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Worst Food Trends of 2007?

Worst Food Trends of 2007?
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  • Worst Food Trends of 2007?

    Post #1 - December 30th, 2007, 1:33 pm
    Post #1 - December 30th, 2007, 1:33 pm Post #1 - December 30th, 2007, 1:33 pm
    Worst food trends of 2007according to Epicurious.

    Discuss!
    Anthony Bourdain on Barack Obama: "He's from Chicago, so he knows what good food is."
  • Post #2 - December 30th, 2007, 1:39 pm
    Post #2 - December 30th, 2007, 1:39 pm Post #2 - December 30th, 2007, 1:39 pm
    Black Napkins? :lol:
  • Post #3 - December 30th, 2007, 2:37 pm
    Post #3 - December 30th, 2007, 2:37 pm Post #3 - December 30th, 2007, 2:37 pm
    Seems to me the worst trend of 2007, and a few years before that, and worsening all the time, is so much of food writing's dizzy, groupie-ish preoccupation with the sort of restaurant/chef who would serve elephantine truffles, "preview" his restaurant, and make $40 into a standard entree price. As far as I can tell, the author brings up Hardee's strictly for comic relief. If such spendthrift foolishness passes for normal these days, we foodistas only have ourselves to blame, for keeping these jokers in business. It's time we ate for keeps!
  • Post #4 - December 30th, 2007, 6:04 pm
    Post #4 - December 30th, 2007, 6:04 pm Post #4 - December 30th, 2007, 6:04 pm
    Not on the list, but my pet peeve is the growing use of quotations on menus to describe misapplied cooking concepts. (Such as watermelon "consomme," or squash "carpaccio" or onion dip "pate.")
  • Post #5 - January 1st, 2008, 7:02 pm
    Post #5 - January 1st, 2008, 7:02 pm Post #5 - January 1st, 2008, 7:02 pm
    I'll probably get creamed for saying this, but I nominate extravagant use, mention and/or accolades of all things bacon.

    Blasphemy!
    These pretzels are making me thirsty...
  • Post #6 - January 2nd, 2008, 9:25 am
    Post #6 - January 2nd, 2008, 9:25 am Post #6 - January 2nd, 2008, 9:25 am
    shoes wrote:I'll probably get creamed for saying this, but I nominate extravagant use, mention and/or accolades of all things bacon.
    Blasphemy!

    shoes-

    Not exactly blasphemy, but I feel sad knowing that you must have missed the LTH Forum 2007 Picnic and Hammond's bacon-studded cookies!
    Man : I can't understand how a poet like you can eat that stuff.
    T. S. Eliot: Ah, but you're not a poet.
  • Post #7 - January 2nd, 2008, 12:02 pm
    Post #7 - January 2nd, 2008, 12:02 pm Post #7 - January 2nd, 2008, 12:02 pm
    The use of the word "decadent" to describe any food, especially desserts. Makes me want to put a fist through a wall whenever I hear it.
  • Post #8 - January 10th, 2008, 12:53 pm
    Post #8 - January 10th, 2008, 12:53 pm Post #8 - January 10th, 2008, 12:53 pm
    I'll probably get creamed for saying this, but I nominate extravagant use, mention and/or accolades of all things bacon.

    I agree with you 100%. I love bacon, but if you have it on your menu in more than 2 to 3 items you are cheating. Ok maybe not cheating, but it certainly dilutes your product. It is a cheap way to make things taste better and is an easy way to block your culinary creativity.
    Justin Hall
    FIG Catering
    FIGcatering.com
    MMMMM, Moon Waffles.
  • Post #9 - January 10th, 2008, 1:00 pm
    Post #9 - January 10th, 2008, 1:00 pm Post #9 - January 10th, 2008, 1:00 pm
    sundevilpeg wrote:The use of the word "decadent" to describe any food, especially desserts. Makes me want to put a fist through a wall whenever I hear it.


    Or "Death by..."

    Funny recent cartoon in New Yorker has chef standing before judge saying "Well, the menu did say death by chocolate."
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #10 - January 10th, 2008, 1:33 pm
    Post #10 - January 10th, 2008, 1:33 pm Post #10 - January 10th, 2008, 1:33 pm
    sundevilpeg wrote:The use of the word "decadent" to describe any food, especially desserts. Makes me want to put a fist through a wall whenever I hear it.


