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February 22, 2012

Blogs / Yum / Annual 2012 / Side Dish with Christa Glennie Seychew [01.25.12]

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Side Dish with Christa Glennie Seychew [01.25.12]

Today we begin a new food column. Called Side Dish, this segment will look at food, drink, and restaurant topics as they pertain to WNY. We've partnered up with WKBW for this; you can catch me on every other Wedensday's Eyewitness News talking about topics we'll expand upon here.

This morning we looked at food trends, both those that have a good foothold and those that are just arriving.

2011 food trends we are Beginning to sEE in Buffalo

Flexitarianism goes mainstream (meatless Mondays)

A tough economy and health concerns mean that people are eating less meat. Designating a night or two each week to enjoy a vegetarian meal can be an affordable and healthy choice. But that doesn't mean it has to be unsatisfying—you aren't required to smile your way through a bland tofu stir fry. These days people are creating glorious meals with vegetables at their center. In London, chef Yotam Ottolenghi has really changed the way an entire nation looks at produce, and here on our shores, Ubuntu (recently closed and undergoing a transfromation) has advanced the status of fruits and vegetables in ways unseen since Alice Waters and Jeremiah Towers began a revolution in Napa Valley 30+ years ago.

To inspire you, here are some links to delicious recipes from both Ottolenghi and Ubuntu.

Cassoulet of Shell Beans, Farm Eggs, and Smoked Tomato

Farro with Caramelized Baby Root Vegetables and Saba

Roasted Eggplant with Pomagranate Pips and Buttermilk Sauce

Fried Rice Cakes with Creamed Leeks and Eggs

Meatball mania

Meatballs are economical and they speak of home and comfort to most Americans. They can be seasoned in myriad ways and baked, pan fried, or simmered in sauce. A well-made meatball is nothing to smirk at, so few use truly good ingredients, but we are in the midst of a meatball revolution and Buffalo has just caught on. You can enjoy them in a traditional fashion with a good Sunday gravy or mashed between a roll like a slider. Kroftes, Sample restuarant's Greek-inspired take on the meatball, are a big seller at the diminutive local eatery. Keep an eye out, soon you'll see meatballs appearing on the menus of WNY's lowbrow and highbrow restaurants.

Pre-Prohibition artisan cocktails

Take the artistry shown in the culinary world since the late 80s and transfer that passion and innovation to the world of the cocktails. Bars are using fresh-squeezed juices, and in some cases, made-from-scratch bitters and syrups. This trend is at its height in food Meccas like Brooklyn and Portland, but it is best seen here in the newly opened Vera on Lexington. Their pre-Prohibition take hearkens back to the days when the American palate was different. The drinks served here play less on super sweet flavor profiles and instead challenge you with complex nuances and even bitter flavors. You can read more about Vera in Spree writer Julia Burke's recent story.

 

2012 Food Trends That Buffalo Is Already Experiencing

Bone marrow

If prepared well and served warm, bone marrow is delcious and decadent, and it's turning up on menus all over town, including Black Rock Kitchen & Bar and Franklin Street's Bambino. Typically it is roasted and split, then served with toast for spreading, but I think we will see local chefs take it a step further by using it to bind beef in a tartare or to add succulence and deep flavor to a dumpling. You might think of it as medieval, but Americans were regularly eating bone marrow (and had special bone marrow spoons to prove it) up until the 70s.

Duck and duck fat

Unlike other cities, duck has never really faded from favor with WNY diners, but now we will see it on menus in forms other than the standard crispy duck breast topped with some sort of seasonal fruit sauce. Look for it in more casual menu items like soups, salads, and sandwiches, and in transformative preparations like duck pastrami or bacon. I also think we’ll see even more (!) local chefs embracing duck fat as the ideal fat in which to cook potatoes and other vegetables or starches.

Korean food and influences

Korean restaurants are a quietly growing segment of the Buffalo food scene, but what’s really taking fire is the addition of Korean ingredients and flavors into non-Korean foods. Look for Korean flavored burgers and tacos and an increase in recipes that use Korean seasonings or pantry items. Locally, the Koreatown Taco at Cantina Loco may be one of the best examples of this.

 

 

 

Have a specific topic you'd like to see covered, or restaurant news to report? Email us at yum@buffalospree.com.