Chef Cunningham’s View on Latin Menu Trends

What I see are trends toward more authentic and creative Mexican dishes.

There are still many restaurants subscribing to the old Tex-Mex model, using the same ground beef, pork and chicken in every dish. It is just wrapped a different way or maybe the sauce is a bit different, but essentially most of the dishes taste the same.

There are some that are trying to break out of that mold and be more authentic. Some are doing what I call “Mexican-style tacos versus tacos Americanos,” and it is often a blackboard special or you have to ask for them. I also see unique dishes starting to emerge in this sector. As always, pork and chicken are the staple proteins.

The salbutes recipe (a puffed, deep-fried tortilla topped with lettuce, sliced avocado, pulled chicken or turkey, tomato and pickled red onion) ties into the discussion on fresh versus bought tortillas. In this recipe, they are made fresh and pan fried, so they puff up for a different texture.

The calabacitas (a traditional Mexican dish typically with pork sauteed in butter, oil or in its own fat) falls in line with the more produce-forward menu trends. This recipe does have pork, but there are many versions without meat.

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