Not all that long ago, conventional wisdom said the best Mexican food could be found only near the border, in Texas, Arizona or California. Then chefs around the country began stretching the definition of fine Mexican dining.
Not all that long ago, conventional wisdom said the best Mexican food could be found only near the border, in Texas, Arizona or California. Then chefs around the country began stretching the definition of fine Mexican dining.
Topics: Latin America, Feature, Food, Margarita, salsa, chilies, Mexican, mariscos
Beautiful, delicate pintxos—a type of tapas from Spain's Basque region—with olives, cucumbers, anchovies (right).
In Asian nations, there's a big appetite for small plates. Tapas culture—the sharing of dishes among groups of friends—has close ties to the dining culture in China and other Asian nations, making it a natural fit, says Miguel Utque, vice president of the recently formed Spanish Chefs' Association in Asia.
Topics: Feature, Food, China, Tapas, Restaurant trends in Asia, Restaurant trends in China, Spanish restaurant trends
While individual diners may claim Yelp doesn't influence their decisions, the data shows that reviews play a huge role in where people eat. A 2011 study by Harvard Business School assistant professor Michael Luca found that a one-star increase in a restaurant's Yelp rating leads to a 5-9 percent increase in revenue. This effect held true for independent restaurants but not chains, Luca found. Yet it's tricky for restaurant owners to encourage positive reviews without openly asking for them. And what should they do about the inevitable bad review on Yelp and other sites? Here are a few pointers.
Topics: Restaurant Reviews, Social media, Yelp, Featured, Feature, Marketing, Retaurant business
A blender may seem like a simple appliance — blades, motor, jar. But every time a chef turns a blender on, complex forces of physics combine to turn multiple ingredients of varying textures into a single perfect consistency. That is to say, culinary blenders are powerful machines.
At first glance, a culinary blender looks similar to one used for drinks. But “they're not interchangeable tools,” says Karen Williams-Roman, product manager for Hamilton Beach Commercial's line of culinary blenders, "there really are differences." Three important features to look for in a culinary blender are variable speed, the ability to blend difficult ingredients, and container options.
Topics: Featured, Feature, Food, Emulsions, Immersion Blender, Culinary blenders
When Jessica and Josh Bufford opened Estilo in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, the most common question they heard from guests was, “Is this just fancy Mexican food?”
The restaurant opened in August 2013, and in January 2014 it won the “Best New Restaurant” award from Richmond Magazine. Now the mesa Latina is packed for lunch and dinner nearly every day of the week. Clearly the Buffords are doing more than a few things right, including riding the waves of two key trends—Latin American food and gluten-free kitchens—and managing the restaurant with the perfect balance of art and science.
Estilo's signature dish, Duck Confit Pozole (right).
Topics: Gluten-free, Latin America, Peru, Restaurant management, Brazil, Featured, Feature, Food, Restaurants
For some, it's a fad. For others, it's a necessity. Whatever the reason, eating gluten-free is big.
About 30 percent of American adults are trying to reduce or eliminate gluten from their diets, research firm NPD found in 2013. And they're searching for gluten-free items on restaurant menus, the same study found: the frequency of customers ordering gluten-free food had doubled since 2009. Offering a gluten-free menu in your restaurant can be a lucrative decision, but also challenging to execute.
Topics: Gluten-free, Trends, Vegan, Feature, Food, Menu, amaretto
