National: What We’ll Be Eating In 2009

It’s the time of the year when food editors sit around and try to guess at what will be the hot new dining trends for the coming year, and the food blogs are currently abuzz with prognostications. Some are serious, while others aren’t. The whole thing is a bit silly, but here at MenuPages, we love to indulge in silly behavior on occasion. Here, then are our collective predictions/hopes for dining trends in the coming year:

• MP: Boston editor Leila thinks the pork belly craze might extend to bellies of other animals, particularly lamb, which she noted is on the menu at New York’s Momofuku Ssam Bar.

• MP: Philadelphia editor Elsa hopes for a reduction in steakhouses.

• MP: South Florida editor Carolina agrees. Also, big bowls of soupy noodles: cheap, filling and recession-proof. Look for these to become more popular.

• Helen of MP: Chicago thinks sandwiches — like banh mi and cubanos — will be big, and salami will trump bacon as the salted meat of choice.

• And according to MP: San Francisco editor Adam, the cupcake craze will be replaced with doughnuts.

What’s for Dinner Next Year?
[Diner’s Journal]
Epicurious Predicts Top 10 Food Trends for 2009 [Epi-Log]
And Even More Food Trends, Including Those of Gastrodamus [The Feedbag]

National: What We’ll Be Eating In 2009