Author: Flavor & The Menu Staff

PHOTO CREDIT: Flavor & The Menu Staff The Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas at Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant are a great example of how far vegetarian options have come in the last 10 years. They stand out with a craveable combination of bold flavors and textures. Four white corn tortillas, dipped in housemade enchilada sauce, are filled with spinach, black beans, roasted zucchini, yellow squash, poblano and red peppers, and fresh corn. Roasted butternut squash serves to bind the other ingredients together, along with melted cheese. The enchiladas sit on a bed of roasted tomato/chipotle sauce and are topped with...

PHOTO CREDIT: Flavor & The Menu Staff When McAlister’s planned its 2016 menu, the deli concept wanted to give guests a sandwich that delivered on their promise to provide a variety of American regional flavors to satisfy any exploratory palate. “We developed our West Coast Banh Mi with that in mind—a sandwich that offers complex, unique and craveable ingredients, packed with fresh and fiery flavors reminiscent of the cultures and flavor preferences prevalent on the West Coast, but made the McAlister’s way,” says William Eudy, Corporate Executive Chef. “A traditional banh mi is a fairly simple sandwich, but it...

PHOTO CREDIT: Flavor & The Menu Staff Head-turning desserts are worth their weight in chocolate, and creating one that is a signature is even more valuable. But even signatures can show signs of wear and tear, where the “wow” factor gets diminished simply due to time and frequency. Sabrina Courtemanche, Wild Sea Oyster Bar & Grille’s Executive Pastry Chef, created the Chocolate Sphere: a smooth, dark chocolate couverture filled with macerated Chambord berries, mascarpone whipped cream and crunchy almond tuile. Tableside, a warm hazelnut ganache is poured over, enrobing the chocolate sphere and melting it away to reveal the berries...

Buffalo Mac and Cheese with aged cheddar sauce, breadcrumb crust and Buffalo chicken.

PHOTO CREDIT: Flavor & The Menu Staff The better-burger trend merged with a playful surfer culture results in creations like the Hana Hou Burger, one of the many creative flavor profiles introduced to the burger category at Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks. An LTO for now, the Hana Hou has zingy components that set it apart. Spicy Machete Aïoli is made with mayonnaise, garlic, ketchup, pickled jalapeño peppers and Sriracha. The Borracho Beer Onions stand out, too—grilled yellow onions cooked in beer, yellow mustard and a house Baja spice (peppercorns, smoked paprika, thyme, onion and garlic). “The slightly acidic...