1. Egg yolks
Whites may be the healthy darling of the egg, but yolks are packed with flavor and are perfect for curing with salt and a bit of sugar. Catch them runny on top of steak tartare at Randolfi’s and Truffles, or dried and shaved over a plate of pasta carbonara at Wild Flower. Veritas Gateway to Food and Wine features them frequently on dishes like its avocado gazpacho with crispy pork jowl.
2. Oil in cocktails
Bartenders around town are dropping and shaking oils into cocktails for huge flavor, body and intensity. At Central Table, the What is That, Velvet? daiquiri is shaken with extra-virgin olive oil for a soft, consistent texture. Terry Oliver amps up the orange flavor in Frazer’s Julius Benedict with orange culinary oil, and The Libertine‘s Ben Bauer infused olive oil with coriander for his Good Like Goldblum.
3. Meatballs
The great meatball debate rages on: What blend of beef, pork or lamb truly makes the best meatball? We say, throw ’em all out and expand your repertoire. Chef Rob Beasley at Chaumette Winery and Vineyard did just that, adding elk meatballs to his fall menu, served atop romesco sauce with polenta cakes and greens. The kitchen crew at Retreat Gastropub crowns a nest of spaghetti squash with turkey meatballs and yellow tomato jam. In September, Kitchen Kulture‘s Michael Miller rolled up a chicken-fennel version along with a veg-friendly chickpea-pimento option at his Thursday Sump lunch. And this summer, Death in the Afternoon dedicated an entire dinner menu to meatballs, serving up three options: traditional spicy pork, a ground turkey and vegan version using quinoa.
4. Poutine
When Americans slather french fries in cheese, meat and gravy, it’s called drunk food. When Canadians do it, it’s called poutine, which has taken St. Louis by storm. Byrd & Barrel covers house-made tater tots in smoked chicken, cheese curds and either smoked mushroom or fried chicken gravy in the South Side Poutine. Winslow’s Home likewise uses tots in its poutine with oxtail gravy. Retreat Gastropub keeps it veg-friendly with mushroom gravy and fried fingerling potatoes, while Small Batch swaps cheese curds for gooey fontina on its house-cut fries. The Libertine ups the ante with sweet peas and foie gras gravy, and the newly opened Copper Pig offers three versions: traditional with beef gravy, a duck confit or a saag paneer option. Urban Chestnut in The Grove has a poutine of the moment that previously featured white gravy with chicken and bacon. Or cash it all in for the foie gras poutine at Sidney Street Cafe featuring a crispy potato cake, french fry-encrusted foie and pickled apples.
5. Aquavit
There are only two things to do during a long Norwegian winter – drink and, well, you can figure it out. Aquavit, a neutral distilled spirit flavored with herbs and botanicals, is the Norwegian sauce of choice. Lucky for us, the clear, full-bodied liquor isn’t just for Scandinavians. Chat up Matt Osmoe at Blood & Sand and sample the flavor variations ranging from dill to caraway to anise. Have it mixed by Randolfi’s Jeffrey Moll in the lemonade-like Madam I’m Adam. Emphasizing Aquavit’s food-friendly qualities, Planter’s House can whip up a bloody mary-esque Bloody Well Right.
6. Grapes
Chefs around the country are taking grapes to the next level with vinegar, smoke, dehydration and high heat. New York’s Blue Hill restaurant pairs smoked grapes with Brussels sprouts and uses dehydrated grapes in a chicken dish. Blackbird in Chicago pairs pickled grapes with scallops. Get in on the trend closer to home with the newly opened Standard Brewing’s Coraline salad, where sweet-sour pickled grapes are tossed with radishes, goat cheese and spinach. Sound weird? Give them a try at Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar in a starter, or see how they do when roasted with mushrooms in both the seared scallops and the strip steak at Eclipse. At Randolfi’s try the lamb hearts and sausage starter with roasted grapes.
This article appears in December 2015.