Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants’
Culinary and Cocktails Trend Report
2015
in popularity, others are seeing a return to reinvented
Introduction & Overview
childhood favorite sweets. And for every sommelier
hoping to broaden guests’ palates to consider sherry
Do you ever wonder whether your current food,
and Riesling, there are many more who have accepted
wine and cocktail obsessions are unique, on
that Chardonnay (albeit the newly popular “unoaked”
trend or even behind the curve of what’s really
Chard) and Cabernet are still king. That’s the fun of this
happening in the culinary and mixology scene?
report – it’s an honest snapshot of what we’re seeing
Are you curious which dishes and ingredients will
on the front lines right now.
dominate menus and the dining zeitgeist over the
next year? What will be the next bacon, kale or
Methodology
quinoa craze? And is anyone still drinking mojitos
or Cosmos anymore?
Over a two-week period in October 2014, 112
At Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, we wondered
bartenders, managers, sommeliers and other
these very things, which is why we decided
restaurant professionals from Kimpton Hotels &
to check in with the very tastemakers and
Restaurants shared their opinions about the latest
trendsetters in our nearly 70 restaurants and
trends in food and cocktails, guest demand and a
bars in 26 cities across the country to unveil
variety of other topics. Surveys were distributed online
exactly what’s red hot right now and which
through Qualtrics, and questions were tailored to
trends are on the rise for year ahead. We also
their areas of discipline. Since the survey consisted of
set out to peek behind the curtain to learn a bit
mostly qualitative, fill-in responses, a variety of different
more about our chefs and bartenders’ “off the
answers were gathered for each question. Therefore,
clock” favorites and pet peeves. What junk foods
the “other” category includes a diverse collection of
do chefs scarf at home? What do bartenders
unique responses and was the majority response in
pour for themselves after work? How do these
many instances. Findings were roughly broken out
personal preferences differ from that they serve
between answers from chefs and culinary staff, and
to customers?
those from the bartenders and wine/bar program,
summarized below in a two-part report.
The result of this research (methodology below)
yielded some interesting insights which we’ve
packaged into a report that we hope to make
an annual tradition. As you can imagine, there
was a fair bit of diversity and local color in the
results of our polling. For every coastal restaurant
where chefs are seeing a huge demand for
sustainable salmon and other eco-conscious
seafood dishes, there were others reporting more
smoked dishes and unusual cuts of meat cooked
over open fire. While some locations are seeing
mini-desserts and Gluten-free options explode
What’s Hot in the Kitchen Right Now
Hottest Ingredients
• Aged, pickled and fermented foods
According to Kimpton chefs and kitchen staff we
• Chiles – fresh & dried, Thai ghost chilies and
surveyed, some of the hottest menu trends currently
Korean chili paste
center around pickled, fermented, brined, cured and
• House-made and craft vinegars
aged foods, along with specialty chilies, both fresh
• Beef Tongue
and dried, such as Thai ghost chilies and Korean
• Salsify
chili paste, and anything smoked or roasted over a
• Smoked citrus
wood fire. Additional trends include the continued
• Baby kale
popularity of gluten-free, vegan and Paleo dishes
• Beets
to satisfy guests’ dietary needs. In terms of specific
• Kefir lime
ingredients and flavors, chefs cited house made
• Sour cherries
and craft vinegars, salsify, sour cherries, grapeseed
• Sorghum
oil, kefir lime and even the vaunted baby kale and
• Grapeseed oil
beets.
• Peruvian and Marcona Almonds
• Greek yogurt
• Activated charcoal
• Sustainable salmon
“What’s really big right now are craft
vinegars, specialty chilies, barrelaged hot sauce and worcestershire,
house-made fish sauce, and artisanal
approaches to preserving fruits and
vegetables to retain them for use out of
their season by pickling, drying, freeze
drying, fermenting and curing.”
– Chef John Eisenhart, Pazzo Ristorante
(Portland, Oregon)
Culinary and Cocktails Trend Report 2015
Hottest Techniques
& Cooking Tools
• Smoking & curing
• Fermenting, brining and pickling
• Sous Vide
•Dehydrating
• Wood oven roasting
•Juicing
•Poaching
•Infusion
•Crudo
•Microwaving
•Microplaner
• Japanese mandolin
• CVap oven
• Immersion circulators
•Juicer/Vitamix
• Fish spatula
“We are smoking a lot more, and trying
to work in whole animal versus filets or
single portions.”
– Chef Christian Graves, Jsix (San Diego, California)
In addition to smoking, curing and pickling
foods, Kimpton chefs are still big fans of Sous
Vide cooking, along with poaching, juicing and
dehydrating. The most popular tools include
the Japanese mandolin, CVap oven, immersion
circulators, juicers, smokers and the microplaner.
