Taste the Trends Tour: Great Ideas, Even Greater Food

In May, Basic American Foods kicked off the 2018 National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago by hosting the Taste the Trends™ Tour. More than 100 foodservice operators took part in the restaurant-to-restaurant tour of some of Chicago’s hottest new eateries – each one highlighting a dish as well as the preparation, technique and presentation that are vital to that dish. Among the highlights:

At Marchesa, a more formal restaurant with a vintage European feel, chef Mark Sabbe presented a one-bite version of Coquilles St. Jacques that was beautifully served in a tiny scallop shell.

Tour-goers also enjoyed the signature dish at the modern Vietnamese restaurant HaiSous – a papaya salad featuring a perfectly executed contrast of flavors between green papaya, housemade beef jerky and Thai chilies.

At Gideon Sweet, the art on the walls is as much a part of the dining experience as the art on the small plates, in this case a beautifully presented bone marrow croquette served in a hollowed-out bone with crab aioli and bonito flakes.

And finally, Chef Kaze Chan of Sushi-San showed off his impressive knife skills as he quickly and skillfully broke down a Bluefin tuna, explaining the different texture and richness of the four different sections of the fish – the fattier the meat, the more expensive the sushi.