Tuesday, May 26, 2015

National Restaurant Show offers a glimpse at dining trends

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of joining 63,000 other attendees at the annual National Restaurant Association show in Chicago at McCormick Place. The largest event of its kind, the show gave hospitality industry professionals from every state and 100 countries an opportunity to taste, test products, shop and network.

Many show attendees expressed optimism about the economy, and stayed in Chicago for all four days of the show, according to a report by the National Restaurant Association. This year's top nutrition trends included: gluten free menu items, vegan and vegetarian entrees, lean beef breakfast alternatives like Schmacon, a lower-sodium beef alternative to bacon, soups, and child-friendly nutritional items like Tofurky Pockets. Bar trends included pepper-flavored spirits, South African wines and fruit infusions. The craft beer market continues to grow.

Despite eating my way through the mind-boggling array of food samples offered at the restaurant show, I still enjoyed some delightful post-show dining experiences with family.

These included delicious sushi at Arami.

And, a Peking duck feast with whole roast duck sliced tableside and served with fried rice and duck soup.

Sunday brunch at Revolution Brewing in Logan Square offered innovative options like the fried chicken and egg pizza. We wrapped up our visit to Chicago with a homemade pasta dinner at Eataly.

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