What’s Hot in the Kitchen Right Now
Hottest Desserts
• Savory
• High-end soft-serve ice creams, e.g.,
manchego pineapple gelato
• Creative pies, especially fried
• Classic desserts reinvented with a new
twist like rice crispy treats or S’mores
• Mini and gluten-free desserts
“I’m seeing more interest in fruit-based
desserts, both for the increased national
focus on health, as well as American
palates enjoying more acid in their food
and drinks, but there will always be a
place for chocolate.”
– Avi Rathnakumar, Director of Operations
(Midwest & Texas)
In terms of dessert trends specifically, the
incorporation of savory flavors continues to rise,
along with the pie craze – specifically fried,
miniature and key lime pies. Other trends emerging
are for high-end, soft-serve ice creams in exotic
or unusual flavors such as Manchego pineapple
gelato, as well as mini bite desserts and gluten-free
sweet courses. Finally, classic desserts reimagined
with a new twist continue to dominate menus, e.g.,
modernized version of rice crispy treats or upscale
S’mores.
Culinary and Cocktails Trend Report 2015
A Look Ahead at 2015
• Different, unexpected cuts of meat
• More vegetable-based dishes using locally
sourced vegetables, per guest demand
• Farro, amaranth and other gluten-free grains
• Simplification of menus – backlash against
complex, long and overly descriptive menus
• House-baked breads
• Sustainable seafood of all types,
especially salmon
• More vegan and raw food dishes
“In 2015, we expect to be creating more
dishes with vegetables and fruits, which
are cheaper than proteins and more
guests are asking for these dishes.”
– Chef Elise Wiggins, Panzano (Denver, Colorado)
Looking ahead to 2015 and beyond, Kimpton chefs
said they are likely to be using more unusual and
lesser known cuts of meat to increase value for the
price. They also will be incorporating even more
vegetable-focused dishes and gluten-free grains like
Farro, along with more sustainable seafood options,
to meet guest demand and rising health and ecoconsciousness. They are also moving toward more
simplified menus, with a backlash against the overly
complex, long and descriptive tomes of recent years.
What’s Hot at the Bar Right Now
Cocktails
bartenders are not afraid of such innovations as
kegged and bottled cocktails, wine on tap and rare
wine accessed by devices like the Coravin.
• Barrel-aged spirts
• Kegged and bottled cocktails
• Using shrubs and herbs for house-made bitters
• Sherry cocktails
• Carbonation, especially house-made sodas
• Italian Amaro and Grappa
• Tiki – reviving an interest in rums
•Whiskey
• Savory ingredients including chilies and green
and root vegetables
“The Old Fashioned has made a
comeback, however, there are too many
bartenders out there that are making it
incorrectly.”
– Sheri Kelly, Bar Manager, Tulio (Seattle, Washington)
No big surprise to anyone steeped in current
cocktail culture: brown, barrel-aged spirits
continue to dominate the bar scene according to
Kimpton bartenders. Bourbon, rye and whiskey,
particularly Japanese whiskey, top the list of most
popular spirits. Using herbs and shrubs to create
house-made bitters is also trending along with
Sherry, carbonation and bracing Italian spirits
such as Amaro and Grappa. Like Kimpton chefs,
our bartenders are also seeing a rise in the use
of juice infusions and savory ingredients such
as exotic chilies and even green vegetables. In
addition, several Kimpton bartenders mentioned an
increasing interest in “Tiki culture,” specifically rum
and brandy drinks. Additionally, Kimpton
Despite an affinity for new technologies, Kimpton
bar staff are also seeing and applauding the return
of some solid cocktail classics, including the French
75, Boulevardier, Old Fashioned, Negroni and
Sazerac. In addition, many of these bar staff are
actively championing to bring back other once
popular and now oft-neglected classic drinks such
as the Gin martini, Pimms Cup and Ramos Fizz.
You’ll See More of These in 2015
• Brown, barrel-aged spirits of all kinds, especially
Japanese whiskeys, rye and bourbon
• Brandy and rum – part of the Tiki revival going on
• American Gin
• Berry infusions
• Classics such as French 75, Boulevardier, Old
Fashioned, Negroni and Sazerac, along with
Fizzes, Pimm’s Cup and Gin martinis
Culinary and Cocktails Trend Report 2015
Wine
• Wine on tap
You’ll See More of These in 2015
• Rare wines accessed using the Coravin device
• Malbec, Chardonnay and Cabs are still king,
although blends, Cotes du Rhone and other reds
• Unoaked Chardonnay
from South America on the rise
• Pinot Blanc
• Cotes du Rhone red blends and
On the wine side, Chardonnay and Cabernet
(followed by Pinot Grigio and red blends) continue
to top the bestseller charts at Kimpton, although
today the “unoaked” style of Chardonnay has
displaced more full-bodied, so-called “buttery”
styles, and folks are increasingly open to Cabs
produced outside of California as well. In addition,
Kimpton sommeliers have noticed an increasing
receptivity of guests to drinking sweeter dessert
wines, including, but not limited to, Moscato.
