566690 Wed Oct 22 14:49:33 -0700 2008 39 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4122110 Right now...Hamburger joints are the new comfort trends among chefs. Everybody from Michel Richard, Alain Ducasse, and Thomas Keller are opening up burger joints. So what comfort food or junk food do you think will be "next food"...the thing that top chefs will gravitate to? Hot Dogs? Philly Cheesesteaks? Soups? Gourmet Fried Chicken? Gyros? Tacos? Meatloaf? What will be the next/new comfort food trend that everybody will start gravitating towards? Thanks. Wed Oct 22 14:49:33 -0700 2008 101856 marcbjohnson 1 4122837 Bierocks :) Cabbage will be the new letttuce. Wed Oct 22 20:13:35 -0700 2008 4122110 10651 bbqboy 1 4122967 I dunno. Sheep's stomach stuffed with oatmeal and foie gras. and flaked with gold? BTW, "comfort food" isusually is used to refer to traditional stuff like meatloaf, roast chicken, pot roast, macaroni and cheese, and the like. That is, it's untrendy. Wed Oct 22 21:33:44 -0700 2008 4122110 55316 mpalmer6c 2 4127194 Except what would call the mac and cheese with mix ins (bacon, lobster, etc.) and those made with non-traditional cheese that have popped up on menus everywhere? Still comfort food, but also trendy in the way that it is prepared. Fri Oct 24 15:39:30 -0700 2008 4122967 14495 viperlush 1 4123018 Hard to tell... I do like the present menu-fad of sliders everywhere you go. I can hardly ever finish an entire hamburger at one sitting, but hey, a freezer full of really good sliders to nuke-n-nibble at will, and I'm there! I can tell you where I hope it will go. Tamales! I know. I know. Bobby Flay has done them to death. BUT! He has never (that I know of) done the really really good ones! When I was a kid, a couple of friend's moms were from southern Mexico, and both of them made the great big fat huge tamales that were wrapped in traditional corn husks, then tied shut with corn husk "string" at both ends. They were HUGE! Depending on the corn husks, at least five inches long and three inches in diameter. Some were bigger. They were filled with a thin shell of traditional masa, then inside was this fantastic mixture of pork, chile con carne, fresh corn, black olives, green olives, chiles, potatoes. One was a full meal! There was a commercial preparation that was similar called "XLN-T" tamales. Like all super-market prepared food, they were good, but nothing close to home made. I wish those would be the next ubiquitous comfort food. Boy, would I be comfortable!!! Wed Oct 22 22:14:01 -0700 2008 4122110 112096 Caroline1 2 4151453 XLNT tamales are still available in CA. http://www.xlntfoods.com/store-locations/ Wed Nov 05 12:10:38 -0800 2008 4123018 218554 BeefeaterRocks 1 4123202 I'm thinking you hit it with meatloaf. a natural progression from burgers. meatloaf, and even more so perhaps, meatloaf sandwiches. maybe open faced with mashed and gravy? Thu Oct 23 02:31:47 -0700 2008 4122110 57890 KaimukiMan 2 4123619 Already there - I had a fantastic Kobe beef meat loaf a couple of weeks ago at Pops in Boston, accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes and sweet roasted carrots. Thu Oct 23 07:48:21 -0700 2008 4123202 14386 BobB 3 4124179 Yep, meatloaf is all over the place in NYC and has been for a few years. Wow, Kobe beef meatloaf, though... I'm not sure whether to be scandalized that such good meat is being cooked to death or drool because I'm sure it was pretty darn delicious. Thu Oct 23 11:07:41 -0700 2008 4123619 64215 cimui 4 4124317 I had the same double reaction, but decided to try it and wow, was it good! They make small individual loaves and bake them in a very hot oven to order, which maximizes the amount of the crispy outer layer. Thu Oct 23 11:48:44 -0700 2008 4124179 14386 BobB 5 4125224 alright, the drool wins. a small pool has formed at my feet. Thu Oct 23 17:49:27 -0700 2008 4124317 64215 cimui 4 4127416 I'm ready for artisan meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Fri Oct 24 17:41:18 -0700 2008 4124179 60617 rednyellow 1 4123375 I'll go with variations on the grilled cheese (and perhaps some form of "tomato soup") ... and milkshakes. Thu Oct 23 06:02:52 -0700 2008 4122110 175190 jasminetea 2 4150468 Milkshakes? I like the idea. Where are you seeing a proliferation of milkshakes? Tue Nov 04 23:49:17 -0800 2008 4123375 19148 aynrandgirl 1 4123381 How about a crockpot inspired restaurant? Thu Oct 23 06:05:50 -0700 2008 4122110 116638 southernitalian 2 4124299 I like that! Chefs could even compete to see who can be the most creative. Thu Oct 23 11:43:14 -0700 2008 4123381 13957 