As is the tradition at Eater, we're rounding up the year with a survey of friends, industry types, bloggers and others to get a feel for the highlights and lowlights of the last year in eating in New Orleans. We've discussed Top Restaurant Standbys, Favorite Newcomers, One Word Descriptions of 2012, Best Dining Neighborhoods, Single Best Meals of 2012,Dining Surprises, and Restaurant Breakups. To wrap it up, we're predicting the dining headlines for 2013, with responses related to you here in no particular order.
More Food Trucks in 2013? [Photo: Brigade Coffee/Facebook]
Alexander Hancock, associate editor, Eater NY: Everyone Finally Realizes: Bacon Is So Totally Over
Anne Berry, freelancer, food writer for Where Y'at: Healthier plates, Asian-influenced comfort food (noodle soups, dumplings), vertical garden walls, sour flavors (especially in beers), small-batch craft distillers, boozy milkshakes and juices, iPad menus and order taking, locally- and media-branded restaurant concepts.
Rene Louapre IV, Blackened Out: Inspired by the foraging and sourcing of chefs like Rene Redzepi and Sean Brock, Williams-Sonoma unveils handy cloth carriers with handles that patrons can take into the wilds of the supermarket to tote home exotic foraged canned goods and stuff.
Wayne Curtis, author of And a Bottle of Rum, Slow Cocktails dispatcher: More male-stripper-themed bars. Flavored Sazeracs. Guy Fieri comes to New Orleans to show the provincials how to do Creole.
Josh Danzig, editor in chief, Where Y'at: Continuing growth of hand-made food items made in-house
Kit Wohl, writer, photographer, designer: High expectations for mid-price range restaurants.
Gwendolyn Knapp, editor Eater NOLA: Pop-ups continue to razzle the food scene and find permanent homes. New Orleans gets more food trucks. The unstoppable Phillip Lopez announces he'll bring his Root empire to the French Quarter with Root Canal. Food so good it hurts.
· All Year in Eater 2012 Coverage [-ENOLA-]
