What would a restaurant show be without the food?
Boring, that’s for sure.
Fortunately for all of us, exhibitors at the National Restaurant Association Show show off their culinary chops each year, serving up new products, innovative flavor pairings and plenty of delicious options to fuel our many thousands of steps through McCormick Place.
Here’s a look at some of the best things the editors of Restaurant Business and Foodservice Director have tasted at the Show so far.
Crispy potatoes are always a good idea: I don’t eat meat so am always on the hunt for new plant-based offerings at the Show each year. Enter Impossible Foods, whose booth rarely disappoints when I’m looking for hearty food with some protein as I’m strolling the floor. The plant-based meat maker’s breakfast sandwich fit the bill: It was served hot and fresh, with a variety of textures. A chewy English muffin was the base for a crisp hashbrown, toothsome Impossible sausage patty, creamy Just egg and a little spicy vegan spread. Perfect fuel for a long day at the Show.
- Heather Lalley, managing editor, Restaurant Business
A semi-plant-based brat to make Wisconsin proud: I’m from Milwaukee, and we take our bratwurst seriously in Milwaukee. The brat from 50Cut is a blend of pork and mushrooms, but was nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. It even had that satisfying bratwurst snap. The plant-forward sausage was named a favorite by the Food and Beverage Innovation (FABI) Awards this year.
-Joe Guszkowski, senior editor, Restaurant Business
Brie for breakfast: At the California Milk Marketing booth, I had a breakfast Brie flavored with everything bagel seasoning. The combination would be great on a bagel. It comes in a small, firm round shape that's really easy to slice and size for a small bagel. Made by Marin French, the flavored breakfast series is new. The lineup also includes a plain Brie and one with chives.
- Pat Cobe, senior editor, Restaurant Business
Avocado toast for all ages: As a millennial, I’m not ashamed to admit I love a good avocado toast. So when I saw that Avocados from Mexico’s Guac from Heaven booth was offering a build your own avocado toast bar, I was immediately interested. Similar to last year’s guac bar, they had a few pre-customized options, or you could build your own toast using the toppings provided. I landed on the burrata toast and was more than happy with my decision.
- Benita Gingerella, senior editor, Foodservice Director
Sweet + salty = wow: The most surprising bite for me so far at the show was over at the Campbell’s Foodservice booth where they were serving vanilla soft serve with a variety of toppings, including classic Goldfish crackers.
Admittedly, I was a little hesitant to try it and contemplated choosing the Goldfish graham cracker topping instead, but to my surprise, the salty, sweet pairing worked well. If you’re the type that likes to dip French fries into milkshakes, you’ll like this.
- Benita Gingerella, senior editor, Foodservice Director
A new take on sushi: Konscious Foods has been at the Show in the past touting plant-based sushi and other products. But the market for plant-based foods in the U.S. has been limited. So, the company is branching out with a new line of Hot Maki, or what South Koreans call “hot sushi,” including Kimbap, a line of products that involve real meat and fish, as well as tofu and plant-based options.
Think Korean barbecue, but as a rolled sushi. My favorite is the Crispy Salmon Roll, which has a crunchy panko crust on the outside, and a savory bite of salmon wrapped in rice. Kind of like a California roll, but warm. Trays of the bite-sized pieces can go right into the oven to heat up. It’s available in some retail stores, like Costco, but new this year, it’s moving into foodservice.
-Lisa Jennings, executive editor, Restaurant Business
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