2009 In Review
In a year of unchartable change, feelgood outings and hedged bets
Merrill Shindler
Posted: February 3, 2009
It's the economy, smarty! According to the National Restaurant Association, 2009 sales at the nation's 945,000 restaurants and foodservice outlets increased by an estimated 2.5 percent over sales during 2008. But adjust that number for inflation and it turns into a 1 percent decrease. Still, foodservices maintained their position within the industry, with an economic impact that exceeds $1.5 trillion-4 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product, with employment of 9 percent of the U.S. workforce. And in an effort to keep those numbers up, certain trends emerged from coast to coast. Including the return of laughing gas Happy Hour-which in some cases lasted all night long and extended into weekends as well. Wine was used by many restaurants as a wedge to bring in enophilic customers, with certain days declared corkage-free and with many wines on the list discounted by 50 percent. Elsewhere $1 wine tasting promos were offered. Also, the Special Night became a standard at many upscale restaurants-especially Grilled Cheese Sandwich Nights, Hamburger Nights, and All-You-Can-Eat Nights. And restaurants did everything they could to bring in customers-from the three course $15 lunch at the newly opened La Cachette Bistro in Santa Monica, California, and the free shot of absinthe that came with the $10 admission fee to retro bar The Edison in downtown Los Angeles, to the free glass of Prosecco served at Centro Vinoteca and Gusto in New York City (if the customer knew the code word found on the restaurants' Twitter page), the $6 sausages at the ultratrendy Shake Shack, and the Happy Hour deal at Bar Boulud of a cheese, charcuterie, or dessert tasting along with two glasses of wine for a (New York) reasonable $29. The industry worked hard-and the result was less of a decline than many had predicted, with the hope of an increase in sales just around the corner. Though some notable names in New York City shut their doors, such as Cafè des Artistes and Chanterelle, there were 157 openings in contrast to 102 closings (compared to 119 versus 88 last year), according to the Zagat Survey.
The Obama effect Along with winning the Nobel Prize for Peace, it seems as if the Obamas (Barack and Michelle) would be worthy of a Nobel Prize for Food and Dining (if such a thing existed). Restaurateurs in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and New York City light candles, praying for a visit from one or both of the First Diners-after visits to Ben's Chili Bowl, Il Mulino, Five Guys Burgers, Equinox, Blue Hill, and more, business has sky-rocketed-tout le nation wants to eat where the Obamas eat. There's even a Web site dedicated to where and what they eat: obamafoodorama.blogspot.com. The first lady has also become a highly visible advocate for better meals in schools and for food gardening at home. During a speech to a group called Organizing for America, President Obama mused that "Michelle set up that garden in the White House. One of the things we're trying to do now is to figure out whether we can get a little farmers' market outside of the White House. It's an enormous potential revenue-maker for local farmers. "And though a farmers' market didn't exactly open at the White House, as a result of the President's comments, a nonprofit called Fresh Farm Markets applied for, and received, a permit to operate a market just a short stroll from the White House, on Vermont Avenue Northwest between H and I Streets, on Thursdays from September 17 through October 29. Though there was no stand selling White House produce. And for good reason. Because of a sludge-based fertilizer used on the White House lawn during the Clinton Administration, the garden's soil has levels of lead tested at 93 parts per million. That's far below the 400 parts per million considered to be toxic but not good enough for the garden to be organic.
Health care and restaurants As the congressional year came to an acrimonious end, the hottest of the many hot button issues was health care reform. And there was much attention to just how health care reform would affect the restaurant industry. President Obama supports employer mandates to provide health insurance. Which means that businesses (often small businesses) that don't offer employees health care would have to pay the government for coverage instead. Which could, simply speaking, put a lot of small restaurants (and arguably, large chains as well) out of business. The cost of health care is twice what it was a decade ago. According to a study by the National Federation of Independent Business, small businesses pay an average of 18 percent more for employee health insurance than large businesses. The National Federation estimates that employer mandates could lead to the elimination of 1.6 million jobs in the next five years, with restaurants being impacted as much, if not worse, than any other industry.
