Chef Paul Katz believes everything tastes better with the right beer. Katz is corporate executive chef for Bottleneck Management Group, which recently opened Old Town Pour House, an upscale, 10,000-sq. ft. restaurant and bar in Chicago's Old Town Triangle Historic District. With its rich mahogany interior, grand staircase and 48-ft. copper-top bar, Old Town Pour House is a throwback to legendary taverns like The Oak Room in New York's Plaza Hotel... only better.

Nothing touches the senses like food. And there was no better way to experience the culinary industry's newest sensations than at the SUN-sational Foodshow hosted recently by the US Foods Port Orange Division. More than 800 restaurant operators, chefs and other food professionals attended the event at the Daytona Beach Ocean Center to see, smell, touch and taste 30 innovative US Foods products.

Stir in the streetside excitement of a food truck favorite with a sumptuous blend of sweet or spicy seasonings and serve up chips as a delicious dessert, savory side or a meal in itself.

Running a restaurant is truly a labor of love, so it only makes sense that Maria Rivera wants to be surrounded by her family. Rivera's extended family operates eight Mexican restaurants under the names El Vaquero, Casa Garcia and Casa Mexicana in Iowa, Arkansas, Louisiana and three other states. And she's getting ready to open another Casa Garcia in Seven Lakes, North Carolina this month.

Hispanics are an increasingly important customer base for the foodservice industry, accounting for about 25% of all restaurant traffic or 9.8 billion visits a year, according to research firm NPD Group. And that number is growing. Packaged Facts said the Hispanic share of consumer-driven restaurant sales grew 4.7% in 2011, almost double that of the U.S. consumers generally.

The sun is shining and there's not a cloud in the sky. Look out any window at Jimmy's on the Pier in Galveston, Texas, and you can almost feel the cool spray from the Gulf of Mexico on your face. That's because the casual dining restaurant and bar has one of the best locations in America on the 1,140-foot Galveston Fishing Pier surrounded nearly 360 degrees by water.

In the world of catering, miniature size offerings appeal to both customers and operators. You'll find caterers serving nontraditional and classic flavors as shots, shooters, cones, spoons, bombs, pops, balls, picks and in numerous mini vessels. Need some ideas? See what other caterers are doing.

While many of us list learning to ride a bike or hitting a home run among our favorite childhood memories, Josh Wedel remembers the night when he was 6 and first stood on a chair next to the stove to stir spaghetti sauce and help his mom cook dinner. Wedel has turned his lifelong love of food and cooking into a burgeoning career as executive chef at The Westin St. Louis, a 255-room luxury hotel across from Busch Stadium in the city's historic Cupples Station section.

Over the past few years, a full-fledged, global-inspired grilling renaissance has taken root across America, bringing more unique, interesting and delicious choices straight off the grill than ever before. Whether it's spicy Korean, chili-infused Mexican, garlicky Argentinean or good ole' sweet and smoky American, nearly every nation on Earth is now putting fire to meat and turning grilling traditions on their head.

Josh Allen believes the right loaf of bread can spark a great conversation between friends, neighbors and even strangers. That's the philosophy behind Companion, an artisan bakery founded by Allen in 1993. With no formal training in bread making and only a stone French bakers' oven, Allen set out to create wholesome and delicious European breads that would unite the community.

Small plates. Last-minute bookings. New twists on classic comfort food. Using the Internet for everything from the proposal to monitoring staff at an event. None of these is new, but they are all trends for the catering business in 2012. Trends in catering don't suddenly happen. They're slow expansions of ideas from one end of the country — or the world — to the other. We asked a few caterers to share what they're seeing and they came up with the lucky 13.

Grab your beach blanket and a fork. A trip to the ocean starts at Chappell's Coral Grill in Fort Wayne, Ind., where three generations of diners have gone for the freshest seafood in the Midwest. Everything is fresh and prepared on the spot.

Industry surveys show that Americans are now ready to spend more money on dining out, but only if they feel that what they are eating is good for them and offers a good value. It's time to focus on transparency and imparting information to your customers so they can make educated menu choices. What will diners be looking for and what should you watch for this year?

