mini cupcakes and a lesson on how to eat one without creaming your nose in the frosting. Looking for artisan ice cream? Then head to Molly Moon Ice Cream in the trendy Wallingford neighborhood. The cantaloupe-mint sorbet was incredibly fresh- flavored. To top off this delicious visit, I dined at Black Bottle gastropub in Belltown. Gastropubs offer high-quality gourmet food in a bar setting where spirits and beer are still a main focus. A tasty Moroccan chicken lunch and a glass of French rosé made my afternoon.
september 1, 2008: slow food nation
For food-minded folks, Labor Day weekend in San Francisco was dedicated to soaking up the Slow Food Nation experience. Slow Food Nation, a weekend event “celebrating and exploring the connection between plate and planet” descended from Slow Food USA, the domestic branch of the “global grassroots movement …that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.” I attended two panel discussions dedicated to localizing food and repairing the U.S. food system, visited the Victory Garden in front of San Francisco’s City Hall, bought biodynamic raisins and dried Blenheim apricots from farmers at the Marketplace and gorged on Scott Peacock’s country ham biscuits with jam at Slow Food To Go. The showcase event was the Taste Pavilion, a collection of exhibits devoted to topics like Pickles, Cured Meats, Honeys/Jams, Chocolate and Spirits, to name a few. Local beef jerky, asparagus pickles from Oregon, St. George Spirits’ absinthe and amazing coffee from Ethiopia were some favorite tastes. I discovered delicious products from the Pacific Northwest at a tasting seminar. There I discovered an intriguing line of sodas from Hot Lips Pizza in Portland, Ore. Hotlips Sodas are made with local fresh fruit, like pears (my favorite), boysenberries and raspberries, cane syrup and sparking water. The fruit flavors are tremendous – a flavorful and refreshing alternative to regular soda. The weekend wrapped up with a trip to Chef Council® member James Schenk’s new Pisco Lounge and a dinner at his Pan-Latin restaurant Destino where we heard from food activist Vandana Shiva about the importance of seed saving.
august 6, 2008: a trip to the flavor experience In early August, Lisa Strick and I attended the Flavor Experience in San Diego to present findings from our recent research study on Gen Y and dining. This two-day conference was a great opportunity to meet R&D chefs from chain restaurants, restaurant executives and foodservice suppliers. An exciting feature were the flavor trends brought to life at mealtimes: Salvadoran mini chicharron and cheese pupusas, Burmese tea salad, red velvet cupcakes and plenty of tasty cocktails. One of my favorite dishes was a sweet-savory caramel corn cake with coconut caramel and spiced popcorn by Chef Robert Danhi, a Southeast Asian food specialist. The presentations, many by frequent contributors to Flavor and the Menu, ranged from top flavor trends to leading ethnic cuisines (Italian) to sustainability. Hot cocktail trends include artisan ingredients like house-made flavor syrups or bitters, pre-Prohibition recipes for classic drinks, like Pisco Punch, and drink flavors inspired by culinary ingredients. Dessert trends covered include the mix of sweet and savory, such as all the salted caramel desserts, comfort desserts like bread pudding in all flavors and styles, fancy vanillas and varietal citrus, like blood and Cara Cara oranges. Unique ingredients turning up in desserts range from savory black olives to beets and corn to lemongrass, Sichuan peppercorns and lots of tea flavors.
Our favorite presentation was Gerry Ludwig’ 24 hours of eating in San Francisco. He combed the city over three days looking for places to eat every hour of the day. For lunch, he recommended Chef Council® member Gerald Hirigoyen’s Bocadillos, a Spanish tapas spot where the mini lamb burgers are a favorite of mine; also try the whole grain salad of the day! The Peruvian cuisine at Mochica, where I heartily enjoyed a meal last year, impressed Chef Ludwig with its aji chiles, flavorful sauces and purple potatoes. Lucky for us, Chef Ludwig prepared several conference dishes inspired by his San Francisco trend explorations including several Peruvian specialties (causita rellena, a layered potato and shrimp salad dish) and Mexican torta sandwiches, a mini brioche with pulled pork, avocado, adobo sauce, queso fresco and fresh cilantro. So what to watch out for? Ginger in cocktails, savory desserts and a greater effort at sustainability in restaurants.
august 18 , 2008: summer travels near and far The exciting thing about living in the Bay Area is that even if you can’t get out of town, you can eat like you are thousands of miles away. In the last month, I have taken virtual trips to both Cape Cod and Florence.
My Last Stop: My Next Stop: july 14, 2008: sweet dreams...sweet trends
One of my favorite fun gifts right now are the delectable malted milk balls at Miette Confisserie in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. These are no Whoppers (another guilty fav) but are pastel colored, intensively flavored, melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The chocolate ones come in either dark or milk varieties, too. Miette is part of a sweet trend of retro candy stores popping up in our city. Other shops include The Candy Store, Fiona’s Sweetshoppe and Sweetdish. Olive oil desserts are turning out to be a bit of a culinary trend although I recall an olive oil poundcake in a Chez Panisse cookbook from many years ago. Los Angeles magazine listed some of that town’s best olive oil treats that I’m dying to taste. I have already tried Gelato Bar’s olive oil gelato (a must-visit artisan gelato shop in Studio City owned by Gail Silverton, Nancy Silverton’s sister) but these sweets also sound tempting: olive oil macarons at Boule Atelier, an amazing pastry shop, and mini olive oil cakes with rosemary at Osteria Mozza, Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich’s wine bar. My Next Stop: july 07, 2008: my bay area summer tastings
june 11, 2008: welcome to my new culinary trends blog! Just where have I been these past few months? Definitely not sitting idle on my tastebuds. Actually, I've been scouting trends across the nation, dining high and low, presenting and exploring. You may also have noticed that Side Dish looks different. New and improved features include: an online format with easy-to-use tabs and eye-catching graphics. Check it out! Enjoy these trend spottings and let me know what you think about our latest efforts to be your one-stop resource for tracking emerging culinary trends. Bon Appétit!
june 2008: west coast delights - a new cupcake in town?
Luckily, there are plenty of wonderful trends to discover closer to home. In Beverly Hills, I gorged on Parisian macaroons at Paulette. I’ve been a fan of these delicate flavored almond paste meringue and buttercream sandwich cookies since living in Paris in the 1980s. I predict they will continue to grow in popularity here as new bakeries and bakers offer the delicious treats in cities like New York and Los Angeles. I’m seeing them here in San Francisco, too, but they aren’t quite as good as the real things yet. Could they be the next cupcake??? On verra bien. may 2008: nasft fancy food show in chicago A trip to Chicago to present Generation Y food habits to the NASFT Fancy Food Show crowd also allowed for some delicious side trips. By the way, CCD plans to offer a webcast version of our Gen Y research findings soon, so stay tuned!
april 2008: international association of culinary professionals (iacp) conference in new orleans I let the good times roll at the annual International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference in New Orleans this April where Ienjoyed an amazing pork-filled meal at Cochon. Oh my, did I see this as #3 on the now-infamous Bruni list? Why, you bet I did.
march 2008: spring vegetables In napa At Napa’s Ubuntu, a unique fine dining restaurant focusing on vegetables and #2 on Mr. Bruni’s list. I recommend anything with cauliflower and the irresistible Macona almonds in lavender sugar-salt seasoning.
february 2008: trip to boston for the enlightening consumer trends forum international Boston dining highlights include:
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Kara Nielsen On The Food Front 
WHAT IS A TRENDOLOGIST?One who studies hot and happening food and beverage trends. As the CCD 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 clients. Visit monthly to stay on top of the latest culinary trends! CCD Trend publications
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