PC swine? Thanks to protests by the National Pork Producers Council, the American Farm Bureau Federation, Smithfield Foods, and others, various federal agencies stopped referring to this year's influenza outbreak as swine flu. Instead, they settled on the technical name, H1N1 virus-passing on such industry suggestions as "hybrid influenza" and "North American influenza."
Fighting the virus with vino In order to encourage more adults to get flu shots, Dr. Scott Hanlon of Chicago put on a "Vaccine and Vino" event at the South Loop Wine Cellar, offering a flu shot along with a tasting of five wines for $40. According to the owner of the Wine Cellar, it "makes shots more fun."
Pizza power If you need any further proof that upscale pizza is an idea that was born nearly three decades ago at Spago, and has never faded, just consider the lines at Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali's Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, and at Chris Bianco's Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, where locals happily wait in 100 degree-plus temperatures for a taste of Neapolitan heaven. Pizza is easily one of America's most popular foods. Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza every day, which breaks down to 350 slices per second. Pizza accounts for more than 10 percent of all foodservice sales. All in all, it's a $30 billion industry. Recently there's been a move to certify authentic Neapolitan pizza makers. So far there are 10 in all of the United States, according to Roberto Caporuscio, partner at Keste in New York City and head of the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani in the U.S. Further afield, Texas-based Pizza Inn, an international chain trumpeting high quality fresh products at gentle prices, opened its newest restaurant in still oil-rich Oman, offering their famous all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. This following a successful debut at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Jeddah.
Haute dogs At the same time that hamburgers were going upscale, hot dogs climbed the food chain, with haute hots at PS 7's in Washington, D.C. (where the pommes frites are "scented with Danish smoked salt and Banyuls vinegar"), in New York City, where high-end chefs like David Chang and Wylie Dufresne are putting on the dog-bacon-wrapped and covered with kimchi in the case of Chang, and topped with a deep-fried mayo bton and tomato molasses by Dufresne, and in Los Angeles, where Let's be Frank paired Kermit Lynch wines with select grass fed weiner products such as it's "Alsatian" (brat simmered in choucroute). But a San Francisco joint takes honors for the most clever name-Showdogs.
Better burgers Diners may have gone from lobster to hamburgers in 2009, but that doesn't mean they were eating just any sort of burger. Signature burgers were all the rage at Govind Armstrong's 8 oz. in Los Angeles and Miami, Hubert Keller's Burger Bar in Las Vegas, and in New York City, the Spotted Pig, Shake Shack, Minetta Tavern, and numerous restaurants with the names or initials of Daniel Boulud and Laurent Tourondel on them. According to Pat La Frieda, the meat man at La Frieda Wholesale Meat Company in New York City, creating an upscale burger is not easy-he estimates that the top chefs go through 30 blends or more before they come upon one they like. And even then, they rarely stop tweaking. Evidence of mammoth chains catching the updrift was supplied by the National Restaurant Association's Smart Brief newsletter: "Burger King plans edgy interiors," began the report, which sketched an expected "major overhaul of 12,000 locations worldwide," complete with red chandeliers, TV screen menus, and industrial-chic brick and corrugated metal walls. Sales have already risen at about 60 outlets that have so far undergone the redesign.
Barbarians at the plates Paris' Louvre museum gets a McDonald's Napa's Copia Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts is obliged to close According to USA Today, citing the Audit Bureau of Circulations in October, the two most popular consumer food titles on American newsstands were the outpourings of Rachael Ray and Paula Deen Gourmet magazine closes
That is just so...street It wasn't just hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizzas that went upscale in 2009. So did the wonderful-and wonderfully diverse-world of street food. In November, The Culinary Institute of America offered their Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival, subtitled "Frontiers of Flavor: World Street Food, World Comfort Food," and sub-subtitled "Discover the Fast Casual, Slow Savory, and Big Value' Culinary Traditions of Asia, the Mediterranean, and Latin America"-a "three day forum on world cuisines...reflecting the intersection of recessionary budget and cost-cutting pressures, the continuing world cuisines juggernaut, and the ongoing embrace of a 24/7 culture of informal, casual food and dining" that "increasingly define how we as Americans now want to eat."
