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As 2019 comes to a close, those in the culinary industry are already excited to share the news of trends to watch out for in 2020. Whole Foods, for instance, published its list of top upcoming food trends just this week, announcing the prominence of trends like West African cuisine and regenerative agriculture. Durango itself has a thriving culinary industry, with various restaurants and bars that are definitely on the ball when it comes to offering diners a modern gastronomic experience based on trends across the nation. Whether you live in Durango or you will be visiting in what remains of the year, try out these top trends and share the news (or better yet, the experience) with the fervent foodies in your life.
Mainstream Mocktails
Botanical-infused, zero alcohol gins; colorful mocktails that taste like ‘the real thing’; and flower-infused waters will be all the rage at hip restaurants next year, owing in no small way to the fact that the first wave of health-conscious millennials is about to hit 40! In Durango, you can hop on this wave at Pop Sushi Durango, where diners pair mocktails with sushi. Served in tall glasses and graced with colorful fruits and herbs, these fruit-based refreshers inspire rest and relaxation after a hard day at work. Perfect for a last-minute date with your loved ones!
The Revival of French Cuisine
Good French cuisine is making a comeback, thanks to a new generation of forward looking chefs who are not afraid to play with traditional sauces and techniques, incorporating Asian and other flavors for knockout flavor. New generations of French chefs are democratizing cuisine, enticing millennial diners with shared platters, bistro-style dining at a good price, and laidback ambience, when it comes to French cuisine, traditional techniques still rule. One of theses is sous vide – a technique that involves cooking vacuum-sealed, temperature-controlled food for a precise time, enabling meat to retain its juiciness. Even home chefs, are embracing sous vide, since it is a tried-and-tested/no-fail technique. French sauces like hollandaise and béarneaise are also still very much favored to accompany fish and meat. Thus, when dining at a famed restaurant like The Mahogany Grille (at the Strater Hotel in Durango), you can look forward to your favorite grilled steak with a mean béarnaise or blue cheese sauce, similar to what you’ll find at a Parisian bistro.
New Fangled Butters and Flours
The passion for nut butters has hit Americans hard, but if you though this delight only came in flavors like almond, think again! Health conscious families will be spreading everything from chickpea to macadamia butters on their toast and sandwiches. You can also make nutritious biscuits and cakes with flours made from a bevy of fruits and seeds. Imagine making your own banana bread cake with banana flour. The flavour extravaganza will undoubtedly be spectacular! To try out the best of this type of plant-based ingredient in Durango, try Turtle Lake Refuge, featuring raw, vegan foods that hits the spot and promote optimal heart health.
From flavored butters to fruit-based flours, trends in dining are showing an interest in health and novelty. Vegan cuisine, which enjoyed such a boom in 2019, will continue to hit hard in 2020, and the good news is that there are many options for vegan diners in Durango. Traditional cooking styles will continue to shine, but the venues themselves will change, with shared, laidback experiences proving too tempting to resist for community-centered millennials.
