American Restaurant Trends to Watch

Plus:

Best Restaurant Dishes of 2008

Chefs With Big News

José Andrés. Photo © Pablo de Loy.

José Andrés, Los Angeles

José Andrés’s revolutionary concept at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills includes Rojo y Blanca (tapas), Saam (fancy food) and roaming food carts. 465 S. La Cienega Blvd.; 310-246-5555.

Plus: Recipes by Jose Andrés

April Bloomfield, New York City

At the intimate The John Dory, where a third of the seats are barstools, April Bloomfield serves upscale seafood dishes like Italian crudo and lobster with herb butter.

Paul Kahan, Chicago

“I’m serious about three things: pork, oysters and beer,” Paul Kahan says about the food at the Publican. Translation: fried pig tails, six kinds of oysters and 100-plus brews.

Plus: Paul Kahan’s 5 Fall Beer Pairings

Grocery Shops

Chicago’s Terragusto. Photo courtesy of Terragusto Two.

More chefs are playing the market. Boston’s Las Ventas, next to the Spanish restaurant of the same name, offers serrano ham, marcona almonds and shelves of olive oil. In Chicago, Terragusto will sell some of the fresh pastas served at its namesake alongside prepared foods. Cesare Casella’s market-café Salumeria Rosi in Manhattan will feature exquisite products sourced from Italy, such as prosciutto.

Plus: 3 Market-Restaurants, 3 Menus Under $30

Economizing at Pricey Restaurants

© Bill Bettencourt

“Share. Split pastas and main courses, or request a half portion. I’m waiting for people at different tables to start splitting bottles of wine.” —Tom Colicchio, Top Chef judge and restaurateur.

Plus:

Recipes by Tom Colicchio

Tips for Dining Out on the Cheap

Cost-Cutting Secrets from Star Chefs

Sandwich Shops

Meat Cheese Bread. Photo © Corey Shields.

As chefs examine their costs, more are turning to a basic dish: the sandwich. In Chicago, Rick Bayless will open a torteria with Mexican-style grilled sandwiches like chorizo and black bean. 449 N. Clark St. Tommy Habetz recently opened Bunk in Portland, Oregon, serving oxtail-confit sandwiches with pepper relish next to classics like meatball Parmigiano. Nearby, the small menu at John Stewart’s Meat Cheese Bread includes his BLB: bacon, lettuce and roasted beets.

Plus: Sandwich Recipes

Best-Dressed Waitstaff of ’09

Courtesy of Comrags

At his new spot Shang in NYC’s Thompson LES hotel, Toronto chef Susur Lee will dress servers in uniforms from Comrags, the edgy Canadian designer label.

Chefs Who Butcher

Cochon Butcher, New Orleans

Donald Link’s upcoming butcher shop and wine bar, next to Cochon, honors his Cajun heritage. Besides fresh hams, Link will use family recipes to make andouille and boudin blanc.

Marlow & Daughters, Brooklyn, NY

Marlow & Sons restaurant butchers its own meat. Now the owners are opening a shop selling grass-fed beef, pork, rabbit and homemade pâté.

Plus: Butchers and Their Best Recipes

Occasional Restaurants

Fork: Etc., Philadelphia

Every Wednesday, this specialty-food shop hosts three-course dinners by Thien Ngo of the adjoining Fork restaurant. Global dishes include short ribs in lemongrass broth.

Fuel Cafe, Denver

The breakfast-and-lunch café launched Thursday night themed menus such as Colorado cooking with dishes like lamb ragù. Fuel will soon serve dinner a few days a week.

Entertaining Restaurants

Restaurants have become high-tech entertainment centers. Boston’s Persephone offers Guitar Hero stations. UWink, in L.A. and Mountain View, California, is the brainchild of Atari founder Nolan Bushnell; customers order from touch screens that double as game consoles.