White Truffle Parmigiano Toast with wild mushrooms, marrow & veal glaceLilette, New Orleans This appetizer was my childrens’ first exposure to marrow, which adds a silky richness to the sauce. My kids are becoming really interested in food, and we have spent the summer dining out as a family in at least one new restaurant a week. It’s been a kick.
Selected by: Ralph Brennan Check out the entire list of Clean Plate Award winners. |
Ideas
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Making Sustainable Work
How four chains built some of the nation's most innovative
sustainable menu items from the ground up.
Break free of trans fats
When the Food and Drug Administration announced that the level of trans fats must be revealed on labels starting January 1, 2006, packaged-food makers quickly found ways to reduce them. Now that New York City may require all of its 24,600 foodservice establishments to go virtually trans-fat free—with Chicago eyeing a similar move—restaurateurs all over wonder if they’re next. And if so, what to do about it. Greg Drescher of the CIA says that trans-fat-free canola and soybean oils work just as well in the fryer.
Franchisees share—and profit
How do you share best practices across a chain and cut the need for management to be a problem solver? Get franchisees to share ideas in a secure, Web-based intranet community. Know many owners who'd gladly post their monthly P&L on the Web for peer review? Didn't think so. But at Wing Zone that's exactly what 90 percent of the chain's 75-plus franchisees do in the company's online "Sharing Community." It's part of a company intranet where franchisees exchange ideas and learn of how their business is doing by comparing their P&L with their peers'.
Getting inside the head of sustainable diners
They're everywhere. They're hard to spot, because they look much like the average diner. But if you're serving organic food, conserving water or using renewable energy, they could become your best customers: "sustainable consumers."
Hot beans
Xoco, slang for “little sister,” was inspired by the chocolate y churros served at El Moro in Mexico City’s historic district, according to Lash. “We took that experience and put our own spin on it.” The cacao beans are sourced from Tabasco state in Mexico and retain highly acidic cherry and berry notes,” says Lash, “almost like wine.” Per order, chocolate is frothed with a steamer and poured tableside by Xoco’s baristas. Customer response has been incredibly positive, notes Lash. “It’s the most unique hot chocolate experience available, period.” |
If the sight of cacao beans being roasted and ground into chocolate in Xoco’s front window in Chicago doesn’t entice passersby, the sweet aroma of scratchmade hot cocoa certainly will. “Bean-to-cup chocolate contributes to the unique experience,” says Xoco chef Shaw Lash.