Zagat Survey Discussions

By Carla Spartos and Kelly Stewart, ZAGAT.com staff editors

Restaurant industry insiders weigh in on what they'd like to see more of – and less of – in the New Year

Bring on the bone marrow. Ditto actors who can act like waiters. And kiss $40 entrees goodbye. Those are just a few of the scenarios cooked up by restaurant industry insiders after we asked them what they'd like to see more of – and less of – in 2007. While seasonal, high-quality ingredients are a perennial fave, this year there's a growing emphasis on environmentally friendly fare. A backlash against molecular gastronomy and fancy cooking techniques also foreshadows a return to simplicity. Of course, not every wish comes true. When we posed the same question to mavens in 2006, responses ranged from fewer people "furiously texting their friends at other places" (David Rabin of NYC's Lotus) to less "Rachael Ray" (Michael Franks of LA's Chez Melange), neither of which seem to be going out of style anytime soon. Now, without further ado, the 2007 wish list.

We Need More:

"Duck. Health care for our workers." – Tom Douglas, chef-owner, Seattle's Dahlia Lounge and others

"Eco-friendly choices. Chefs and retailers taking certain fish off their menu for five or six years to help them grow back in population. Japanese cooking, not just sushi bars. Creating food that is very tasty, but healthier for you. Healthy food for kids. Chefs interested in products, rather than techniques. I think with very good products, a consumer will remember more about the meal." – David Bouley, chef-owner, Miami's David Bouley Evolution, NYC's Bouley and others

"Wine lists featuring eclectic, interesting and [good] value wines from undiscovered regions like Greece, South Africa and Lebanon." – Gregory Condes, chef sommelier, NYC's Gordon Ramsay

"Grills, casseroles. Homestyle comfort food. Casual, fun restaurants that friends and family can all come to. I think people want simple ingredients and a simpler style of restaurant as well. – Tom Aikens, chef-owner, London's Tom Aikens and Tom's Kitchen

"Parents cooking more with their kids, because this gives them better choices and helps them get a sense of nurturing. Better food in schools. I wish people would take some time this year to capture some of their family heirloom recipes. And I'd love for taking walks to become hip." – Gale Gand, pastry chef/partner, Chicago's Tru, Tramonto's Steak & Seafood and others

"Mom and pop–style restaurants – especially as [NYC] gets more polished and expensive." – Marcus Samuelsson, chef-owner, NYC's Aquavit

"Food writers [who] support local chefs. Smaller portions. Quality fruits and vegetables and sustainable foods. Chef-driven restaurants. Inspired neighborhood restaurants. Service staff that is knowledgeable about food. Actors [who] can act like waiters. Contemporary comfort foods." – Robert Gadsby, chef, Noé in LA and Houston, among others

"Ethnic restaurants that have a higher level of service. More vegetarian sections on menus. I'd also like to see food technology be in the right hands, meaning there are a lot of innovative techniques these days, and in the wrong hands it could be disastrous and take away from the [new ideas] that people are coming up with. I'd like to see more in that style of innovative cooking, but done properly." – Jose Garces, chef-owner, Philly's Amada

"Smaller venues – I think for a while it was the big clubs, and now it's more of an intimate space, like your own living room in a public place. Music that's not too loud, so you can have a conversation. Classic good-tasting drinks, not over-sugared pink cocktails. Good ingredients, like fresh juices, because people care about what they put into their bodies." – Monika Chiang, general manager/partner, NYC's Double Seven

"Home-cooked food. American rotisserie. Diversity. I think Thai cuisine hasn't really been explored fully. Thai is an Asian cuisine that has been kept sort of homegrown, and it hasn't made the transition into mainstream. And there's something about Africa that I think is untapped." – Stephen Starr, owner of Starr Restaurant organization, which includes Morimoto and Buddakan in Philly and NYC

"Chef-driven restaurants. To me, the only way you can do things right is to do them yourself. I think that fine-dining restaurants need to be a little less pretentious. They should be relaxed and user-friendly." – Morou Ouattara, chef-owner, Farrah Olivia in Alexandria, VA