    I feel the exact same way when I hear a movie described as "smart"!! :x
    The clown is down!
  • Post #11 - January 10th, 2008, 3:24 pm
    Post #11 - January 10th, 2008, 3:24 pm Post #11 - January 10th, 2008, 3:24 pm
    I am tired of the misuse of quotation marks.http://www.hotchocolatechicago.com/menu.htmlThis menu is full of confusing quotations. Is the skirt steak Kobe beef? Is it realy a calzone? Does the warm fudge brownie realy have ice cream on it? Or the time when I had to ask the waiter if the Chocolate "souffle" Cake was really a souffle. The answer was no, so I ordered it not sure if I should be confused. It was just a regular cake and its flavor was tainted by the salty tears of frustration.
    Justin Hall
    FIG Catering
    FIGcatering.com
    MMMMM, Moon Waffles.
  • Post #12 - January 10th, 2008, 3:32 pm
    Post #12 - January 10th, 2008, 3:32 pm Post #12 - January 10th, 2008, 3:32 pm
    figjustin wrote:I am tired of the misuse of quotation marks.http://www.hotchocolatechicago.com/menu.htmlThis menu is full of confusing quotations. Is the skirt steak Kobe beef? Is it realy a calzone? Does the warm fudge brownie realy have ice cream on it? Or the time when I had to ask the waiter if the Chocolate "souffle" Cake was really a souffle. The answer was no, so I ordered it not sure if I should be confused. It was just a regular cake and its flavor was tainted by the salty tears of frustration.


    Amateurs.

    Our meal at the French Laundry:

    Santa Barbara Sea Urchin, Water Chestnuts, Pea Shoots and Black Truffle "Coulis"

    Moulard Duck "Foie Gras Poêlé", Belgian Endive "en Ravigote", Royal Blenheim Apricot "Purée", Yountville Mustard Blossoms and "Sauce à la Moutarde en Grains"

    "Sautéed" Fillet of Japanese "Kanpachi", Grilled Abalone Mushrooms, Glazed Baby Bok Choy, Sweet Carrot-Scallion "Emincée" and Yuzu Emulsion

    Pan-Roasted "Calotte" of Nature-Fed Veal, Roasted Hearts of Romaine Lettuce, Slow Poached French Prune, Applewood Smoked Bacon and "Sauce Colbert"

    "Persille de Beaujolais", Braised Celery Hearts, "Espelette Vinaigrette" and Celery Seed "Melba"

    Jacobsen's Farm Meyer Lemon Sorbet, Yogurt "Mousse", Almond "Nougatine" and "Frascati" Biscuit

    Field Rhubarb "Torte", Jamaican Gingerbread, Tahitian Vanilla "Mascarpone" and Green Cardamom Syrup

    "Mignardises"


    I can appreciate a desire not to debase culinary terms, but... yeah.

    (Incidentally, I'm pretty sure he could have left "purée" and "mousse" alone, no matter what standard he was using in determining whether or not to quote.)
    Dominic Armato
    Dining Critic
    The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com
  • Post #13 - January 10th, 2008, 3:44 pm
    Post #13 - January 10th, 2008, 3:44 pm Post #13 - January 10th, 2008, 3:44 pm
    Royal Blenheim Apricot "Purée"

    (Incidentally, I'm pretty sure he could have left "purée" and "mousse" alone, no matter what standard he was using in determining whether or not to quote.)


    Oy. Fist, meet wall. :roll:
  • Post #14 - January 10th, 2008, 3:53 pm
    Post #14 - January 10th, 2008, 3:53 pm Post #14 - January 10th, 2008, 3:53 pm
    It strikes me that almost all of the terms in quotations are in French, something you used to see often on menus when I was a girl during the mid- twentieth century. However, that was before Julia Child made words such as mousse understandable to Americans.
    Man : I can't understand how a poet like you can eat that stuff.
    T. S. Eliot: Ah, but you're not a poet.
  • Post #15 - January 10th, 2008, 3:57 pm
    Post #15 - January 10th, 2008, 3:57 pm Post #15 - January 10th, 2008, 3:57 pm
    sundevilpeg wrote:
    Royal Blenheim Apricot "Purée"

    (Incidentally, I'm pretty sure he could have left "purée" and "mousse" alone, no matter what standard he was using in determining whether or not to quote.)


