Everyone loves Siracha but have you tried to Korean Gochujang? I discovered this sweet/savory/spicy paste while learning some Korean dishes. It’s definitely something you should try out in your kitchen. They go into the details at The Awl.

Food photography is really gaining in popularity. Sites like GoJee and Stoveside are really meeting a need for people to share their delicious creations. Slate ran this article on how to take better food photos.

DPReview, my “go-to” site for camera reviews has recently written an article about Food Photography. They go over the basics, lighting, equipment and composition. It’s a great article for those looking into taking some shots of “food porn”.

GoJee is a site where you can find delicious new recipes. It’s simple site that is very focused on great images of food. It does require signup (I wish it would not). It aggregates recipes from a lot of blogs and writers. Great presentation!

Thanks Sue for the suggestion!

This fascinating article in Nature looks at the way food is created by the flavours that many dishes combine. They noticed a big difference between the way Asian cuisine and Western cuisine approaches building tastes and flavours. Definitely worth a look if you’re a foodie. If the academic article is a little too long to read, Gizmodo distilled it into a short summary.

CNN has a food blog called Eatocracy. Some of their regular anchors have been moonlighting there including Canadian Ali Velshi.

Toronto Life has weighed in on the top Korean restaurants in the city. Their list has a few modern takes on top of the traditional ones, but still worthy places to check out:

Swish by Han
Jang Uh Plus
Cho Dang Soon Tofu
Tofu Village
Koko Share Bar

Punchfork is a new website that follows recipes “trends”. This is based on recipes that are mentioned in social media such as Twitter and Facebook. It’s a fun new way to discover recipes.

A friend linked this and I’m sharing it. It’s a good article to basic Food Photography.

There are more tips in a few of my other posts:
Food Photography Tips
Improving Food Photography

Zagat produced a nice article summarizing the hottest dining trends so far this year:

Pop-ups

Here today, gone tomorrow seems to be the MO that fueled the massive popularity behind pop-ups in the last six months. From NYC’s What Happens When to DC’s upcoming America Eats Tavern (from chef José Andrés) the idea of a temporary or concept-shifting restaurant is all the rage in 2011. Also, “perma pop-up” concepts were big as well, including Joseph Mahon’s Burger Parlor in the LA area and NYC’s LTO, which rotates chefs every three months. Pop-ups were also a means for out-of-town chefs to workshop new concepts in new cities. NYC’s JBF LTD in Chelsea Market showcased the talents of chefs like Laurent Gras and Michelle Bernstein, and LA chef Ludo Lefebvre announced plans for an upcoming LudoBites pop-up in NYC.

Beer, Beer and More Beer

While it’s still early to call it, 2011 could most likely be dubbed “the year of the beer garden.” In the last six months, LA gained Steingarten, Berlin Currywurst, BRU Haus and plans for a second Wurstkuche. Meanwhile in NY, Spritzenhaus, Hospoda, BeerParc and Eataly’s Birreria were among a rash of beer-centric eateries to open in 2011 thus far. DC saw the opening of a new biergarten called Standard, and plans for Bavarian Beer Garden are in the works. In Philly, Stephen Starr’s Frankford Hall debuted in May. Beer-centric cuisine also came to the forefront as we’ve seen an increase of German, Austrian and Czech restaurant openings nationwide. Beer + food = so hot right now.

Interlopers/Chain Expansions

Restaurants, bakeries and more notably fast-casual chains have been spreading the love in 2011, jumping coasts and cities at an astonishing rate. In-N-Out Burger made the move to Texas, NY’s Papaya King opened in LA and Sprinkles Cupcakes and Smashburger came to NYC. Shake Shack announced plans to open in Philadelphia and recently opened a location in DC as did NY-based Luke’s Lobster. Everywhere you look, the power-move for chain owners and restaurateurs seems to be national expansion.

Food Trucks Going Brick-and-Mortar

While plenty of food trucks begin as spin-offs of popular eateries, in early 2011 we saw just the opposite – as many popular food trucks opened brick-and-mortar locations. In LA, ice cream sandwich truck Coolhaus announced plans for a permanent location, and in NY Big Gay Ice Cream Truck and Mexicue did the same. In DC, Sâuçá opened its first brick-and-mortar location just two weeks ago, and in March, Honest Tom’s Tacos in Philly announced plans for a permanent home.

Izakayas

Izakayas – charming sake-centric Japanese small-plates eateries – were a major trend in NYC a few years back and have recently exploded in other cities nationwide. In Chicago, space-aged Lure debuted in Chinatown in March, followed by Schaumburg’s Tokio Pub in May. San Francisco gained Hecho, Nojo and Chotto. Meanwhile, LA gained both M Izakaya and Aburiya Toranoko. And, combining TWO of our top trends into one, the Royal Sushi and Izakaya pop-up made waves in Philly when it opened in February. Impressive.