"A sustainable mindset toward operating a restaurant. Biodynamic and organic wines. Classic cocktails and the technique used to make them." – David Myers, chef-owner, LA's Sona

"Real food. There's so much fusion food now, it's hard to find a traditional Italian or Mexican restaurant." – Zarela Martínez, chef-owner, NYC's Zarela

"Consciousness around food, by switching to certified humane meats and eggs and avoiding fish [that] are being over-harvested. Bone marrow on non-French menus in innovative dishes. Caramel [to] complement the adventurous new wave of cooking that highlights sweet and salty combinations. The continued importance of charcuterie. Pork!" – Charlie Palmer, chef-owner, Aureole in NYC and Las Vegas, among others

"Tasting menus. Trust your chef in a great restaurant." – Sal Marino, chef-owner, LA's Il Grano

"Purified water. Fresh juice. Asian food. Soybeans." – Susanna Foo, chef-owner, Philly's Susanna Foo and Susanna Foo's Gourmet Kitchen

"Leisurely dining. Global response to the way animals are being raised for consumption – the factorylike conditions in which a large percentage of beef, pork and poultry are raised are creating potentially unhealthy food. Fish being cooked at home! Yes, I know that I am the poster-boy for steak but one of my true loves is fish. Home cooks using more "exotic" ingredients like Asian chiles, curry paste, fish sauce, aged vinegars." – Laurent Tourondel, chef-owner, BLT Steak in NYC and DC, among others

We Could Do With Less:

"Fusion food. I call it fusion-confusion or confusion-fusion. I think you should define it a bit more. I don't think it works, or ever will work. I think that celebrity chefs are a thing of the past. I think it doesn't do much for the image of proper chefs really. I would like to abolish all that." – Tom Aikens, chef-owner, London's Tom Aikens and Tom's Kitchen

"Trans-fats – not that New Yorkers will have a choice in that – but there is no need to use unhealthy fats. Olive oil is one of the very few things I can't live without." – Laurent Tourondel, chef-owner, BLT Steak in NYC and DC, among others

"Not calling to cancel your reservation. Bringing your own wines to a restaurant." – Sal Marino, chef-owner, LA's Il Grano

"Forty dollar entrees. Overly designed restaurants. Amateurs – when I go out I want to see an owner, someone who cares." – Zarela Martínez, chef-owner, NYC's Zarela

"In DC, we need less steakhouses. We're starting to look like more of a steak-and-potato kind of town. We need more of Cooking 101 before going into molecular gastronomy. So many people are going into it without knowing how to actually cook, so it may look good, but it's not tasty." – Morou Ouattara, chef-owner, Farrah Olivia in Alexandria, VA

"Reality shows about kitchens. They don't show what a real kitchen works like, where people are treated with respect." – Tom Douglas, chef-owner, Seattle's Dahlia Lounge and others

"Intimidating wine service at restaurants. Wine should be easy and accessible and enjoyed by all." – Gregory Condes, chef sommelier, NYC's Gordon Ramsay

"Low-end food establishments like chains." – Jose Garces, chef-owner, Philly's Amada

"Expensive rent. I think that real estate has gotten out of hand, and it's throwing off the crowd a bit. Nightclubs need to be more sensitive about how much revenue they're making every night, so they're focused on the big spenders rather than attracting a sophisticated, stylish crowd. I think it's a domino effect. In order to pay your rent, you'd have to sell out a little bit." – Monika Chiang, general manager/partner, NYC's Double Seven

"Tapas." – Charlie Palmer, chef-owner, Aureole in NYC and Las Vegas, among others

"Molecular gastronomy in the hands of amateurs who don't know how to use it. Concept restaurants." – Robert Gadsby, chef, Noé in LA and Houston, among others

"Less margarine, more butter. Less paper packaging on stuff. Less processed sugar, more organic sugar. Less processed food. Less soda pop, more wine. Less bad manufactured desserts, more homemade." – Gale Gand, pastry chef/partner, Chicago's Tru, Tramonto's Steak & Seafood and others

"In the end, I don't think we need less of anything. I believe that competition is good, and the public decides. In the end, the strong survive." – Stephen Starr, owner of Starr Restaurant organization, which includes Morimoto and Buddakan in Philly and NYC