Chef Ian Lynch on Food Trends

Tell us about the food trends you are seeing this summer.
There’s been a big push to have fun with food and not take it so seriously. For instance, we are seeing a lot of ingredients that might not be seen in fine dining but chefs are elevating the experience by creative ways to combine ingredients and cooking techniques. For instance, we had an event here last month where we served Corn Dogs – but the housemade hot dogs were made with duck, lamb and rabbit. I like being able to push the envelope on what people think a steakhouse should be and surprise our guests.

Another trend out there is colorful and lighter food, like poke bowls. They can be a great combination of pickled veggies, some sort of protein and other healthy ingredients.

Unusual cuts of meat have become more prominent on menus. I like to serve a Spinalis Dorsi, a ribeye cap. We get a whole loin and trim the spinalis section, for a really tender piece of steak.

What challenges does the summer season present for you at the restaurant?
This is the most difficult season of the year – not a lot is in season locally, it’s transitional until the fall crops start to come in. So we look for things like figs or other local fruit to highlight in dishes. We use summer squash, tomatoes, corn, beans. We also use hydroponically grown lettuces and other greens when we can. Herbs are also weather contingent, so we may take something that is only in season during the summer, like basil and use it in sauces that might have another herb flavoring in the winter.

I can’t wait for the cooler months when we have root vegetables and we can serve them with brown butter, sage and roasted nuts. Plants are getting more attention as center-of-the-plate entrees, and while we are a steak house, we also try and have some dishes that vegetarians could eat.

What’s your go-to midnight snack?
That’s not fair, I have kids and there’s always some kind of snack in the house. Honestly, chefs don’t necessarily eat well, they may not have the time to sit down and have a healthy meal. We serve a meal to the staff before the shift, and once a week the owners of Cowford Chophouse will make dinner for us. But I don’t always get a chance to grab some food. When I get home, I am ready to decompress and just relax on the couch. If a bag (or two) of chili cheese Fritos disappears from the pantry, don’t tell my wife!