Bourdainshares the
THREEMOST
POPULARTRENDS
he’sseeing in
Americandining today.
Chefs turningsmallercities into
culinarydestinations.
“There’sno
doubt thatwe’re seeing it every-
where,”Bourdain says. “We filmed in
westernMassachusetts,wherea few
restaurantsdoverygood craft beer and
have cured-meat programs [aswell as]
averygenuineandheartfelt aspiration
toward farm-to-table food.” The chefs
behind these restaurants aremaking
their hometowns intodestination-worthy
food towns capableof holding their own
against anyof theusual-suspect cities.
“They’renot copyingdishes theyhad
when theyvisitedBostonorNewYork,”
Bourdain says. “They’redoing it their
ownway.”
There’s lessmeaton theplate—
and it’snotaproblem.
“Lookat
LudoLefebvre’smodel,”Bourdain
says, referring toTroisMec inLos
Angeles,whichLefebvre runswith
chef-restaurateurs JonShookandVinny
Dotolo. “It’sbrilliant, becauseheknows
exactlyhowmanypeopleare coming
and it’s a tastingmenu, soheknows
exactlyhowmuch foodhe’sgoing to
serve, practicallydown to thegram. He’s
got a cheese course, but it’sone cheese
—it happens tobeaverygood cheese.
But after youeat there, threedays later
whenyou lookbackon it, you realize
youateabout four ouncesof protein,
and itwas awesome.”
Regional foodgetsmovedtothe
centerof theplate
. Bourdain says
thatyoungchefsopening restaurants
inacertainplace—Detroit, forexam-
ple—aremore likely topayattention
to that area’s regional food traditions
in their cooking. “Creative, go-getting
peoplewhocome inand take something
nobodywantsandmake something
everybodywants,”heexplains.
LOOKING
AHEAD
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