At the same time, ahead of the curve as ever, one of the hottest hot spots in Los Angeles during 2009 was Susan Feniger's Street-a restaurant built around the Hot Tamale's reinterpretation of her favorite world street foods. And in June, the theme of New York City's Citymeals-on-Wheels benefit was "Street & Savory: A Global Street Food Festival"-which meant that the dishes normally served by street vendors on the avenues around Rockefeller Center were served in Rockefeller Center itself-for far more than the usual street price. Chefs turned out the likes of Maine lobster rolls (Jawn Chasteen and Michael Gabriel, Sea Grill, NYC), crispy fried clam rolls (Ed Brown, Eighty One, NYC), and pork belly satay (Zak Pelaccio, Fatty Crab, NYC).
Meals on wheels For all There may be no symbol of the downscaling of dining in 2009 more potent than the new breed of rolling food trucks. What used to be disparaged as "roach coaches" are now hailed as The Next Big Thing, a culinary "taking it to the streets" of New York and Los Angeles, where a pitched battle has begun between the forces of parking enforcement, and latterday entrepreneurs with a dream of serving...just about anything they can imagine. It arguably began in Los Angeles (where the car rules) with the Korean-Mexican hybrid Kogi BBQ. By year's end, Kogi has begun rolling the boulevards of the Big Apple, joined on both coasts by, variously, cupcake trucks, Indian dosa trucks, Japanese-Peruvian trucks, french fry trucks, sushi trucks-even a burger truck personned by statuesque young ladies in hot pants and tank tops. And the trucks are spreading, with The Taco Truck bringing Mexican street food to the East Coast in Hoboken and Jersey City, New Jersey...and an upscale pizza truck roaming the streets of San Francisco, called Pizza Politana-their pizzas include a model made with asparagus, Meyer lemon, and crëme fraiche from Cowgirl Creamery. As the Grateful Dead would have put it, "Keep on truckin'..."
Let them eat breakfast During 2009, restaurants discovered that while dinner spending may have dipped, diners were still happy to spend for breakfast and brunch-since, as a rule, breakfast and brunch dishes just aren't that expensive. Which has led to snappy creations like the braised short rib hash with poached eggs and bèarnaise sauce at Central Park in Pasadena, California; country ham from Col. Bill Newsom's Hams in Princeton, Kentucky, served on a biscuit with homemade fig jam, Grafton cheddar, and a side of grits at Egg in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; and Catskill Farms' smoked salmon with red onions and capers at Asiate on the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental in New York City-breakfast with a view. And of course, Sarabeth's in New York City has set the standard for fine dining breakfasts, built around breads and jams that are impossible to resist.
Need to read 2009 Cast-Iron Cookbook by Joanna Pruess Encyclopedia of Pasta translated by Maureen B. Fant Fresh: A Perishable History by Susanne Freidburg La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy by The Italian Academy of Cuisine, translated by Jay Hyams Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking: Traditional and Modern Recipes to Savor and Share by Paula Wolfert Notes on Cooking: A Short Guide to an Essential Craft by Lauren Braun Costello and Russell Reich
My happy hour is happier (and longer) than yours! Hilton Chicago/Indian Lakes Resort's Shiraz on the Water invites patrons to "enjoy the luxury and sophistication of a world-class restaurant without the five-star prices" with their new "50/50 Menu," a promotion running every Sunday through Wednesday from 5 til 10 p.m. that offers "a menu that features half off select wines and appetizers" (such as Hogue Fumè Blanc, Canyon Road Merlot, lobster corn dogs, and shiitake crab cakes with organic citrus aïoli and micro greens).
Julia and Julia and Julia and Julia... In the wake of Julie & Julia, Mastering the Art of French Cooking debuted at #1 (hitting the top for the first time ever) on the New York Times hardcover Advice, How-To, and Miscellaneous list, while Julia's Kitchen Wisdom debuted at #1 on the paperback Advice, How-To, and Miscellaneous list and My Life in France went to #3 paperback nonfiction. In all, si xof Julia's books were reissued in 12 different editions, reaching total sales of 1,290,500 copies.