    Oy. Fist, meet wall. :roll:


    Yeah, this is what I was generally complaining of above; but it seems like it's either a puree or not. I don't see how you could prepare a "puree."
  • Post #16 - January 10th, 2008, 5:39 pm
    Post #16 - January 10th, 2008, 5:39 pm Post #16 - January 10th, 2008, 5:39 pm
    Back in the days when I was learning proper usage for writing term papers, etc., there was a rule about always using quotation marks (or italics) for foreign words, and since there was no italics option on my typewriter, quotation marks it was. Maybe Thomas Keller is just being really, really proper and old school.

    It's still a bit much, though, especially since I find myself mentally replacing quotation marks with the phrase "so called". For example, if a sign says "Home Made" pie, I think: "So called home made pie."

    So to me, everything on the French Laundry menu is only allegedly what it claims to be. I would still eat it though, usage be damned.
    Anthony Bourdain on Barack Obama: "He's from Chicago, so he knows what good food is."
  • Post #17 - January 10th, 2008, 6:02 pm
    Post #17 - January 10th, 2008, 6:02 pm Post #17 - January 10th, 2008, 6:02 pm
    figjustin wrote:I am tired of the misuse of quotation marks.http://www.hotchocolatechicago.com/menu.htmlThis menu is full of confusing quotations. Is the skirt steak Kobe beef? Is it realy a calzone? Does the warm fudge brownie realy have ice cream on it? Or the time when I had to ask the waiter if the Chocolate "souffle" Cake was really a souffle. The answer was no, so I ordered it not sure if I should be confused. It was just a regular cake and its flavor was tainted by the salty tears of frustration.
    I too am tired of Zagat :)
    is making all his reservations under the name Steve Plotnicki from now on.
  • Post #18 - January 10th, 2008, 8:10 pm
    Post #18 - January 10th, 2008, 8:10 pm Post #18 - January 10th, 2008, 8:10 pm
    figjustin wrote:I love bacon, but if you have it on your menu in more than 2 to 3 items you are cheating. Ok maybe not cheating, but it certainly dilutes your product. It is a cheap way to make things taste better and is an easy way to block your culinary creativity.

    OK. So if a restaurant's got bacon and eggs, a BLT and a salad with bacon on it, they shouldn't serve anything else containing bacon?

    I grant you many uses of foie gras were like this in the days before it was banned in the city (but not the suburbs -- I had superb foie gras at Bank Lane Bistro recently!), and truffle oil may have the same effect.

    But bacon is an everyday food. This is like saying a menu shouldn't have more than two or three items with beef in them. Or butter.
  • Post #19 - January 11th, 2008, 12:27 am
    Post #19 - January 11th, 2008, 12:27 am Post #19 - January 11th, 2008, 12:27 am
    The Umamification of America.
  • Post #20 - January 11th, 2008, 12:31 am
    Post #20 - January 11th, 2008, 12:31 am Post #20 - January 11th, 2008, 12:31 am
    Santander wrote:The Umamification of America.



    It's amusing watching "Chowhounds" FUMBLE over the concept of umami and it's corollary, MSG.
    Being gauche rocks, stun the bourgeoisie
  • Post #21 - January 11th, 2008, 12:57 am
    Post #21 - January 11th, 2008, 12:57 am Post #21 - January 11th, 2008, 12:57 am
    shoes wrote:I'll probably get creamed for saying this, but I nominate extravagant use, mention and/or accolades of all things bacon.

    Yes. Thank you.

    I was going to say, "bacon ice cream". Just stop it already. This is why they hate us.
  • Post #22 - January 11th, 2008, 9:24 am
    Post #22 - January 11th, 2008, 9:24 am Post #22 - January 11th, 2008, 9:24 am
    shoes wrote:I'll probably get creamed for saying this, but I nominate extravagant use, mention and/or accolades of all things bacon.


    Are you an anti-Baconite for some reason? Are you also opposed to puppies and sunny days? I'd call any praise for Bacon long over-due. And I have a news source to back up my praise for Bacon:

    From the Onion: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51139

    Report: Meat Now America's No. 2 Condiment

    "By 2015, our researchers predict bacon alone will supplant condiments as diverse as mustard and Worcestershire sauce," Johanns said. "Crumbled 'bacon bits' are a classic addition to salads, and in recent years, slabs of bacon are increasingly used to wrap vegetables, fruits, and seafood. Adding bacon as a topping to cheeseburgers is old news, but now we are seeing bacon-topped meatloaf, bacon-covered chicken wings, and deep-fried, bacon-wrapped bacon sprinkled on pork chops."

