Consider the carrot. Easily taken for granted, the common root vegetable is ubiquitous, inexpensive, readily available and versatile.
According to Technomic’s Ignite menu database, about 50% of operators have carrots on the menu, with fine dining and upscale casual operators substantially more likely to use them. This is doubtless a reflection of the extraordinary culinary creativity that chefs bring to bear on an otherwise basic ingredient.
Center of the plate. They’ve taken the starring role in upmarket classics like Carrots Wellington, which have been on offer at White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport, Maine, and Narcissa in New York City. The latter’s version consisted of salt-cured, roasted carrots along with mushrooms, sunchokes and gremolata inside puff pastry, and it garnered rave reviews from The New York Times.
They’ve made an equally unexpected appearance in the Roasted Carrot Pizza at Domenica in New Orleans, where carrot purée replaced tomato sauce and was topped with beets, brussels sprouts, goat cheese and hazelnuts.
You’d expect carrot creativity from James-Beard-recognized Vedge, a lauded, self-proclaimed “Vegetable Restaurant” in Philadelphia, and you’d find it with the Campfire Carrot made with barbecue black lentils, smoked carrot mustard and crushed avocado.
But one place you would not expect to find carrots is at breakfast. Nonetheless, there they are as one of the All-Star Classics at breakfast-and-lunch specialist Molly’s Rise and Shine in New Orleans, where the Roasted Carrot Yogurt is made with granola, berries, carrot marmalade and “other fun stuff.”
Speaking of fun stuff, carrots are being used as a stand-in for hot dogs in noncommercial venues. Sometime back, the University of Connecticut ran a Carrot Dog promotion with a quartet of options that included classics like a Chicago and Coney Island dogs, and this spring, Cura Hospitality launched a vegan Carrot Hot Dog that comes complete with grill marks and earns high marks for both flavor and texture.
Campus dining historically has been a wellspring of creative, produce-driven dishes, as at the University of North Texas, where the inventive Carrot Gnocchi rates extra credit for the use of the whole vegetable, including carrot carbonara and carrot-top pesto that accompany the dish.
The Carrot Hot Dog from Cura Hospitality. | Photo courtesy of Cura Hospitality/Foodservice Director.
Starters and sides. Diners at Nashville’s Butcher & Bee can commence their meals with mezze like Glazed Carrots with carrot-top gremolata, burnt honey and black olive crumble, while the menu at Greywind in New York City offers Carrot Hummus with orange molasses, tahini and za’atar as a snack or starter.
Carrots have stretched way beyond the conventional, commodity side-of-plate filler. At The Publican in Chicago, Barbecued Carrots with creamy herb dressing, dill and pecans are a long-running favorite, and at Kernel, new to the fast-casual dining scene in New York, Roasted Carrots are combined with farro, salsa verde and pesto, then topped with spiced almonds.
They play well with a range of ingredients. Narcissa offered Carrot Fries with jalapeño-tofu dip, while Aramark’s menu at Coors Field in Denver includes a Mediterranean-inflected Carrot Sumac Slaw that tops the plant-based Medi Burger.
From the chain perspective, the nifty Charred Carrots at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill get a chile rub before being roasted with sticky hot honey and finished with goat cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds and green onions. And Honey-Roasted Carrots share the plate with Not Your Mama’s Meatloaf at True Food Kitchen.
Drinks and desserts. Their inherent sweetness boosts their popularity in a range of baked goods, like the Carrot Cake Muffin at Dunkin’ or the Carrot Cake Doughnut at Krispy Kreme.
Eureka offers a more sophisticated take with its dessert: The Carrot Cake here is made with trendy WhistlePig bourbon and finished with maple whipped cream.
Similarly indulgent, Morton’s The Steakhouse features a “heavenly slice” of house-made Carrot Cake with cream cheese icing, shredded coconut, chopped walnuts, and freshly whipped cream.
One factor that makes carrots such a standout in the produce category is that they perform equally well at either end of the health spectrum.
Their nutritional profile makes them a go-to addition in better-for-you beverages and smoothies. Jamba, for example, has a trio of sunny options in the Purely Carrot, Orange Carrot Twist and Orange Supreme, all of which feature fresh carrot juice. The Orange Supreme gets an extra boost from fresh orange juice, apples and bananas.
Greywind's Carrot Hummus. | Photo by Nancy Kruse.
Cream of the crop. For sheer carrotty bravado, however, one needs look no further than Austin, TX, where the absolute apex of carrot-dom has been reached on the menus at Odd Duck and its two sibling operations, Barley Swine and Sour Duck Market. Support of regional agriculture is a founding principle and an imperative that informs the cuisine of all three, and carrots clearly benefit.
Odd Duck’s current meal ender is Carrot Cake Churro, a sly take on the super-popular treat; in this rendition, it comes with sweet cheese queso and carrot fudge. An earlier dessert comprised Olive Oil Cake topped with chèvre cheesecake cream and strawberry-carrot sorbet.
There’ve been plenty of savory takes on the carrot as well, like the Achiote Roasted Carrots with burnt toast hummus and grapefruit vinaigrette.
But most unconventionally, it’s been a standout condiment, as with Carrot-Pecan Mole, Carrot Salsa Matcha and Carrot Leche de Tigre, tiger’s milk, the classic Peruvian marinade-turned-aperitif that’s served with ceviche.
But wait, there’s more: At Barley Swine, it has been part of The Chef’s Tasting in the form of Caramelized Carrot Mousse with roasted beets, carrot chews and sunchoke chips.
On the sweet side, there is Carrot Panna Cotta with lemon gelée, lavender crumble and pea tendril tapioca.
Meanwhile, at casual Sour Duck Market, there are Charred Carrots with sesame seed mole, salsa verde, pickled onion, radish and cilantro.
And, yes, there’s also the requisite fried chicken sandwich that comes with--wait for it—Carrot Buffalo Sauce.
Major upside. If these examples aren’t inspiration enough, it’s worth considering data from the USDA that says Americans consume about nine pounds of carrots per capita, but 80% of that consumption is at home. This obviously suggests a very long runway on restaurant menus for the popular, but easily underestimated vegetable.