'Housemade' the Latest Word in Fine Dining

From onion blossoms to overhyped chefs, these things need to go away

(NEWSER) - Asked to name the decade's worst dining trends, chefs and other food experts couldn't shut up. There were too many (including "mache, water sommeliers, organ-meat entrees, unisex bathrooms, bacon tattoos on chefs, over-flaunted kitchen burns, chefs tables") for Christopher Borrelli to list them all, but he hits the top 10 in the Chicago Tribune:

• Fried onion blossoms: Too sweaty, too greasy, too little onion, and too much fried stuff.
• The $40 entree: When your neighborhood bistro has hit these heights, it's time to say enough is enough.

What does the term 'food snob' mean anymore?

(NEWSER) - Trends being what they are, the definition of "foodie" has always been a moving target, and these days, the term seems broader than ever. “You used to be a food snob if you knew all the different kinds of truffles and foie gras,” one expert tells the New York Daily News. “Now the snob is the person who’s at the taco truck in Queens or the pizza place in the Bronx.” More»

From 'grilled to perfection' to 'garden fresh'

(NEWSER) - Tired of menus that use the same old phrases over and over? So are the food critics at the Chicago Tribune. They nominated nine menu clichés for the compost pile:

• "Grilled to perfection": Subjective to the point of meaninglessness. And why always grilled, and not “boiled” or “baked”? Can only grilling reach perfection?
• "World famous": Almost always an empty boast.
• "Kobe burger": “Kobe” is becoming a general synonym for “high quality”; it doesn't apply unless the beef actually came from Japan.

The country's hardest-to-get dinner reservation is in ... Pennsylvania?

(NEWSER) - Move over, French Laundry. The US' most in-demand dinner seat is in "flyspeck" Kennett Square, Pa., 35 miles from Philadelphia, Portfolio writes. Talula's Table takes reservations for its single, 12-seat table one year in advance. "My parents paid me $30 to stand out here," says one teen angling for a spot on a waiting list that commands an entire wall. More»

But those salads still aren't good for you, says blogger

(NEWSER) - Burger King overhauled its menu this week and is selling smoothies, wraps, and new salads as part of a push to woo women and families. The makeover comes after Burger King dropped to third place in the fast-food rivalry last year, trailing McDonald's and—for the first time ever—Wendy's, reports the Wall Street Journal . "I think all of the players are looking at ways they can compete more effectively with McDonald's," says an analyst. More»