Weekly Chef And Menu Report: The Week Of January 6, 2014
Every week, we take a look at some new chefs and menus that have appeared across the country. Here's this week's roundup:
To help customers stick to their resolutions this year, Boston Market is offering a "Meals Under 550 Calories" menu, containing more than 100 options, from the market's signature rotisserie chicken to the restaurant's popular Market Bowls, according to a press release.
Panera Bread introduced new items to its menu, including Mediterranean couscous salad, all-natural turkey chili, power chicken, and a low-fat power smoothie, according to a press release.
SONIC Drive-In introduced two new menu items: the Salsa Verde Breakfast Burrito and the Salsa Verde Breakfast Toaster. These items, which are available for a limited time only, are made with salsa verde and 100 percent all-natural, fresh avocado from Wholly Guacamole.
In honor of the Lunar New Year falling on Jan. 31, Rasa in Greenwich Village will begin offering Lunar New Year specials from Jan. 16 until Feb. 9, according to a press release. One special will be a dish called Yu Sheng, which is only served in Malaysia and Singapore during Lunar New Year. The dish will be offered in two portions, a medium size for four people at $18 and a large size for six people at $28. Also offered is a Lunar New Year prix fixe menu, which will feature traditional Malaysian comfort foods in a three-course meal, for $20.88. $1 from each Yu Sheng dish sold and $1 from each prix fixe menu sold will be donated to City Harvest.
Chef David Burke's restaurants (David Burke Kitchen and Fishtail) will be serving a special four-course menu celebrating artichoke for $59 per person, according to a press release. The Artichoke Week menu features Strangle & Choke with Strozzapreti artichoke Bolognese, salmon with artichoke and chorizo Benedict, lamb shank with artichoke and tomato couscous, grilled chicken with artichoke barigoule, spiced pear and almond cake with artichoke-lemon ice cream and bell pepper caramel, and artichoke tea crème brûlée.
During the Golden Globes, 100 Montaditos in Greenwich Village will be hosting a viewing party with multiple large TV screens and will offer Golden Globes specials in honor of the show's hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, according to a press release. The specials include the "Tina," a platter containing six of the restaurant's most popular montaditos, the "Amy," an all-vegetarian platter highlighting six of Montaditos' tastiest meatless options, and the "Liz Lemon Sangria," a refreshing blend of red wine and lemon-lime soda. All specials are available to-go.
East Village's North River introduced a brunch menu featuring items such as brioche French toast with bourbon, orange, and whipped cream, a spicy chicken sandwich, and a breakfast casserole with ham, egg, and arugula, according to a press release. The restaurant also launched a happy hour that goes until 8 p.m.
Four-time James Beard-nominated chef Gerard Craft in St. Louis is teaming up with Memphis chefs Michael Hudman and Andy Ticer of Hog & Hominy for his quarterly guest chef series called Pizza Takeover, according to a press release. He invites chefs who have a passion for pizza to his Pastaria restaurant, which will be offering a one-night-only menu on Jan. 15 with creations from the guest chefs.
We're always looking for tips about new chefs and seasonal menus, so if you think there are any that we missed, let us know!