Timely quaffs Sangria, Malbec, Pinot Blanc, absinthe, seasonal beers, gingered cocktails, twists on Mojitos, Red Bull
Centerpiece of the year Recyclable potted herbs. Roses and rose petals
Fish dish of the year Fish-and-chips
Presentation and garnish of the year Whole fish. Thinly sliced radishes.
Pasta of the year Garganelli
New berry on the block Açaí (ah-SIGH-ee)
Nuts of the year Pistachios, almonds
Hottest openings NYC: Minetta Tavern, DBGB Kitchen & Bar, Locanda Verde, Salumeria Rosi, Standard Grill, The Breslin, Oceana, SD26, Aureole (the last three moved)
Los Angeles: Tavern, Church & State, Bazaar (opened November 2008 but still blazing hot)
San Francisco Bay Area: Barbacco, Burger Bar, Flour + Water, RN74, Quince (reopening after move), Nopalito, Frances, The Tipsy Pig, FIVE (Berkeley), Bottega (Yountville), Commis (Oakland)
Chicago: The Publican, Xoco, Nightwood, Cibo Matto, Roof, State and Lake
Seattle: Fresh Bistro, Delancey, Tavern Law, Bastille Cafè and Bar
Philadelphia: Oyster House, Chifa and Village Whiskey, Percy Street Barbecue, Sampan, Amis, Kanella, Bibou, Parc Brasserie
Food-trekkers' destinations 2009 Peru, Prague, Oaxaca, Sicily, New Orleans, Brazil, Morocco, Normandy
Most desirable kitchen equipment Blast chillers, combi-ovens, immersion circulators
Fit to be fried Just when we seemed in danger of actually beginning to eat healthfully, along came an explosion of fried chicken-both upscale and ethnic-that captivated the palates of diners for whom the word "fried" has long been anathema. Fried chicken is one of the central dishes at restaurateur Paul Fleming's (he's the "PF" in PF Chang's, and the "Fleming" in Fleming's Steak House) locavore concept Paul Martin's American Bistro (with branches near Sacramento and Los Angeles). It's what the bicoastal Korean chain Bon Chon Chicken is all about. It's emerged as a favorite at Thai restaurants, Middle Eastern restaurants, Vietnamese restaurants, Chinese restaurants, Japanese restaurants-and even restaurants where you can't get a reservation, like David Chang's diminutive Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City's East Village, which offers a pre?ordered fried chicken dinner for eight people for $100.
Baguette wanderlust Call it Bánh Mì Madness. Bánh mì is a Vietnamese hero sandwich consisting of grilled French bread topped with mayo, Vietnamese-style pork roll (cha lua), Vietnamese-style salami, a dash of soy sauce, some cilantro sprigs, perhaps slices of English cucumber, along with ground black pepper and chile oil. On the side, there's often a slaw of daikon radish, carrots, sugar, and vinegar. Of course, the variations are near infinite. In Southern California, there's bánh mì all over Vietnamese enclaves like Westminster, San Gabriel, and Alhambra. (The Mr. Baguette chain is everywhere.) In New York City, bánh mì is popping up all over the place, replacing the souvlaki of yesteryear, leaving falafel in the dust. And it's led to the opening of Chinese sandwich places as well-the multiethnic rise of the Asian sandwich!-like Angelo Sosa's Xie Xie in New York City (where Alain Ducasse has been seen lunching) and Take a Bao in Los Angeles, opened by Robert Spivak, creator of the very upscale The Grill in the Alley in Beverly Hills.
What? No pizza tour? The Apple Hotels Core chain of New York City hotels enticed guests with a Gelato Tour Package of three gelato shops in the West Village's "Gelato District." Guests were given a $30 credit toward a tasting at Grom, L'Arte Del Gelato, and Cones-sweets for those who stayed at the hotel's suites.