“Americans tend to ‘talk dry’ but ‘drink
sweet’ anyway, and now even more so
they are showing an increased comfort
level with wines on the sweeter and
fruitier end of the spectrum.”
– Emily Wines, Master Sommelier and Senior Director of
the National Beverage Program
Over the year ahead, Wines and others predict that
Pinot Blanc, red blends and reds out of Cotes du
Rhone and South America will grow in popularity.
South American wines
Personal Favorites & Inside Secrets
In addition to taking the pulse of our kitchen and
bar personnel about the hottest trends on the front
Food Faves
lines with guests in our restaurants and bars right
now, we wanted to get a glimpse behind the scenes
at what really gets these culinary and cocktail pros
excited both on and off the clock.
As you can imagine, many of these pros are
a bit more daring and inventive in their dining
and drinking preferences than the average Joe,
particularly when it comes to enjoying the types of
organ meats, game and aggressively flavored or
textured foods most Americans do not encounter on
a daily trip to the supermarket. For example, “offal,”
“sweetbreads,” “wild boar” and “pork liver sausage”
topped the list of what Kimpton chefs “love
personally, but don’t believe diners would order.”
What else do Kimpton cooks and
bartenders do at home? Not surprisingly, many
What Kimpton Chefs Personally Love But a Harder
Sell for (some) Guests:
• Grilled octopus
• Organ meats including offal, sweetbreads, tripe
and tongue
• Sardines and anchovies
• Foie gras
• Wild boar and other “game,” e.g., venison, quail,
rabbit
• Pork liver sausage
•Uni
• Black cod
Chefs’ Guilty Pleasure Snacks:
admit to tuning in to quite a few of the top cooking
competition shows (e.g., “Top Chef,” “Chopped,”
“Master Chef” and “Iron Chef”) as well as any of
Anthony Bourdain’s shows and “America’s Test
Kitchen.” They also cook a bit for friends and family
– albeit on the simple side, from grilled meats to
roast chicken, pasta and one-pot meals. Many chefs
also favor Indian, Latin and Asian dishes that do not
fit the profile of the restaurants where they work.
• Gummy bears
• Peanut butter anything – PB&J, PB & banana, PB
& oreos, etc.
•Pizza
• Cheetos and/or Doritos
• Vienna sausage
• Milk Duds
• Taco Bell
Culinary and Cocktails Trend Report 2015
Kimpton Chefs Cook at Home:
• Grilled/BBQ foods
• Braised and one-pot meals
•Salads
• Indian, Asian and Latin dishes
•Pasta
• Roast chicken
•Salads
•PB&Js
Kimpton Chefs Watch on TV:
• Anthony Bourdain
• America’s Test Kitchen
• Top Chef
•Chopped
• Iron Chef
• Master Chef
• Kitchen Nightmares
Personal Favorites & Inside Secrets
Drink Faves
Bartenders’ Favorite Drinks:
• Whiskey straight
• “Beer and a shot” – preferably Miller High Life
• Dry red wine
•Riesling
• Rye Old-Fashioned
• Classic margarita
Kimpton bartenders may love to push the envelope
when creating infused and smoked libations
concocted with house-made bitters, barrel-aged
spirits and locally sourced herbs, but at home
their nightcap is usually a much simpler affair.
Favorite drinks of Kimpton bar staff range from
the straightforward “dry red wine” and a “whiskey
straight” to a “classic margarita” or even “beer and a
shot, preferably a Miller High Life.”
Culinary and Cocktails Trend Report 2015
Pet Peeves
Kimpton Pros’ Pet Peeves When Dining Out:
• Slow service and having to wait for the check or
for refilled water glasses
• Servers who lack knowledge about the menu items
• Overly wordy and complicated menus
• Cold or under seasoned food
“Waiting for the bill is my pet peeve. In
most countries when you are finished
you get up, pay and leave. Here you ask,
wait, pay, wait, get change then leave.
The part that gets me is there is no reason
for it except if you are going to stay a
while it can be convenient but for the
majority of meals we do not sit that
long.”
– Chef Nicolai Lipscomb (San Francisco, California)
Finally, we wondered what Kimpton pros thought
about service when dining out at other people’s
restaurants. For the most part, pet peeves centered
around slow and/or inattentive service, as well as
servers who lack knowledge about the menu
and/or ingredients.