{"id":9970,"date":"2015-03-10T16:56:30","date_gmt":"2015-03-10T21:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=9970"},"modified":"2015-03-10T17:02:22","modified_gmt":"2015-03-10T22:02:22","slug":"small-plates-trend-remains-strong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/small-plates-trend-remains-strong\/","title":{"rendered":"Small plates trend remains strong"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Alysha Khan<\/p>\n

Sometimes big trends come on small plates.<\/p>\n

Over the past decade, the concept of small plates has expanded from a curiosity to a strong trend that is currently spreading to everything from coffee shops to national chains.<\/p>\n

Small plates are shareable portions that give customers a chance to sample more menu items and chefs more culinary freedom.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cGrazing and plate sharing are becoming increasingly popular over traditional meal structures, especially among younger consumers,\u201d said Annika Stensson, the director of research communications at the National Restaurant Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The association\u2019s 2015 culinary forecast reported that 56 percent of chefs polled felt small plates was a hot trend while another 22 percent categorized it as perennial favorite. Only 21 percent described it as yesterday\u2019s news.<\/p>\n

Stensson said small plates are most common at table service restaurants, but the concept is currently \u201cwidening to other areas of foodservice,\u201d including coffee shops, buffets, and other kinds of quick service restaurants.<\/p>\n

[field name=”smallplatesforecast”]<\/p>\n

Soraya Rendon, owner of Chilam Balam<\/a> on 3023 N. Broadway St., said since she opened her small plates restaurant in 2009, she has noticed a substantial increase in the number of these\u00a0restaurants across Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we first did it, we were one of the few people that had small plates,\u201d she said. \u201cEverybody now has small plates.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2014, Starbucks announced that it will be offering small plates, desserts, wine, and beer at select locations as part of its new Starbucks Evenings<\/a> initiative. In Chicago, this menu is available at four Starbucks locations in the city and three in the suburbs.<\/p>\n

Starbucks isn\u2019t the only large chain to jump on this bandwagon. In 2013, Olive Garden and TGI Friday\u2019s both launched small plates menu to capitalize on the trend.<\/p>\n

Jenn Jones, a software developer who works in the Loop, said she likes eating at small plates restaurants because it allows her to sample different dishes without committing to eating an entire entr\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I only have a taste for something, I can get it and split it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

What also makes small plates so appealing is the \u201cfestive, jovial environment,\u201d it often inspires, said John Coletta, the executive chef at Quartino Ristorante & Wine Bar<\/a> in River North.<\/p>\n

Coletta opened Quartino nine years ago and serves an Italian small plate menu. As a chef, he said serving food this way\u00a0allows him to serve more variety and create \u201cengaging and provocative\u201d food.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rest of the world actually eats this way. It\u2019s only the U.S. that doesn\u2019t really eat this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

– Nia Asimis, owner of Nia Mediterranean Tapas<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

His menu features dishes such as honey drizzled, stuffed dates wrapped in pancetta and pizza topped with braised beef short rib, roasted fennel and walnut pesto. Prices range from $2.25 for olives to $15 for duck prosciutto pizza<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can have a lot of food of different flavors, textures, preparations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Nia Asimis of Nia Mediterranean Tapas<\/a> at 803 W. Randolph St. said running a small plates restaurant allows her to draw in customers regardless of the country\u2019s economic climate. She opened her restaurant in 2008, at the height of the recession.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can attract the best of both worlds,\u201d she said. \u201cSomeone might come in, do two plates and be completely satisfied and then there\u2019s others who want to do five or six plates a piece and go overboard.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in terms of profitability, Asimis argued that small plates restaurants have no advantage over entr\u00e9e-focused establishments. At small plates restaurants, diners of different spending levels often cancel each other out, leaving no substantial advantage over more traditional restaurants.<\/p>\n

At Nia, prices ranges from $7 for crisp potatoes with spicy tomato sauce to $15 for lamb loin chops with fingerling potatoes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, it just kind of becomes an even keel,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But Asimis said she thinks this culinary trend will continue to grow in the coming years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rest of the world actually eats this way,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s only the U.S. that doesn\u2019t really eat this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo at top: Quartino Ristorante & Wine Bar in River North serves primarily small plates, a culinary trend that continues to grow across the country. (Quartino Ristorante & Wine Bar\/Courtesy)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Alysha Khan Sometimes big trends come on small plates. Over the past decade, the concept of small plates has expanded from a curiosity to a strong trend that is currently spreading to everything from coffee shops to national chains. 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