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Trendspotting: Southeast Asian Fast-Casual Restaurants

Susannah Chen — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:05:50 PDT

In the past year, there's been significant growth nationwide in the number of fast-casual eateries, from burger joints to healthier comfort-food fixtures. The latest craze we've noticed hitting this scene? Asian-themed chain restaurants.

Chipotle could've tackled a number of ethnic eats, so the Mexican chain certainly caught our attention when it unveiled its plan for ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, "inspired by the traditional shophouses through Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam." Then we raised our eyebrows when a former chef at San Francisco's renowned Slanted Door restaurant opened the first of what will be several Bay Area locations of Asian Box, a healthier riff on Asian street food.

Meanwhile, Canada-based Wok Box has been preparing to bring its stir-fry boxes and curry dishes to the western part of the United States this year. And just this week, a former Hooters chef announced his new venture, a minichain of Atlanta-based Latin fusion restaurants bearing the name Taqueria Tsunami.

Regardless of where diners are in the country, it's clear they're on the lookout for the explosive flavor combinations that come from Southeast Asian cuisines. Are you excited at the prospect of more Southeast Asian cuisine in your neck of the woods?

Photo courtesy Sonya Yu for Asian Box

12 Tips to Shrink Your Bill When Eating Out

Emily Co — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:04:07 PDT

Although staying in to eat is a lot cheaper than going out, foodies can't help but indulge in their favorite restaurants once in a while. Food is one of the biggest joys in life, and nothing is better than sharing a good meal and conversation with the ones you love. In fact, the restaurant industry in America makes about $1.7 billion on a typical day, according to the Restaurant Association. That's a lot of money we're spending meals out! On your next food outing, be sure to keep these tips in mind to shrink your bill:

Use Coupons: Go to Restaurant.com and enter in a coupon code for restaurant.com that'll get you a $25 voucher for only $q0. You can find the coupon code by searching online at sites like RetailMeNot.com. Buy a local Entertainment book worth $15 that will give you lots of buy one get one free coupons for restaurants.

Earn Rewards: Do your research on sites like Mint and Credit Card Guide and figure out which credit cards give you the best rewards for your diner bucks. Oftentimes, if you're a loyal member of a mileage program, you can even earn some miles by eating at the restaurants the airline partner up with. For example, Southwest has a Rapid Rewards Dining program that credits three points for every dollar spent with their restaurant partners.

Skip the Drinks: Sodas, alcohol, and other non-tap water drinks tend to be overpriced at restaurants. Get water with your meal, and if you're really itching for a particular drink, wait until dinner's over and head to a convenient store to buy it.

Order the Kiddie Meal: The meals for kids are generally cheaper and most of the times are the perfect size for adults! This option is also great for portion control and your wallet.

Read on for more tips to save when dining out.

Get the Dish: Waldorf Salad

Susannah Chen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:36:16 PDT

The Waldorf salad may be over a century old, but even today, it remains a timeless American classic. The apple and walnut salad was first created in the late 1800s at New York's legendary Waldorf=Astoria Hotel, where it's still the most frequently requested recipe on the menu. We stopped in to the kitchen where it all began and saw firsthand how the original Waldorf salad is prepared. See how the salad's prepared - it's even lighter and more refreshing than you might think! - then get the recipe.

Chef Sachin Chopra on Indian Food's Evolution in America

Susannah Chen — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 06:32:31 PDT

Over the past few years, Indian food, much like Vietnamese and Korean cuisines, has made giant strides in the landscape of American cuisine. No one can speak to this more than chef Sachin Chopra, the creative force in the kitchen at Bay Area restaurants All Spice and Arka (where he's chef-owner and consulting chef, respectively). Chopra, who was recently named one of the four new chefs to watch by Esquire, had garnered accolades for his unique marriage of Indian and West Coast flavors. I spoke to the chef about his creative twists on classic Indian cuisine, the benchmark dish for a truly great Indian restaurant, and what spices you need in your pantry to create restaurant-worthy Indian food.

YumSugar: Where do your menu items (like chilli cheese uthappam and tomato basil biryani, both on the menu at Arka) come from?
Sachin Chopra: Working in various upscale restaurants over the years, both Indian and American, I developed a passion for combining the best elements of each. Arka's menu is a reflection of that passion; it is my interpretation of classic Indian food, presented with Californian sensibilities.

YS: I've noticed a trend toward the fusion of Indian and Latin ingredients. Does that influence you at all in your menu development? Do you think the Latin-Indian fusion concept has mainstream potential?
SC: We have an abundance of fresh produce here [in California], and it so happens that some of the same ingredients that make Latin cuisines delicious also work well with Indian food. Sure, there could be a market for Latin-Indian fusion, provided the chef respects each cuisine and is masterful in combining them.

YS: What are some other trends you're seeing in Indian cuisine today?

To find out his answer, keep reading.

Get to Know the 2012 Finalists For America's Top Food Awards

YumSugar — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:40:09 PDT

America is home to more than 100,000 head chefs - and today, a select few of them will be given nods as finalists for the James Beard Awards, the industry's top honors.

Among those who made the cut from the list of last month's semifinalists: David Chang, Tom Douglas, and Ina Garten.

Winners will be announced on May 7 in an award ceremony at New York's Lincoln Center, to be hosted by none other than Food Network's Alton Brown. The event, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, only promises to be more lavish than years past.

To see the list of finalists, keep reading.

Why You Shouldn't Eat at Chain Restaurants

Wise Bread — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:15:17 PDT

Think twice about eating at that chain restaurant. Our pal Wise Bread gives reasons why you shouldn't eat there.

