HOUSTON
Benchmark Hospitality International has just released its Top Dining Trends for 2013, observed by Benchmark’s executive chefs and culinary experts at the company’s 39 hotels, resorts and restaurants coast to coast and offshore.
Dining Trend #1
Chef Crafted … It’s one of the hottest trends in the culinary world. Whether smoking, canning, putting up jams and relishes, pickling, or farming … Chefs today are personally creating every component and ingredient in their kitchen for total control over quality and flavor with what they’re serving each evening. Many learned these skills organically at the knee of their grandmothers and are taking these forward into the 21st century culinary experience.
Dining Trend #2
3000 Years of Protein Perfection! The gluten-free, superfood Quinoa is among the top ingredients chef’s use this year. It’s no wonder as quinoa is ideal for breakfast as a muesli, or for lunch and dinner as a side dish. The rich protein grain was first domesticated three millennia ago by the Andean peoples. The Incas considered the high protein food to be sacred. And, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2013 as the "International Year of Quinoa!”
Dining Trend #3
Parental Controls! Moms and dads are demanding healthier preparations for traditional children’s menu selections -- grilled over fried for the perennial kids’ favorite, chicken fingers; baked over deep fried for potato “fries” of all varieties; hummus and fresh fruit dips over fat-laden sauces. As any parent knows, breaking kids eating habits is nigh impossible, so they’re making sure these habits are as healthy as possible.
Dining Trend #4
Smoke, anyone? Smoking has been around as a preservative since the first fire was set. But it’s only now that “smoked” has moved out of the smokehouse and into everything else. How about smoked cocktails, or smoked olive oils, or smoked heavy cream for sauces … or even smoked water – yes, smoked H2O! And the cooking with tea trend of the last few years – it’s evolved to smoking with coffee and cocoa.
Dining Trend #5
Tell me again, specifically which boat was involved? Guests are becoming increasingly more insistent on knowing about the specific origin of food they enjoy, including the waters where their salmon was fished, the name of boat and the name of captain. To say “Wild Caught” no longer suffices. In the same vein, guests want to know the history of a restaurant they’re about to dine within, and even of the surrounding region.
Dining has become a comprehensive experience, much like a century ago when the oysters eaten for dinner were observed being gathered that morning in the harbor just beyond, and the restaurant reflected the character of its neighborhood. Dining today is interactive with guests peppering the wait staff and chef with questions about sustainability, responsible husbandry, and local chef-prepared ingredients.