To cater to your customers who are starting off the new year on a healthier note, consider giving your menu a mini makeover, changing the way you serve certain items or adding a new section that health-conscious consumers are sure to look at first. Include a few healthy options on your menu – without changing your favorite recipes – and 2012 just might be your best year yet.

At Turley's, a breakfast-lunch-dinner restaurant in Boulder, Colorado, since 1977 and known for its burgers, second-generation owner Sandy Turley recently switched to antibiotic, hormone-free and organic, grass-fed ground beef, and introduced a gluten-free bun option. "We're not a health food restaurant, but we're healthier," Turley says.

At Crepes and Grapes in Whittier, California, owner Sandra Hahn has long had a healthy-focused kid's menu. A full-service breakfast-lunch-dinner restaurant with a focus on crepes, Crepes and Grapes offers a range of vegetable- and fruit-based versions that strike a chord both with parents and their kids.

Deck out your spring rolls, pretty up the pot stickers and accessorize the empanadas! With a few simple ingredients, you can dress up these ready-to-bake appetizers in their holiday finery. Each one provides a quick path to an upscale start, from prep to party-perfect in minutes.

Italian. Mexican. Chinese. In that order, our favorite cuisines have, in many ways, gone mainstream. With a push for more regional identification and other more specific ethnic ingredients, flavors and cooking methods, ethnic foods seem to pervade all aspects of a menu. National Restaurant Association's What's Hot list cited ethnic-inspired appetizers and breakfast items as trendy items this year.

Executive chef, newly published author and winner of Food Network’s Chopped, Chef Eric is slicing and dicing his way to the top of the culinary world. We recently caught up with him to find out where he gets his inspiration and which items or ingredients he just cannot cook without.

Ninety-nine percent of American consumers eat dessert, and 70% do so at least once a week — a significant increase from the 57% of consumers who reported eating dessert weekly just three years ago. It's clear that the category presents a strong opportunity for operators looking to boost sales.

While vegetarians and vegans may represent a small part of the market — experts put the figure around 3% — there are plenty of reasons to add more vegetable options to any menu, and inventive menus are showing more tantalizing ways to do so. We’ve discovered a few tips on how to showcase a few better-for-you foods.

Appetizers are the most playful and experimental part of the menu, where chefs can give their creativity free rein. Smaller portions mean that strongly flavored or premium ingredients can star. If you want your menu to stand out, consider wowing your customers with these top 10 appetizer trends.

Executive Pastry Chef Zac Young has transformed Flex Mussels in New York City into more than a place to go for shellfish. His high-end junk food creations have been the talk of the town, turning the restaurant into a bona fide dessert destination. Meet Chef Zac and learn his inspiration.

What’s hot? What’s not? From chocolate for breakfast to pies finally taking the spotlight, get a quick glimpse into what’s cooking around the country in today’s hottest kitchens. Try one or several in your own kitchen and give your customers a fun twist on everyday favorites.

People in the United States eat an estimated 300 million sandwiches every day — on average, about one a day for every American. In restaurants, sandwiches are menued more frequently than any other type of entrée. If hamburgers are included, sandwiches account for nearly half of all limited-service restaurant sales.

Burgers are a quintessential American food. The simplicity of the burger’s ingredients makes it an eternal comfort food, yet the same simplicity lends itself to countless variations. With the rise of fast-casual “better burger” concepts and the expansion of burger menus across limited-service and full-service restaurant segments, we’re living in a golden age of burger innovation.

Restaurateurs may have once taken bread for granted, but no more. They’ve discovered that bread, as humble and relatively inexpensive as it may be, can be a powerful menu differentiator. Proof: Eight out of 10 consumers say the quality of the bread is key to creating a great sandwich.

For many restaurants — particularly full-service — takeout and large-order catering are much more important revenue streams than they were five years ago. Recent polling reveals that consumers now plan to order food for takeout or delivery most often from limited-service restaurants and are more amenable to dining in at full-service restaurants.

In today’s dining scene, operators want to be sure they’re making the right moves to encourage diners to come — and return — to their restaurants. Below are highlights of some recent dining-related news and menu trends, and what their bottom-line impact signifies for your establishment.