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    Food Trends: What We’ve Seen in 2013

    This year brought us some amazing additions and innovations in the food world, which expanded our culinary horizons and took us on tasty, tantalizing adventures. Here are just a few trends we enjoyed in 2013:

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    Craft Breweries

    In 2013, no less than five craft breweries opened in Columbus and its environs. Among them, Sideswipe Brewing, Staas Brewing, and Seventh Son Brewing, which won our Best Brewery of 2013. Wolf’s Ridge Brewing also opened, a true-to-the-name brewpub. Three other Columbus brewing outfits also saw big changes in 2013: Four String Brewing and Zauber Brewing both added taprooms and Actual Brewing, The Metropreneur’s Best Start Up Business of 2013, added coffee to its lineup. There are also at least three microbreweries already set to launch in 2014, making Columbus one of the most happily inebriated cities in the Midwest.

    Lamb Burgers

    Everyone loves a good burger, and this year, the lamb version of this sandwich staple was the one to put on the menu. New restaurants like The Crest Gastropub and Arch City Tavern, and neighborhood spots like Till Dynamic Fare and Skillet (pictured), all featured the mighty lamb in 2013, creating hefty burgers that diners across the city have come to love. Even chains like Flipside Burger got in on the action, featuring a Curry Lamb Burger in their lineup. The classic Hamburger will probably always be hailed as the favorite, but for a brief moment in 2013, the Lamb Burger took the prize.

    Chipotle-Style Restaurants

    Create-your-own eateries sprung up in several neighborhoods in 2013. These places, affectionately dubbed Chipotle-style restaurants because of their fast-casual format, grew in popularity due to the convenience and control it afforded visitors. At Maki Go and Fusian, customers create their own sushi rolls by selecting wrap, protein, vegetables, and sauce to build a meal tailored to their specific tastes. Currito gives visitors the chance to make their own internationally-flavored burritos, and Bibibop leaves the making of bibibop bowls, salads, and wraps entirely up to the patron. These quick-meal restaurants remain fashionable because they are relatively cheap, offer clever solutions at meal times, and use ingredients that are necessarily fresh, three things that ensures a little eatery that could, would.

    Ethnic Food Trucks

    The food truck culture has exploded in Columbus. This past year alone, we celebrated food trucks at over a dozen events, including the Annual Food Truck and Cart Fest and the monthly Food Truck and Cart Hop at Hal and Al’s. In 2013, ethnic food trucks took over the scene, offering globally-inspired fare at a modest cost to curious, on-the-go diners. The Mai Chau food truck serves delicious Vietnamese food, while the Challah food truck keeps Jewish food traditions alive. Both Teodora’s Kitchen and Cilantro brought Latin American flair to the mobile experience (Panamanian and Puerto Rican respectively), while Stacey’s Five Dollar Hollar and Taco Sherpa went for Korean/Mexican fusion. Food trucks have become a critical part of the Columbus food scene, and with such a vast variety of cuisines to choose from, diners never have to worry about getting bored with their food.

    House-Made and Infused Tinctures, Syrups and Liqueurs

    A good drink can make even the most commonplace of meals better. In 2013, part of what made a drink “good” was the addition of house-made tinctures, syrups, and liqueurs. Old-school standbys like Rigsby’s and M and Miranova make their own bitters, while the Granville Inn and Deepwood put their signatures on syrups. And any restaurant worth their fine glassware infused their own spirits to create unique and titillating tastes. Basi Italia, Sidebar, and Arch City Tavern all have versions of popular cocktails on their menus you just can’t find anywhere else, because each place has stamped their product in the most decisive way: by adding singular enhancers in innovative feats of flavor.

    CLICK HERE to read about some trends we’d definitely like to see grow in 2014.

    Photos by Mollie Lyman, Jennifer Rene, Walker Evans and Ayana Wilson.

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    Ayana Wilson
    Ayana Wilsonhttps://columbusunderground.com
    Ayana Wilson is a former staff writer at Columbus Underground who covered local restaurant industry news.
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