Frankly, we'd rather find a pearl In late February, Heston Blumenthal's Michelin three-starred culinary icon, The Fat Duck, in Bray, Berkshire, England, closed after more than 500 diners were struck down with a norovirus, known less scientifically as the winter vomiting bug. After months of suggesting that the cause may have been sabotage, Blumenthal had to, ahem, eat his words, when a report by the British Health Protection Agency decided the cause was contaminated shellfish. Blumenthal offered his "fullest apologies" to those affected, adding that "it was devastating to me and my whole team, as it was to many of our guests. I wish to invite them all to return to The Fat Duck at their convenience."
Funny, he doesn't look Jewish New York City's legendary Carnegie Deli added a new sandwich to its selection of celebrity-named foods- the X-Men Origins: Wolverine sandwich, a four pound pile of meat, cheese, and rye bread, including corned beef, pastrami, turkey, salami, tongue, brisket, and American cheese. The cost is $40-with a $3 charge for an additional plate.
Cupcakes: the next generation While the craze for sugary cupcakes continues unabated in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco-not to mention European cities and even outposts in Jordan and Dubai-a new breed of savory cupcakes has been emerging in Chicago, thanks to Patty Rothman's outrè creations at More Cupcakes on Chicago's Gold Coast, which include a Parmesan-crusted lemon/artichoke cupcake, an olive oil cupcake topped with caramelized onion frosting, a twice-baked potato cupcake with bacon bits, sour cream, and chive frosting, and a tomato cupcake with vodka buttercream and celery garnish-a Bloody Mary cupcake.
They could have called it "When Adam Met Steve"... To show their support for gay marriage, Ben & Jerry's changed the name of their Chubby Hubby ice cream to Hubby Hubby ice cream, with a new label featuring a pair of lads standing atop a wedding cake, but kept the same mixture inside of "fudge covered peanut butter filled pretzels in vanilla malt ice cream with fudge and peanut butter. According to the company: "The legalization of marriage for gay and lesbian couples in Vermont is...something worth celebrating with peace, love, and plenty of ice cream."
And speaking of bacon After two years of testing, Black Rock Spirits of Seattle debuted their bacon-flavored vodka, called "Bakon. "(Their slogan: "Pure. Refreshing. Bacon.") Observers were quick to point out that it could also be seen as the first "meat and potatoes" vodka-since it's made from bacon and Idaho russets.
And still speaking of bacon An entire section of the novelty Web site www.mcphee.com is dedicated to (non?edible) bacon things, including a bacon-scented room freshener, bacon-flavored toothpicks, bacon floss, and soap that smells like...bacon.
McSued and McLost McDonald's lost an eight year lawsuit to stop a Malaysian curry restaurant from using the name McCurry. Malaysia's federal court ruled in favor of McDavid over McGoliath, arguing that since the name McCurry is a (sort of) acronym for "Malaysian Chicken Curry," the little guy can keep using it.
Even wurst To commemorate the 60th anniversary of currywurst (a sliced pork sausage in a curry/tomato sauce that's a cult favorite in Germany), Deutsches Currywurst Museum (above) opened in Berlin, offering a history of the currywurst (it emerged from the ashes of World War II, as a culinary necessity), along with a theatre showing scenes from movies featuring the currywurst and rooms of currywurst memorabilia. (NB: Daniel Boulud offers the dish at his DBGB Kitchen and Bar in New York City, served with turnip confit for $12.)
Would a truncheon work better? The Anglo-Swiss Black + Blum design group introduced a line of potato mashers called the Spudski, which look like miniature ski poles, which they claim to be the better mousetrap of potato mashers, available in red, green, or black for $16 from www.charles
andmarie.com.
Can you imagine if they used M&Ms? Engineers at Public Service of New Hampshire have succeeded in generating power using coal mixed with cocoa bean shells from the Lindt USA plant in Strathern, New Hampshire, thereby reducing the amount of wood chips needed. Sadly, the smell isn't particularly chocolatey. But the engineers are working on it...
