Pizza toppings are going way beyond the usual these days.
Pat and Bret discussed that trend, leading off with all the appetizer-inspired pizzas we’ve seen lately. Jalapeño poppers, a nostalgic bar food, are back as pizza toppers at &pizza and Your Pie, plus Your Pie has another LTO pizza topped with spinach-artichoke dip.
Bret came across Chicken Tikka Pizzas at several Indian concepts in California during a recent trip. And this week, Via 313, a Detroit-style pizza chain, introduced tikka masala pizza, which has masala curry sauce, marinated chicken, cheese, onions and peppers.
Aside from pizza, beef, especially steak, is showing up in limited-time offers—and it usually performs very well. Noodles & Company brought back its Steak Stroganoff, a comforting dish with marinated steak in a mushroom sherry cream sauce served over egg noodles. It’s been the fast casual’s top selling LTO, and winter is a logical time to bring it back. Dig also introduced steak recently, a char-grilled sirloin featured in dinner plates and bowls.
Both Pat and Bret had attended a Wingstop event a couple of weeks ago, at which the chain introduced its new Pacific Glaze sauce. We received word that the name was changed to Sweet Chili Glaze in respect to the devastation suffered from the wildfires in Los Angeles, particularly the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. We understand the sensitivity of the situation, and our hearts go out to all impacted by the fires, but the sauce flavor is inspired by Thai, Chinese and Singaporean cuisines, all originating on the other side of the Pacific. Sweet Chili Glaze doesn’t really do it justice.
Menu items from Persian restaurant, Joon. | Photo courtesy of Joon.
To wrap up, we shared an interview with Chris Morgan, who along with his partners Reza Farahani and Iranian cookbook author Najmieh Batmanglij, operate Persian restaurant Joon in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Chef Morgan talks about how many popular Middle Eastern dishes trace their origins to Iran, and Joon’s menu includes specialties from other cuisines, including Levantine. The menu also reflects his experience working in California restaurants and is inspired by the ingredients Joon sources from an organic farm in Maryland. Give a listen.
Menu Talk is a collaboration between Restaurant Business Senior Menu Editor Pat Cobe and Bret Thorn, senior food & beverage editor of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. You can subscribe to it wherever you listen to podcasts.
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