I’ll reveal my bias upfront - I can’t stand chain restaurants. From their oversized, cheese-topped portions to the excessive use of adjectives in their menus, grabbing a bite at a big-box just doesn’t hit the spot for me. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the amount of food that people are consuming outside of their own kitchens has been growing pretty steadily since the 1970s, which may account for why chain restaurants seem to keep on multiplying. But despite chains' obvious popularity, I also believe that there are some sound reasons to skip them in favor of smaller local eateries.

There's Too Much Food

One of the top reasons that many people give for favoring chain restaurants is the portion sizes. I get it. When you go to a restaurant, you want to actually eat. I definitely don’t appreciate being presented with a pretentious morsel of an entrée any more than the next girl. If that bite of food is really tasty, it’s almost worse - as if I could be satisfied by taste alone, even when my stomach is empty! At the same time, many of the top chain restaurants boast dishes that top 1,000 calories each. I mean, let’s be honest here - most people could do without those “stacked” and “stuffed” caloric monstrosities. And while many restaurants now offer lower-calorie menus, it’s pretty hard to order those calorie-labeled little offerings when the guy at the next table is ordering a steak that could feed a family of four.

Read on for more.

How to Make a Waldorf Salad

Susannah Chen — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 04:24:04 PST

After South Beach Wine & Food Festival and all its gluttony, we're craving something refreshing. Thank goodness for the Waldorf salad, a lighter take on a salad that's chock-full of cold-weather produce like Gala apples and celery root.

We turned to the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, home of the original salad, to learn how to make the perfect rendition of this salad. Keep reading for step-by-step directions.

How to Avoid Awkwardness When the Bill Arrives

SavvySugar — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:30:32 PST

When you're dining out with friends and the check arrives, things can turn uncomfortable quickly. Is the tip included? Should the cost be divided evenly? Some people just ate appetizers, some people just had drinks, and only a handful brought cash - what do you do? Follow these quick tips to keep things pleasant when the bill appears.

Make a date with the ATM. Unless you regularly keep cash in your wallet, you should always stop at the ATM before meeting up with a group. Some restaurants are picky about charging multiple credit cards, so think ahead and stop by the bank before any group get-togethers. Better yet, buy something to break all those $20 bills.
Communicate early. As soon as everyone is settled in and preparing to order, initiate a casual conversation about their bill expectations. Find out whether your friends plan to order appetizers, full meals, or just drinks, then talk about tip options and come to a consensus on how you'll handle the tab.
Pass the bill. It's polite to pass the check folder around the table so that everyone has a chance to look at the bill. Once each person has seen the tab and made their contribution, take charge and count the cash to make sure enough money has been added. If the total comes up short, don't single out any one person - instead, kindly let the entire group know how much more is needed and let each person decide whether she needs to chip in a bit more.

On Party Etiquette: Is It OK to Bring Cake to a Restaurant?

Susannah Chen — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:15:12 PST

Let's face it: dining out is a totally subjective experience, and I've often wished there were hard and fast rules in place for issues like splitting the bill or whether coat checks should be mandatory. The question du jour? Whether it's OK to bring a birthday cake to a restaurant.I've just turned 30, and I'm celebrating by having dinner with a dozen friends at a small, family-owned ethnic restaurant. It feels apropos to have a cake for the occasion, but since the event takes place at a restaurant, I worry that the whole cake-and-candles thing could not only be disruptive, but also put a strain on the restaurant.

Guidelines on birthday cake etiquette seem to vary. Some restaurants are happy to do it; some request a call ahead; many other high-end establishments charge an (often pricey) cake-cutting fee. Still, others think it's a practice that should be cut out entirely. "I'm always baffled by people bringing their own cake. Do you bring your own steak?" one commenter asked rhetorically on a discussion board about the topic.

I want to hear what you think: if a restaurant doesn't focus on dessert, is it OK to bring your own birthday cake, candles, and lighter to dinner? What do you think of a per-person plating fee? Please weigh in below.

Save on Eating Out in 2012 With These 12 Realistic Tips!

Emily Co — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:05:07 PST

One of the hardest thing to budget in the past year was eating habits, according to SavvySugar readers. Of course, there is always the simple solution of just eating at home more often, but you can still cut your food bill here and there when you're eating out. We've given you plenty of tips in the past on how to save when eating out so we're rehashing some of the best ones as well as throwing in some our new frugal ideas! Here they are:

Use coupons. Go to Restaurant.com and enter in a coupon code for restaurant.com that'll get you a $25 voucher for only $2. You can find the coupon code by searching the keyword "restaurant.com" on the coupon site RetailMeNot. Buy a local Entertainment book worth $15 that will give you lots of buy one get one free coupons for restaurants.

Don't eat out when you're dining solo. Try to save your meal excursions for when you're with friends and family. This means that if you're planning on grabbing a quick bite by yourself, it's better to prepare something at home to eat instead. A big part of the joy of eating out is ambiance and company, so save your money and skip grabbing quick meals when you're alone.

Ration meals with friends. Even if you're saving all your meals out for when you have company, don't be too liberal when you're scheduling them. Try to rotate among different people if you're planning on having one-on-one dinners and space it out. Remember you can always catch up with people over drinks or during a fun activity so don't feel bad about skipping dinner.

Opt for lunch: Oftentimes, the lunch menu is a lot cheaper than dinner. When meeting up with people, try to opt for lunch as your preferred meal. Be sure to also pick their lunch specials.

Read on for more tips.