CHICAGO—Beverages are taking center stage as culinary ingredients as restaurants are preparing innovative dishes that capture spicy, sweet, tart and savory flavors of coffee, tea, beer, soda and spirits, according to a new market report from Technomic.
Technomic’s “Independent Insights Report" examined the menus of 100 U.S. independent restaurants to identify new food and found restaurant operators are taking advantage of the flavor recognition from these beverages when used as ingredients.
"Chefs have long been using flavored drinks in various preparation methods, but the way beverages are being used on today's independent menus is helping to redefine the boundaries between comfort food and gourmet cuisine," said Technomic Editorial Manager Laura McGuire. "Using soda or beer as part of the preparation adds casualness to the dish, even when the proteins or other ingredients are uncommon. These independent restaurants are revisiting comfort food and putting contemporary twists on old themes."
Examples of menu items featuring beverages as ingredients include:
- Sweet Tea Brined Pork Chop with creamed corn and apricot cardamom chutney from Benjy's in Houston.
- Pepsi-braised Pork Belly from Second Empire in Raleigh, N.C.
- Blueberry Guinness Cheesecake from Walter's in Portland, Maine.
- Aztec Duck, pan seared coffee and ancho chile-rubbed duck breast, served with chipotle bacon cheese grits, sauteed spinach and fig demi-glace from The Fort in Denver.
- Bananas Foster French Toast—Bacardi-spiked caramelized bananas, challah and vanilla-bean chantilly from Frontier in Chicago.
