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Trend Watch: F&B '09 Here's your guide as to what the experts think your guests will demand in the coming year. Tuesday, October 28, 2008 Lisa Rogak

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What will be big in hotel restaurants next year? We’ve asked hotel chefs from all over the country to take out their crystal balls when it comes to next year’s food trends, and here’s what they’ve come up with. Not surprisingly, budgetary concerns rule many of the projected trends. As Robert Graham, Executive Chef at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix, says, “I think most of the trends for the first half of 2009 will be geared toward getting more bang for your buck, for both consumers and chefs.”

Rebecca Kollaras, a marketing consulting for several hotels across the country, points out another trend: “We’re finding that, while our restaurants are holding steady, our bars are doing bang-up business,” she says, speculating that perhaps people are drinking more as the economy continues to tank.

1. Local, Local, Local. Executive Chef Bryan Franz at The Davenport Hotel and Tower in Spokane, Washington, believes the current popularity of sourcing ingredients that come from no more than a 100-mile radius will increase. That’s him on the left in the picture of the wheat field, which is a 30-minute drive from the hotel. “The wheat that was harvested in late summer will be in our bread this winter,” he says. “Our transportation costs are minimized while our knowledge of the producer is maximized.” Chef de Cuisine John Garcia of The Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, California, concurs. “Artisan, heritage and heirloom ingredients are going to see a big increase in our restaurant, as well farm-to-table dishes,” he says.
 
2. Cryovac/Sous Vide. “I’m starting to see new and very unique ways of using this process to create completely new dishes,” says José Velez, Executive Chef at Rod’s Steak & Seafood Grille at The Madison Hotel in Morristown, New Jersey. He recently created a “Compressed Watermelon” dish that customers raved about. He seasoned a cube of watermelon with mirin, sesame oil, lime, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper, and put it in a Cryovac bag. He then transferred it to the Cryovac machine, which vacuums out the air and compresses the melon into a tight, perfect cube while absorbing the Asian-inspired sauce. “The finished product looks exactly like a piece of fine grade-A tuna sushi, and even slices like a piece of tuna, but the burst of watermelon catches customers by surprise,” he says. “This item makes a wonderful accompaniment to a myriad of dishes.”

3. Comfort Food with a Twist. Executive Chef John Cox at El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa in Taos, New Mexico, believes that consumer confidence will continue to flag through at least the middle of 2009, which will prompt diners to search out familiar and comforting dining experiences. “Expect classic dishes like tomato caprese, Caesar salad, a simple steak presentation with vegetables and mashed potatoes, and shrimp cocktail and other familiar classics to be popular, though with a sophisticated yet subtle touch from the chef,” he says. That extra touch might include the addition of an exotic salt and basil espuma – Spanish for foam – to the caprese salad or freshly grated horseradish for the shrimp cocktail. “Another catalyst for this newfound menu simplicity will be the need to offset ever higher food costs with lowered labor costs,” he continues. “Restaurants that have historically depended on large numbers of cooks to produce a relatively low number of covers will be re-evaluating their approach, searching for ways to streamline their operations.”

4. Savory. Lawrence McFadden, hotel manager and food and beverage director at The Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida, says he’s seeing more dishes created with a sweet/savory combination. “Sweet spices are being introduced more into savory dishes while savory spices are being added to sweet dishes such as desserts,” he says. The Beverly Hills Hotel’s Chef Robert Allen agrees, and believes that the trend towards savory flavors in unexpected places will continue. “The next savory trend will be in cocktails and beverages,” he says, citing examples like a Chili Serrano Martini and Kefir Lime Martini.
 
5. Cheaper Cuts. Robert Graham thinks that chefs and kitchen staff will start to rely on cuts of meat that are not premium but are a lot less expensive like short ribs. Chef Rocky Rocha of the Magnolia Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska, believes that flat iron and hanger steaks will continue their popularity because of their relatively low cost. “This piece of beef is considered to be one of the most tender cuts on the market today,” says Rocha. “It cuts like a filet but tastes like a New York strip.” Cheaper cuts do require different cooking techniques like braising, but also neatly fit into the comfort food trend mentioned above.

6. Hand-crafted Cocktails. Robert Stanfield, vice-president of food and beverage at Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, believes that hand-crafted cocktails and specialty-flavored liquor like Firefly Sweet Tea vodka from South Carolina, will continue to attract customer attention. McFadden agrees. “The quality of the classic cocktail has been enhanced by the addition of fresh herbs and spices,” he says. “Fresh juice cocktails are becoming more popular as guests seek healthier cocktail options.”

7. Tea. “Teas will continue to be all the rage,” says Jeff Kaplan, sous chef at the Sawgrass Golf Resort and Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. “Consumers can’t get enough. It’s a switch from the conventional cup of coffee and offers some healthy benefits.” He includes tea-infused foods in the trend, from green tea mints and truffles, to green tea-infused jasmine rice, even green tea crème brulee.

8. Small Portions. The small plate phenomenon has grown deep roots and will continue to grow in new directions. “Small bites, whether half-portions or just one bite, are in demand across all menu categories from appetizers to desserts, enabling guests to sample more during their dining experience,” says McFadden. Chef Wiley Bates III, food and beverage director at NYLO’s flagship location in Plano, Texas, agrees. “As business and leisure travelers alike look for more healthy meal options while they’re on the road, small plates offer an array of choices that mix and match to accommodate cuisine enthusiasts with a desire for anything from light bites to something more,” he says.

9. Free Stuff. Rocha says that complimentary offerings such as breakfast or 24-hour coffee service are a big draw at his hotel. “I’ve seen studies that say that 72 percent of leisure travelers and 71 percent of business travelers say a complimentary breakfast is important when choosing a hotel,” he notes.

10. Nose to Tail Cuisine. “If you have salmon on your menu, why not make salmon rillette from the scraps?” says Graham. “This would make a great appetizer and cost next to nothing.” Kevin McCarthy, chef at Lake Placid Lodge in Lake Placid, New York, expects the waste-not trend to grow as a result of both economic and environmental concerns. “When working with meat, chefs are taught to use as much of the animal as possible,” he says, going one step further and extending the concept to fruits and vegetables, too. “For example, when a chef blanches a tomato and peels the skin, the skin can be fried to produce a tomato chip that can garnish another dish. This practice can also provide common flavor notes throughout the courses of a meal: using a vegetable as a sauce for one course, a garnish for another, and a main ingredient for yet another.”