slacker 1 4123613 Great Question I think it may not be a dish so much, as we see regular restaurants try to democratize molecular gastronomy. I'm surprised there hasn't been a MiniBar-esque Tapas and Wine Bar (with tart yogurt or cupcakes for dessert, lol) NW DC could use a really good wing place though, as opposed to a bar that happens to serve cheap wings. I'd really like to see Chicken Fried Steak (Chicken and Bacon as well) make it's way onto menus again. Thu Oct 23 07:46:44 -0700 2008 4122110 123581 WestIndianArchie 1 4123696 The meatball sandwich. Endless variations on the meat used, size of the meatballs, filler, bread, sauce and cheese. I once had a Greek lamb-meatball sandwich in thick pita with cubed feta and tzatziki. Thu Oct 23 08:18:45 -0700 2008 4122110 18385 CDouglas 1 4123707 I suppose it depends on what part of the country (meaning USA) you are in, because a lot of things mentioned are already are being featured as "trendy, new" comfort foods here in Houston. A lot of the newer places with young chefs have buffalo, or other meatloafs with hunter sauce, or other creative concoctions. As far as chicken fried steak goes, it has never been out of favor around here. One place even has chicken fried venison, which I haven't tried, but sure would like to. And Macaroni and Cheese has made a big come back, with some interesting twists. It is getting interesting to see how menus are changing practically on a monthly basis. Thu Oct 23 08:26:01 -0700 2008 4122110 80937 danhole 1 4123713 I never understood the burger thing since I never knew it was missing.... next up? I'm thinking maybe a resurgence of some turkey-gravy-stuffing meals (open-faced sandwhich; "thanksgiving" on bread; classic turkey-day dinner)... possible ethnic comfort foods: pierogies/dumplings, or some high-end plays on classic Jewish-Eastern European (potato, kasha, vegetable, sweet noodle).. is it a pudding? a casserole? a baked side dish? does it go gourmet with a protein added to become a main course or app? Thu Oct 23 08:30:03 -0700 2008 4122110 30139 aklein 1 4125043 How about "nuken cuchen" - everything prepared from scratch in a microwave? Or is there, or was there, already such an establishment? Taking this deeper into the comfort zone, some enterprizer could do something with frozen or canned victuals. Thu Oct 23 16:22:14 -0700 2008 4122110 55318 DockPotato 1 4126790 Not sure that top chefs will gravitate to these predictions, but they are my guesses at what we'll see more of in the near future. Cookies will replace the cupcake Bubble Tea will replace the smoothie Crepes will be the next quick service/mobile trend Pie will have a resurgence Breakfast for dinner Blue Plate Specials make a comeback on menus Casseroles, Meatloaf, Mac-n-Cheese, Roasted or Fried Chicken, Grilled Cheese/Soup...nothing's more comforting than those, just like Mom used to make! I'd gladly welcome any of those as the next food trend. Fri Oct 24 12:40:03 -0700 2008 4122110 193831 oldbaycupcake 1 4126883 on second thought.... varied nut butters/jams-or-preserves/artisan breads... this could be sweet or savory prep... PBJ goes uptown Fri Oct 24 13:13:48 -0700 2008 4122110 30139 aklein 1 4127002 Casseroles. I would love to see great chefs' takes on tuna casserole, chicken tetrazzini, chicken and rice casseroles, Mexican casserole... I think warm specialty cocktails will follow on the heels of their cold counterparts and become trendy this winter. Hmm, actually, with this economy maybe not... Agree with cookies replacing cupcakes as the baked good du jour. Fri Oct 24 13:57:57 -0700 2008 4122110 113376 Olallieberry 1 4127009 another post jogged my memory: will somebody please bring back the Automat? I've never eaten at one and I'd really like to! i'd love to see more places doing really good biscuits & gravy and cassoulet. i predict that boudin noir and grits are going to go (more) haute, dandelion green are going to go to the masses (outside of Appalachia), and scrapple is going to make it out of PA in a major way. i'd be tickled pink to see what the big name chefs can do to sexy up the common bowl of porridge, but they probably won't try. Fri Oct 24 14:04:24 -0700 2008 4122110 64215 cimui 2 4127015 Plate lunches at $49.99 paired with wine using all organic ingredients. Fri Oct 24 14:08:02 -0700 2008 4127009 12872 K K 2 4128162 Automats! I am so in for this idea! I wonder if the food is any good? Sat Oct 25 08:02:12 -0700 2008 4127009 89969 moh 1 4127896 If there's any justice in the world, it'll be one of the following: congee philly cheesesteaks hearty soups Sat Oct 25 02:30:04 -0700 2008 