This week on Menu Talk, Restaurant Business Senior Menu Editor Pat Cobe and Bret Thorn, senior food and beverage editor of Nation’s Restaurant News, share their take on some recent happenings in the world of food and drink.
Bret is settling into his new Brooklyn digs, discovering the vast assortment of pickled and smoked fish available in his new neighborhood. And buckwheat—that’s the grain of choice in the shops that surround his apartment.
Pat was recently a guest at a “Nikkei Twist” dinner in which private chef Will Ono created a five-course Colombian-Japanese menu. Off-duty private chefs, restaurant sous chefs, line cooks and other culinary pros develop the menus and cook at these events. There’s also a sommelier at the dinners to pair wines. It’s a new kind of dining platform that’s becoming a win-win for both chefs and consumers.
We listened to clips from Bret’s podcast with Joe Schaeffer, VP of Culinary for Atlanta-based Electric Hospitality, about Muchacho, the group’s Southern California-inspired taqueria. Schaeffer created six unique fresh salsas using a variety of chilies, some raw, some roasted or simmered, to infuse each with complex flavor.
How Aaron Taylor and Atlas Restaurant Group are revitalizing fine dining in Baltimore
How Rush Bowls stands out from the crowd with a scratch-made menu and local vibe
At Planta, Steven Salm harnesses the power of plants
How Adenah Bayoh is positioning Cornbread Farm to Soul for fast-casual expansion
How Chef Ron Yan transformed the menu at Parcelle Wine Bar from popup to brick-and-mortar restaurant
How Panda Express’ Jimmy Wang spreads Chinese culture through food
How STATE Grill & Bar’s menu honors its location in the Empire State Building
How Gavin Kaysen defines his role as chef-CEO as he expands his restaurant company in new directions
How Sonic’s Mackenzie Gibson integrates culinary and marketing to drive innovation
How Amy Alarcon gave Popeyes the edge in the chicken sandwich wars
How Scott Randolph is elevating IHOP’s status as the breakfast leader while innovating across the menu
How Rick Petralia is pushing the envelope on flavor at Freddy’s
How Arthur & Sons is the culmination of Joe Isidori’s family legacy and culinary journey
How climate change is impacting your menu
How Cristina Suarez evolved from ‘bargirl’ to corporate beverage director of Kush Hospitality Group
How cold coffee is heating up the menu at Caribou
How 2 cousins from Maine turned the rest of the country on to lobster rolls
How Marc Forgione continues to grow his culinary legacy and restaurant cred
How Sam Polk is making healthy meals accessible and affordable in food deserts across the U.S.
How Steve Sturm puts the wood-fired grill front and center
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