Kara's TREND WATCH BLOG

I 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. - Kara Nielsen, Trendologist

 

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.

Anchor & Hope gave me the impression of hanging out at a New England clam and lobster shack, albeit a large spiffy one with a lengthy menu. I tried Angels on Horseback, a lovely summer salad and the pretty-close-to-classic lobster roll. The décor was evocative and even the location on a desolate stretch of Minna in downtown San Francisco fit the feeling of the proverbial shack.

I voyaged to Florence courtesy of Wendy Brucker and Roscoe Skipper’s new trattoria Corso in Berkeley. A wonderful and unique caprese salad with hand-pulled mozzarella and gorgeous heirloom tomatoes launched the festive evening accompanied by a fizzling glass of prosecco. Moist pork loin, toothsome pasta and a tasty soup rounded out the meal in the lively space.

During an actual trip to the Southland, I checked out the hopping restaurant scene in Culver City. Although Dreamworks had stored their movie cameras and lights for the night and took a break from filming, the picturesque town was buzzing on a warm Saturday evening. I enjoyed a tasty meal at the bar of Fraîche, the hottest table in town thanks to homey and hearty seasonal fare and a cool brick-walled space. House-made duck pâte with olives went well with a summer salad of cherry tomatoes and radishes. A happy conclusion came with a piping hot peach brown betty.

Other Southern Californian highlights include a stop at the beloved Santa Monica Farmers’ Market for some incredible fraises de bois and aromatic, heady Israeli melons as well as a visit to Crushcakes, Santa Barbara’s cute cupcake boutique. Of the four mini cupcakes I tasted, the red velvet and chocolate were standouts. Though the lemon and strawberry ones were darned good, too. Time for a return visit.

 

My Last Stop:
I did make it to Best-O-Burger in downtown San Francisco and wow! Awesome sliders and addictive Ring-and-Strings. The veggie slider was made of mushrooms with pesto and cheese – a cool surprise. Next time I’ll be sure to sample the gelato as well. If only they had seats!

My Next Stop:
Candybar, San Francisco’s first dessert lounge!

 

 

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:
Best-O-Burger in downtown San Francisco. The small shop offers mini burgers cooked to order in a cast-iron pan and house-made Strings and Ring-os. Perfect portion control. Read what the S.F. Chronicle had to say.

july 07, 2008: my bay area summer tastings

Summer in San Francisco is a story of despair. As California’s central valley heats up, the cool Pacific air turns to fog that blankets the city and it’s across-the-bay neighbor, my hometown Berkeley, in chilly, gray mist. To combat this depressing situation, food lovers turn to favorite restaurants to provide the sunny tastes of summer now found on every seasonal menu in town. Some recent summer tastes:

• A gorgeous corn chowder with spicy andouille sausage at Digs Bistro in Berkeley followed by a succulent pork roast garnished with pickled peaches.
• The blackberry-peach galette topped with locally made Three Twins organic ice cream was another blast of summer.
• Shaved Sunburst squash salad with French feta, basil and lemon vinaigrette and grilled line-caught rock cod on a bed of avocado puree with roasted asparagus, wild arugula and dill salsa verde at Serpentine in San Francisco’s trend Dogpatch district.
• Warm ultra-tart homemade plum compote over ice cream put a backyard harvest to good use.
• Homemade sour cherry pie from Goldbud Farms in the Sierra mountains.

 

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!

• I couldn’t get enough of the tasty Chinese steamed buns, or bao, at Wow Bao.
• Custom House also wowed, from a terrific cocktail with rhubarb to delicate beignets for dessert.
• Boka offered a feast for the eyes as well as the palate; desserts were spectacular.

 

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:

• Decadent poutine (French fries with cheese curds and awesome gravy) at the All-Star Sandwich Bar in Cambridge
• An amazing meal at O Ya in Boston, rated #1 restaurant outside of New York by Frank Bruni, New York Times. Totally right, Frank!
• Tasty noodles at the British Japanese noodle chain Wagamama in Boston’s Faneuil Hall

 

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