National Restaurant Association 2007 What's Hot And What's Not Chef Survey

I love lists. I love making them and I love reading them. That’s why I was so delighted to find out that the National Restaurant Association has just released its second annual “What’s Hot and What’s Not” list. In October, the NRA polled over 1200 chefs, asking them to rate a list of 194 menu items as either hot, passé/cool or perennial favorites. So what menu items should you be considering in the coming year? The most obvious trend, according to the NRA survey is that small is big this year. Bite sized desserts came in at the number one spot. Mini desserts, bite sized appetizers, tapas were all rated the among the hottest of hot menu items. At the bottom of the list was soda and carbonated drinks. Don’t tell Coke.

The hottest items, organized by categories include:

Fruits- Pomegranates
Salads- Asian
Main Entrée- Small plates, tapas, messe
Alcoholic Beverages- Craft, artisan or microbrew beer
Desserts- Bite-sized desserts
Breads- Flatbreads
Condiments- Salts (kosher, colored, ect…)

Those menu items which were considered passé by the majority of chefs polled, include (by catergory):

Fruits- Grapes
Salads- Cobb
Main Entrée- Kosher items
Alcoholic Beverages- Vermouth
Desserts- Cake
Breads- Pita
Condiments- Maple syrup

Perennial Favorites included chocolate desserts (no way!), beef, white wine, coffee, chicken and asparagus.

Read the full list to find out what other menu items are hot or not.