Can the McFruit burger be far behind? The least expected trend of the year may be fruit-flavored hamburgers. Not just hamburgers under a fruit sauce, but meat mixed with chunks of fruit. As in the case of the Mar-a-Lago turkey burger, made with diced Granny Smith apples and Major Grey's chutney, offered at Donald Trump's several restaurants. Or the cherry burgers offered at the Cherry Hut Restaurant in Beulah, Michigan (in the heart of northern Michigan, the "Cherry Capital of the World").
And the buzz is... Taking the notion of locavore to a new level, executive sous chef Ian Bens and executive pastry chef Aron Weber created an apiary on the roof of the Fairmont Washington in downtown Washington, D.C., where they tend to more than 100,000 honeybees in three rooftop hives, harvesting between 60 and 100 pounds of honey a year for use in their cooking. Executive chef Myk Banas at the Chicago Marriott Downtown not only uses the honey from his rooftop hives (200,000 bees in three hives) for cooking and baking but also for crafting Rooftop Honey Wheat Ale, which is on tap in the hotel and its Harvest restaurant.
Wait till you try his Freddie Krueger roll Assault charges were filed against sushi chef Yao Zhou after he attacked another driver on a New York expressway with his sushi knives in an incident of road rage. The victim needed 100 stitches to close his wounds. According to his attorney, "He treated him like a slab of tuna."
Eat it! One of the least expected interviews to emerge after the death of Michael Jackson was an extended chat with the King of Pop's personal chef, Kai Chase, who described the moment Michael's family realized he was dead, before going on to talk about how she had been hired to create healthy dishes for Michael and his family (along with Comfort Food Saturdays of barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, Mexican food, and soul food)-and that her next plan is to write a cookbook of his favorite recipes, called Fit for a King. She says, "He was an inspiration to me."
That's why the euro smells so tempting! Italian agriculture minister Luca Zaia added his backing to a plan for Italian banks to accept upscale wines and dry-cured prosciutto as loan collateral, following the Italian banking tradition of warehousing wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano as collateral. According to Gianni Zonin, chairman of the Banca Popolare di Vincenza, "We've done it with cheese. Why not with prosciutto and good wines like Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico?" To which minister Zaia added, "This proposal recognizes that our true gold reserves are the excellent products made in Italy."
American Winery Idol PBS jumped on the reality program bandwagon with a six-part series called The Winemakers, in which "12 men and women compete for a chance to create and launch their own wine label nationwide. In each episode they will face challenges on every aspect of winemaking, from viticulture and enology to sales and marketing, but in the end only one contestant will win the title of Winemaker." Before the show aired in September, PBS was already auditioning for Season Two.
OK, we'll go on a diet-but not until we try KFC's new bunless Sammy At a conference on obesity hosted by the Centers for Disease Control, attendees were told that the cost of treating obesity-related ailments hit $147 billion in 2008. The cost was $74 billion in 1998, meaning it's doubled over the past decade. At the same time, KFC has been test-marketing its new Double Down-a bunless chicken sandwich consisting of slices of pepperjack and Swiss cheese and a big dollop of secret sauce, served between two slices of bacon and two slabs of KFC Original Chicken Recipe (in other words, the chicken is the bread). Estimates are that it's more caloric than the Wendy's Triple with Everything and Cheese, and the Burger King Stacker Quad.
See, it's not really our fault According to a study released by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana, obesity may be the result of a virus called AD-36, which not only causes coughs and sore throats but also forces fat cells to multiply.
It even has its own page on Facebook Heinz introduced a new device in the United Kingdom called the Beanzawave-the world's smallest microwave, which plugs into the USB plug on your computer and allows you to cook tiny "Snap Pots" of baked beans at your desk while you surf the Web. Next: tiny washer-dryers, so you can launder your napkin while you Twitter.