    Then again, Bacon Ice Cream...that's a bit much.
  • Post #23 - January 11th, 2008, 9:33 am
    Post #23 - January 11th, 2008, 9:33 am Post #23 - January 11th, 2008, 9:33 am
    wak wrote:Then again, Bacon Ice Cream...that's a bit much.


    No, it really isn't :-)

    Image
    "6 A.M. Special" at Lola
    French toast, maple-bacon ice cream, caramelized apple
    Dominic Armato
    Dining Critic
    The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com
  • Post #24 - January 11th, 2008, 10:17 am
    Post #24 - January 11th, 2008, 10:17 am Post #24 - January 11th, 2008, 10:17 am
    Image
  • Post #25 - January 11th, 2008, 3:57 pm
    Post #25 - January 11th, 2008, 3:57 pm Post #25 - January 11th, 2008, 3:57 pm
    OK. So if a restaurant's got bacon and eggs, a BLT and a salad with bacon on it, they shouldn't serve anything else containing bacon?
    I grant you many uses of foie gras were like this in the days before it was banned in the city (but not the suburbs -- I had superb foie gras at Bank Lane Bistro recently!), and truffle oil may have the same effect.
    But bacon is an everyday food. This is like saying a menu shouldn't have more than two or three items with beef in them. Or butter.


    For a diner or a fast food venue the random use of bacon is ok in my opinion. But if you are going to be dining for something more upscale than bacon and eggs and blt than you should be able expect more from the chef than the multiple use of a easy ingredient like bacon. The same is too said of other flavor enhancing elements such as truffle oil, smoked paprika or any other strong flavoring that can be added to make something taste better. If you need bacon, as a chef to make people eat your food than you are using it to much. I have seen menus that use bacon in everything from a bacon wrapped scallop, bacon mac and cheese, bacon stuffed crab cake and bacon sauteed greens just for the apps. This is boring, unimaginative and easy. You could easily remove bacon from three of those apps and have a more balanced profile of flavors in your portfolio. I love bacon, it is our friend. But if you take advantage of it and over use it your friend can turn on you and that could get ugly.
    Justin Hall
    FIG Catering
    FIGcatering.com
    MMMMM, Moon Waffles.
  • Post #26 - January 11th, 2008, 4:08 pm
    Post #26 - January 11th, 2008, 4:08 pm Post #26 - January 11th, 2008, 4:08 pm
    figjustin wrote:But if you are going to be dining for something more upscale than bacon and eggs and blt than you should be able expect more from the chef than the multiple use of a easy ingredient like bacon. The same is too said of other flavor enhancing elements such as truffle oil, smoked paprika or any other strong flavoring that can be added to make something taste better.


    Yeah. The LAST thing we want is for our food to taste better.

    ...

    I keed, I keed! :-)

    Though I question the logic that bacon is inherently a chef's crutch (any tool can be used for good or for evil!), I understand what you mean, Justin. Any ingredient can be overused and bacon is very trendy and a prime culprit in many establishments.

    But that doesn't mean the bacon ice cream isn't really damn good! :-)
    Dominic Armato
    Dining Critic
    The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com
  • Post #27 - January 11th, 2008, 6:17 pm
    Post #27 - January 11th, 2008, 6:17 pm Post #27 - January 11th, 2008, 6:17 pm
    Am I the only one who can taste the chemical flavor in truffle oil? I tried it at Whole Foods before I'd read that it was mostly chemicals, so it can't be suggestion....
  • Post #28 - January 11th, 2008, 6:53 pm
    Post #28 - January 11th, 2008, 6:53 pm Post #28 - January 11th, 2008, 6:53 pm
    Mhays wrote:Am I the only one who can taste the chemical flavor in truffle oil? I tried it at Whole Foods before I'd read that it was mostly chemicals, so it can't be suggestion....


    Yeah, a bottle we have tastes of motor oil.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #29 - January 11th, 2008, 8:30 pm
    Post #29 - January 11th, 2008, 8:30 pm Post #29 - January 11th, 2008, 8:30 pm
    Truffle oil=essence of kerosene. Some are better than others, I'm sure, but gimme shaved truffles. (Or even one with 5 o'clock shadow.)
    I love animals...they're delicious!
  • Post #30 - January 12th, 2008, 10:14 am
    Post #30 - January 12th, 2008, 10:14 am Post #30 - January 12th, 2008, 10:14 am
    truffle oil turns REALLY fast, and when it turns it tastes terrible. that and most truffle oil sucks.
    is making all his reservations under the name Steve Plotnicki from now on.

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