Where to Eat 2010's Biggest Food Trends

Here's a secret: foodies are just as shamelessly trend-oriented as fashionistas in their pursuit of the hottest new thing. You know, lamb belly is the new pork offal is the new pork belly is the new bacon. (And there is nothing in this world foodies love more than anointing things the new bacon.)

Here's a look at our favorite food trends of 2010 and where to eat them. No need to leave the neighborhood: check out these au courant spots.

Trend: Pie
Dish: Salted Caramel Apple Pie at Four & Twenty Blackbirds
Why: Forget macarons. Pie is the new cupcake—a cute, old-school sweet treat with a cult following. This year, no pie bakery has garnered more attention than Gowanus' Four & Twenty Blackbirds (we even last month). And with good reason: the atmosphere is rustic and cozy and, more importantly, all the pies are excellent. While the selection changes regularly, the salted caramel apple pie is a constant and a worthwhile caloric investment. The crust is the Platonic ideal of pie, flaky and toothsome and the apple flavor sings out, enhanced by subtle kicks of caramel and salt.

Trend: Macarons (Because we can't just brush them aside...)
Dish: Pistachio Macaron at 
Why: They may not be the new cupcake, but sophisticated and sweet, these flaky filled cookies have a substantial fan base of their own. Find out why at Almondine, which offers generously filled, shatteringly crisp macarons in several flavors. We recommend the pistachio for its low-key nutty nature.

Trend: Southern Food
Dish: Fried Chicken at 
Why: Southern food hit the Northern mainstream this year—a logical extension of the dual crazes for meat and fried foods that had been building in the latter half of the aughts. Seersucker's fried chicken (available only on Tuesdays) is exemplary. It's both greasy and juicy with a kick of heat. We offer this tidbit with fair warning: the chicken has a cult and often sells out by 9 p.m.

Trend: Vegetable Cocktails
Dish: Rubens Cooler at
Why: This year was the year vegetables broke free from their Bloody Mary booze shackles, cropping up in an astonishing variety of cocktails. Cucumber (yes, we know, it's technically a fruit. Don't be didactic.) was an especially popular ingredient and it's exploited beautifully at Prime Meats, where it melds with bourbon, seltzer, lemon juice and St. Germain in the Rubens Cooler, a summery drink made winter-ready by the warmth of the bourbon.

Trend: Doughnuts for Dessert
Dish: Fig Doughnuts at
Why: Everyone loves a doughnut and this year, the fried dough started cropping up on more and more dessert menus. At Rose Water, the cheapo breakfast staple gets refined and, dare we say, elegant. Fig doughnuts are served with a dollop of orange sorbet and a helping of nut praline for a beautifully complex flavor profile.

Trend: Grocery Store-Restaurants
Dish: Lasagna at Brucie
Why: Perhaps as a function of the still-sluggish economy, many restaurants diversified this year, adding in-restaurant markets. Brucie not only offers excellent sit-down Italian-American fare and a plethora of pastas, cheeses and meats, but they recently introduced an innovative lasagna program. Drop off your 11x14 lasagna pan in the morning, pick it up that night filled with one of three rib-sticking lasagnas: classic meatless, eggplant, tomato and Swiss chard, or goat cheese and mushroom.

Trend: Food Trucks
Dish: WMD from Wafels & Dinges
Why: The food truck trend showed no sign of slowing this year, with new trucks cropping up as fast as you can say "mobile vending permit." The Belgian-waffle hawking Wafels & Dinges truck remains one of the best and, lucky for Slopers, it stops on Seventh and Carroll every Saturday. Go for the WMD (Wafel of Massive Deliciousness), a wafel bedecked with as many toppings as your feverish heart desires (we're partial to dulce de leche, bananas and strawberries).

Trend: Lamb
Dish: Lamb Meatball Burger at Karloff  (Court and Butler streets)
Why: Lamb is the new pork and, while all the usual suspects (Buttermilk Channel, Applewood, Prime Meats) offer dishes featuring the bleaters, we recommend Karloff for its confluence of several trends all in one dish: communal tables, meatballs, fancy burgers and, of course, lamb.

Trend: Gluten-Free Food
Dish: Ricotta, Spinach and Mushroom Crepe at Crespella
Why: As celiac disease becomes an increasingly common diagnosis and as non-celiacs get hipped to the benefits of going gluten-free, restaurants are beginning to cater to the demand for gluten-free foods. At new coffee and crepe spot Crespella, all the savory crepes are made with chickpea flour and are gluten-free. The ricotta, spinach and mushroom version is rich and hearty enough to satisfy any carb-craving carnivore, but delicate enough for sensitive stomachs.

Trend: Ramen
Dish: Ramen at
Why: Pork. Noodles. Broth. It's very possible that ramen is the perfect winter dish. In a nod to the shuttered-too-soon Smith Street spot Taku, Italian spot Lunetta turns its noodle attention from spaghetti to wheat noodles once a month in its late-night ramen bar. The broth is appropriately gelatinous, the noodles are just shy of al dente, and the pork is cooked to perfection.