So cheesy! Sarah Kaufman-"The Cheese Lady"-wed retired U.S. naval officer Bill Parry on the shore of Lake Michigan on the 4th of July, in a ceremony built around her skills as America's most famous cheese carver. Invitations for the pirate-themed wedding were carved from cheese, with a Jolly Roger cheese carving on the appetizer table, cheese hearts, gold cheddar doubloons, a Wisconsin artisan cheese tray-and wedding rings designed to look like cheese-"bands of gold with cheese dimples and holes."
Cue the music from Jaws At a conference on local dining in Connecticut, Alice Waters responded to a question about her last meal, saying she'd like a bowl of shark's fin soup. Which led, first, to the observation from fellow panelist Anthony Bourdain that shark's fins aren't local. And then to a renunciation by Waters of shark's fins in general, after a protest by the Humane Society. Next time, maybe a nice puree of turnips?
You want fries with your Twitter? According to Jose Riesco of the restaurant marketing company Riesco Consulting Inc. (myrestaurantmarketing.com), 2009 was the year when many restaurants discovered that to Tweet was to get directly in touch with diners, noting, "This is a great idea for a bar or a place with lots of activity and things happening. Many people Tweet from their mobile phones or notebooks connected via WiFi, so well-placed information about your specials could entice somebody to visit." To which the Twitter-friendly folks at ProfitableHospitality.com add, "More than 10 million people are using Twitter. If you've got a demographic that's young, educated, and online, many will be interested in your Tweets." And in your Facebook as well-the old paradigm for restaurant promotion was flipped upside-down in 2009.
And we thought Viagra gum was strange The ice cream boutique The Icecreamists opened at Selfridges in London, offering a "vice cream" called The Se xPistol (left), made with ginkgo biloba, arginine, and guarana, served with a shot of absinthe. The British press immediately dubbed it "Viagra Ice Cream." The stand limits The Se xPistol-which costs 12 pounds-to one per customer, with the request, "Please, don't pester the staff."
Bloody good promo! In October The King Cole Bar at the St. Regis New York celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Bloody Mary. The bar claims ancestral ownership of the drink that has become a Sunday brunch staple, first served to a regular in 1934 by then barman Fernand Petiot. While the original Red Snapper recipe (folks at the time thought "Bloody Mary" too vulgar for the elegant clientele)-a savory mi xof vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, salt, black and cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire sauce-remains a popular request, the month-long appreciation showcased a menu of 20 variations ($18 per), the recipes supplied by and credited to restaurants and mixologists throughout New York City. One version, from Landmarc, sparked the traditional mixture with horseradish, olive juice, Frank's Original Hot Sauce, ketchup, and stout beer. Adour Alain Ducasse's adaptation, one of five that required 24 hours advance notice, took a culinary turn: tomato juice, roasted garlic clove, roasted red bell pepper, fresh lemon juice, house-made bouillabaisse, piment d'Espelette, salt, horseradish, Sriracha sauce, and vodka, garnished with a celery stalk, yellow pepper, and roasted garlic. Blue Hill's Beet Bloody Mary went a few steps further, stirring beet juice with fresh green apple juice, fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice, ginger simple syrup, salt, mild gin, and habañero pepper infused vodka, and garnishing with an apple slice. Belvedere was the featured vodka, and 25 percent of the price was donated to Citymeals-on-Wheels.
Companion creative promotions were also on offer at other St. Regis properties-imagine an epicurean menu showcasing spicy tomato and vodka inspired fare such as ravioli filled with lemon and vodka infused ricotta cheese served over a tomato fondue at the St. Regis Grand Hotel in Rome and savory St. Regis Bali's spa treatment: a skin purifying vodka/tomato clay wrap followed by an invigorating tomato/vermouth mineral salt bath. On a menu of eight Bloody Marys at the Washington, D.C. location, where drinks were spiked with Finlandia vodka and the 25 percent benefited Share Our Strength, Todd Gray's Skip-Jack-Mary (from Equinox) set customers sailing with his concoction of heirloom tomato water, Old Bay Seasoning, and cucumber ice cubes, garnished with celery, olives, and pickles.