4122110 152375 Sammiches 2 4128160 Hearty soups already seem to be a making a strong comeback in my neighbourhood. It is a very welcome trend, it makes for a nice lunch. Sat Oct 25 08:01:23 -0700 2008 4127896 89969 moh 1 4128365 Not necessarily a food item trend per se, but as the economy continues to tank I think you're going to see more and more high ticket items dropping off of menus and replaced with items that have lower raw food costs and are more economical to produce (i.e. not labor intensive) so that restaurants can stay in business. So less and less lobster or truffle mac 'n' cheese but more straightforward mac 'n' cheese that may or may not have add-ins and multiple cheeses. Vegetarian dishes will expand and become more complex as people eat less meat, restaurants play with locally grown produce and people try their had at growing some of their own veggies. Vegan and raw food may continue to gain popularity. Peruvian food may gather some steam especially with respect to some of the causa (potato based) dishes and noodle and stir-fry dishes that have evolved out of the Chinese immigration to Peru (Chifa food). In other words, the starch based foods from Peru In fact, the whole Pan-Latin segment may blossom. Ingredients are getting easier to find and are selling at reasonable prices. Many of the cooking methods from Mexico, Central & South America lend themselves to making good, deeply flavorful, food out of inexpensive food. (And since many of these recipes don't require a lot of labor, it means restaurants might not need as many people in the kitchen). Restaurant chef will take these recipes and ingredients and tweak them enough for restaurant service without substantially changing the nature or the soul of the dish. Upscale, cafeteria-style places where creative salads are made to order as you move down the line telling the server what you want, or you simply select one of the "signature" salads from a pre-set menu and the server makes it right before your eyes. I've been to two separate operations like this in the last 6 months. Both were great but very different from the other in how they executed the concept. Comfort food is what we turn to when we need a sense of safety in a chaotic world, and boy is the world ever chaotic today! Since the issue is financial melt down and financial security, whatever comfort food trends emerge, they will be economical, a good value for the money spent if eating in a restaurant, or easy on the pocketbook for the home cook. They need to taste good and satisfy an innate and instinctual need for safety or to feel safe in the environment. This was a great question because fundamental change is afoot. What we eat will probably change pretty dramatically over the next few years and what we've thought of as comfort food may turn out to be something totally different in the future. For me, however, it will always have to be carb-based :-) Sat Oct 25 10:08:03 -0700 2008 4122110 10506 DiningDiva 1 4149030 I had chicken hash the other night, just tender shredded chicken in a savory brownish sauce/gravy served over rice, however it would be good on toast, mashed potatoes, biscuits, puff pastry, etc. Tue Nov 04 10:28:27 -0800 2008 4122110 135170 kpaumer 1 4149295 How about more restaurants specializing in breakfast for dinner? Tue Nov 04 12:08:46 -0800 2008 4122110 116638 southernitalian 2 4149795 I would *definitely* go. Mmm, waffles. Tue Nov 04 15:08:35 -0800 2008 4149295 13445 Louise 1 4149408 Polenta Tue Nov 04 12:48:25 -0800 2008 4122110 18253 SeaSide Tomato 2 4151120 I'm thinking pot pies, you can turn almost any protein into something heavenly with a flaky crust. I've made vegetarian ones too and they are great. Wed Nov 05 10:04:27 -0800 2008 4149408 57253 lucyis 1 4149486 Gnocchi...it's wonderful if done right. Tender, can be sauced with anything, mmmmm!! Tue Nov 04 13:19:41 -0800 2008 4122110 237109 Virginia Girl 1 4151341 Chicken and homemade noodles over mashed potatoes. That's my favorite comfort food ever, my grandma makes the best, but I wouldn't mind seeing it in restaurants, either. Wed Nov 05 11:28:25 -0800 2008 4122110 112034 spellweaver16 1 5160544 Bierocks have always been a comfort food in our house!!!! Fri Nov 06 07:02:05 -0800 2009 4122110 1122159 DallasChic 1 5161467 well, its been a bit over a year now, and what i have seen begin to emerge is mac & cheese. am i alone in that observation? Fri Nov 06 11:55:41 -0800 2009 4122110 57890 KaimukiMan 1 5161526 Something inexpensive, like soup or eggs? Good question. Fri Nov 06 12:13:25 -0800 2009 4122110 181204 stuck in Hartford County