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HI-LO DINING

Baked potato with Dutch sauce and red caviar in a plate, close-up

Diners love their childhood foods, especially when garnished with glam.

Hi-lo dishes meet evolving customer wants while allowing restaurants to innovate. By blending luxury with comfort, chefs can create dishes that appeal to a variety of segments while making a name in a competitive market.

  • Universally loved, potatoes can be baked, roasted, mashed, or fried. Add a dollop of salty, briny caviar to elevate this humble ingredient.
  • Cauliflower is healthy and budget-friendly. Top with decadent truffle butter for an exciting side dish.
  • Add chunks of lobster to what is arguably America’s favorite comfort food, mac & cheese.
  • Take typical street tacos to new heights with wagyu beef, huitlacoche (corn mushrooms), and a side of consommé.Load with colorful pickled red onions, guacamole, fresh cilantro, sliced radishes, corn, and diced chiles for maximum visual appeal.

NOSTALGIA + INDULGENCE

Diners are increasingly hyper-focused on high-protein and plant-based foods. Alongside all of the new-fangled, lab-based, cell-cultured options out there is the humble bean. A staple food for millenia, beans are being re-examined as a healthy, versatile ingredient worthy of menu inclusion.

  • Retro and heirloom recipes—like Southern succotash, French cassoulet, and Cajun red beans and rice—fit the bill for those in search of authenticity.
  • Most world cuisines incorporate some type of bean in their classic dishes. Think feijoada in Brazil, black beans and rice with plantains in Puerto Rico, and garbanzo beans in Israel. Modern interpretations of these recipes are packed with produce and herbs.
  • The creamy texture of mung beans is proving an ideal substitute for those that are eliminating soy from their diets.