As is the tradition at Eater, our closeout of the year is a survey of friends, industry types, bloggers, and readers. We've already covered Best Standbys, Top Newcomers, Best Neighborhood, 2011 in One Word, Biggest Dining Surprises of the year, Best Meals and Restaurant Breakups. And now, the grand finale: Headline Predictions.
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What are your dining world headline predictions for 2012?
Marc H., HiddenBoston: Burger Joints -The Food Trucks of 2012?
MC Slim JB, restaurant reviewer, Stuff Magazine, Boston Phoenix: After a pretty rough 2011, the South End will bounce back a bit with some exciting openings.
Tom O'Keefe, BostonTweet: The Fenway will continue to expand into a dining and nightlife destination with at least two new restaurants opening in 2012.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal, Fork it Over, Boston!, restaurant reviewer, CBS Boston: I predict we'll be seeing more of the "kale is the new beef" types of headlines. Focus will shift from nose-to-tail dining and artisan meats to gourmet vegetarian. Sustainability, organic, and local will continue to be buzzwords.
Penny and Ed Cherubino, BostonZest: Eaters Demand Intrinsic Value, Food Trucks Go Brick and Mortar, Fine Dining Oversupply Causes “New Concepts” and Closures.
Damien S., community manager, Yelp Boston: Depends on the rag? "Brother Cleve Creates A Drinkable Raw Chicken Flip" or "Flautas: The New Tacos (The New Burritos)" come to mind.
Devra First, restaurant critic, food reporter, The Boston Globe: I’ll reveal them soon in a story I’m currently working on. For now, I’ll just predict we will drink awfully well, with the opening of the Hawthorne, Backbar, Brick & Mortar, Saloon, and so on, all in recent weeks. Cheers.