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble Molecular gastronomy/mixology continued its trickle down from a handful of high-sci eateries (like Wylie Dufresne's WD-50) to restaurants from coast to coast. In the case of the bar at The Bazaar by Josè Andrès at the SLS in Beverly Hills, specially outfitted rolling carts are needed to create the various cocktails made with dry ice and cotton candy (sometimes with both).
But it's not all fun and culinary games. A 24 year old chef in Stahnsdorf, Germany, blew off both his hands while trying to create a new recipe using liquid nitrogen. Local papers reported an "enormous explosion" as he tried to empty a canister of liquid nitrogen in a room at his girlfriend's mother's house.
Liquid nitrogen must be handled carefully. Dangers include cold burns, asphyxiation, and pressure related explosions. According to David Arnold, Food Arts kitchen science contributing editor, "Never seal liquid nitrogen in a closed container. The pressure will rise, and unless the container can hold 1,000 psi or better, it will explode."
Meanwhile, in Japan A farmer in the town of Tsukigata on the island of Hokkaido began growing pyramid-shaped watermelons, 16 of which he shipped to high-end markets throughout Japan, where they sold for 52,500 yen ($578) each. Meanwhile, the latest nightclub trend in Tokyo is "cat cafes"-clubs where stressed-out business people go to spend time with felines. The cost of hanging with the cats runs $8 to $12 an hour-a lot cheaper than buying a pyramid-shaped watermelon.
FREQUENT NEW TAKES ON
Succotash snails (example: At a Courtright's winemaker dinner outside Chicago, a Sauvignon Blanc pouring with warm mussel, snail & crab salad with fennel confit, quince vinegar & basil emulsion) sliders (pork belly, etc.) panna cottas risottos (example: Amanda Cohen's two-textured carrot risotto) bitters (the more oddball the better) tacos
ANY WAY, IN ANYTHING
Rhubarb ginger Parmesan eggs coconut pork belly bacon cauliflower maple syrup almonds pistachios pumpkin
BUZZSPEAK
Reclaimed (anything) blistered glazed espresso-infused carbon dioxide limits green or locavore drinks a humbling experience (used when accepting high praise or recognition. Yeaahh) patio dining sodium levels gluten-free taqueria zinc-topped no-reservations policy tincture
NOW EVERYBODY'S GOT ONE
Chef as marketing icon discount promo unscripted TV show "in development raise-the-local-flag wine & food festival sidewalk service wine-by-the-glass chalkboard BBQ night green creds local whatever french fries cone farmer connection family-style Sunday supper
RETURNS
butterscotch & chocolate puddings hollandaise, brown butter & bèarnaise sauces snow peas alfalfa & bean sprouts nougatine flans & crëme caramel parfaits & ginger cakes Taleggio mint chocolate mousse murals of notable locals turkey club sandwiches exposed brick walls cheese soufflès pommes lyonnaise / scalloped potatoes mini tartlet shells gargantuan desserts to share sour cherries cayenne pepper lamb breast tongue house-made muesli & granola semifreddos
HOT LIST 2009
Chili-rubbed meats flavored aïolis bacalao chimichurri almond gazpacho fresh pickles guanciale salted sweets (particularly caramel) cowboy & flatiron steaks endive corn soups popcorn figs & fig jam shoulders, braised brioche loafs & toast apricots & peaches Champagne grapes lamb burgers crispy Brussels sprouts malanga walleyed pike horseradish in sauces smoked salt powders of anything blood orange fairytale eggplant Persian cucumbers savory marshmallows romesco sauce mussels & Belgian beer chocolate-peppermint anchovy oil broccoli raab sliced grapes crisped whole leaves (spinach, kale, etc.) rice krispies empanadas, samosas, spanakopita rago?t pasta sauces affogato (vanilla ice cream doused with a shot of espresso) aged Jerez savory tarte Tatins bistecca fiorentina (finished with olive oil, lemon & fresh herbs) sardines dandelion greens puntarelle cannellini beans Banyuls vinegar grain salads & sides marrow bones
STILL MOST FREQUENTLY MISPRONOUNCED
Bruschetta (broo-SKET-tah)
