2012 Food Trends: What’s hot?

LOCALLY GROWN MEATS, fruit and produce, gluten-free food and signature sandwiches will be among the hot trends this year, according to “What’s Hot,” the National Restaurant Assn. survey of 1,800 chefs. “Local sourcing—from meat and fish, to produce, to wine and beer—is a big trend,” says Joy Dubost of the Restaurant Assn. Other trends are listed here, along with area restaurants that are following them:

LOCALLY GROWN PRODUCE Ike’s Quarter Cafe in Nevada City, Simplicity Bistro and SummerThymes in Grass Valley, among others, specialize in food from local farms. More and more restaurants are jumping onboard.

LOCALLY SOURCED MEATS & SEAFOOD Nevada County Free Range Beef, Sinclair Family Farm, High Sierra Beef in Oregon House, and BriarPatch Co-op Community Market. BriarPatch carries Nevada County Free Range Beef.

COMFORT FOODS Stinky Mac ‘n Cheese at Matteo’s Public in Nevada City is for cheese lovers. In Grass Valley: pan-fried chicken from Kane’s; braised lamb shanks from Tofanelli’s; chicken pot pie and Italian-style meatloaf from Simplicity Bistro; Marshall’s Pasties.

SIGNATURE SANDWICHES Tofanelli’s in Grass Valley has creative, delicious sandwiches, ranging from French Dip to “Reuben Reuben” to a vegi-grill sandwich. Matteo’s Public in Nevada City has the Stinky
Grilled Cheese.

ETHNIC Mexican and Thai are hot trends. Maria’s Mexican restaurant (its recent expansion is marvelous) and Taste of Thai in Grass Valley; Las Katarinas in Nevada City; and Sopa Thai in Nevada City and Yuba City.

GLUTEN-FREE In Grass Valley: SummerThymes offers a wide variety of gluten-free items. Kane’s, among others, has gluten-free pizza. Matteo’s in Nevada City now has gluten-free bread. Seven Sisters restaurant in Citrus Heights has a gluten-free menu.

Sierra Meat Buyers Club
Sierra Meat Buyers Club offers locally grown meats to Placer and Nevada county residents from nearby farms and ranches. Customers order monthly from a list of cuts of beef, lamb, chicken, pork, and pasture-raised eggs. They pick up their orders at designated sites.
For more information: SinclairFamilyFarm.net or call 916-663-3990.

(Photos by Peter Oakes)

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