10. Bayou Renaissance
Cajun and Creole cuisine are being reborn in New Orleans and beyond, as many displaced chefs open restaurants in their new home cities. Leroy Crump Jr. has opened Bon Appetit in Clarksville, WV, serving authentic New Orleans cuisine and spirits. And consumer magazines are spreading the gospel with articles about gumbo and jambalaya.

9. Made-in-House
The artisan spirit is spreading, to made-in-house specialties like cured meats and housemade pickles and condiments. Staffan Terje of Perbacco in San Francisco has his own curing room for charcuterie and Italian-style cured meats. And Bark River Hartland Bistro in Hartland, WI, features house-smoked chicken in salads and sandwiches.

8. One Note Wonders
Niche restaurants that specialize in one type of food are attracting attention, like New York City’s S’Mac—Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese, and the P.B. Loco Gourmet Flavored Peanut Butters chain, which features peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made with a range of proprietary peanut butter flavors. Check out our recipe for Macaroni Con Queso.

7. Retail Rising
Retailers including Whole Foods and Safeway Lifestyle Markets are ramping up on restaurant-quality prepared foods, sushi, wood-oven pizza and rotisserie meats, enjoying category sales growth that outpaces restaurant sales. Can you say competition?

6. The New Age of Asian Food
Asian is gaining mainstream traction, with more accessible food and such Westernized trappings as wine lists and luxe décor. Taneko Japanese Tavern borrows from the izakaya tradition of casual Japanese pubs that are popular in Japan, and Typhoon Restaurant Group serves Thai in a sleek, comfortable atmosphere. Check out our recipe for Thai Red Chili Hollandaise Sauce.

5. Cocktail Culture
Classic cocktails are back, made with high-quality and artisan-made gins, whiskies, tequilas, and specialty liqueurs--$10 and $12 Manhattans, Sazeracs, Sidecars and house signature drinks designed by professional “bar chefs.” They’re accompanied by bar menus that tout fashionable small plates: cheese, specialty pizzas, antipasti, even chic deviled eggs.

4. Global Street Food Comes Indoors
In the marketplaces and public squares of India, Mexico, Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean, there are handheld foods that are ripe for translation onto mainstream American menus: The corn-based Mexican snacks known as antojitos, Indian chaats (many of them perfect for vegetarians), and Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches.

3. Approachable Authenticity
Ready-to-use sauces, spice blends and soups, desserts, even fully prepared entrees are earning their place, even in chef-driven kitchens. Components like stocks and sauces allow the back-of-the-house to get a head start. Finished items like soups and desserts give signaturization and help increase check averages.

2. Farmers Market Cuisine
There’s a new mantra for menus: fresh, local, natural, sustainable and seasonal. Farmers are the new food stars, and customers are clamoring for information about where their food comes from and how it’s raised. It’s all about going green, with menus as well as recycling, biodegradable packaging and eco-conscious design.

1. Casual Food Goes Gourmet
Burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, malts, finger food—they’ve all grown up, with premium ingredients and cooking techniques. Casey Thompson, executive chef at Shinsei in Dallas, serves Coconut Chicken Jalapeno Poppers with yellow curry dipping sauce. And how about those Housemade Bacon-Shallot Tater Tots at Ten 01 in Portland, OR?