Why is Fine Dining Striving?

In recent years, restaurants have gotten smaller and more casual. Words such as “seasonal” and “local” are more common than ever. In spite of these shifts, fancy dishes such as steak au poivre á l’Armagnac and Dover sole served in a luxurious environment with formal service have managed to maintain lasting appeal. Restaurateurs are taking a fresh look at what fine dining means for younger generations and opening opulent eateries designed to restore a touch of extravagance to the restaurant scene.

 

The ghost of old New York-style fine dining is here to stay—in a big way. Eating out has become special once again, a trend partially driven by the experience economy as millennials and younger generations raised on the fast and informal seek out new ways to enjoy the art of fine dining.

 

Cities around the world are participating in an evolved model of fine dining. A sense of theatre is returning to the dinner table, from exquisite glassware and folded napkins to balancing courses, selecting wines, and dining etiquette. Today, dinner out is all about having a memorable experience.

 

Creating a fine dining experience at home is another trend that’s gaining steam, especially among millennials, who do more cooking at home than their older counterparts. For hosts, this type of entertainment is about giving guests a memorable evening rather than showing off or trying to impress.

 

As with any other dining experience, satisfaction ultimately comes down to the food and the flavor. In fine dining, the order of the day is elegant and sophisticated with delicately-balanced menus and flavors. Cheese tuiles, steelhead trout roe, Turbot and morels, petit pois, saffron risotto, and chocolate millefeuille are just a few examples of dishes that you might expect to see in this environment.

 

Home chefs can use packaged products and distinctive flavors to help them create the fine dining experience that they want with minimal effort, such as black garlic, anchovies, bone broth, boutique beer cheese, buckwheat honey, cultured butter, fish sauce, kimchee, pickled peppers, seaweed, and za’atar.

 

Whether you own a restaurant and want to create new, elegant dishes for your patrons to enjoy or manufacture packaged ingredients for the home chef, you know that flavor is not just one essential component—it’s the backbone of the entire meal. Experiment with our natural flavor ingredients to come up with new and irresistible ways to bring a touch of fine dining to your industry.