Cupcakes and 6 other food trends that have lost their cool

Cupcakes
Will they continue to multiply or are they due for decline? On one hand, Magnolia Bakery, which started it all, opened a new location in Los Angeles just this month; on the other, I've noticed that users on Yahoo! Shine aren't as enamored of our cute cupcake stories as they used to be. What do you think?

Tuna Tartare (especially on some form of 'wonton chip')
This appetizer owned the last decade and a half. Although it's still around, it's basically been replaced by sashimi. Looks like people finally caught on to the fact that sashimi is the good stuff, while tartare is made with the leftovers. The memo has even made its way to the bar menu at my local Hawaiian-themed seafood joint, where ahi sashimi is now the only raw-fish option.

Bubble Tea
Also known as boba tea with pearls, this new-age treat from Taiwan with its fat straws seems to have gone the way of bra-strap headbands. Lucky for those of us who love flavored tea punctuated by big gummy tapioca exclamation points, bubble tea can still be found in many Asian neighborhoods.

Truffle Salt
I thought I couldn't get enough of the taste of truffles -- until I did. Gourmet salts stormed the food scene a few years ago in flavors such as lavender, smoked, and truffle. The innovation made the rich, earthy taste of truffles more affordable because a relatively few truffles could flavor a whole jar of salt. Chefs went crazy. Truffle salt in my eggs, in my cheese, and on my pasta. Kind of like Christmas at every meal. It was too much of a good thing.

The Communal Table
The communal table can be found inside the last batch of trendy restaurants. The idea was that guests who didn't know each other would be seated together at one large table. Much like Communism, the communal table is a wonderful idea but usually a failure in practice. This is why:
Hostess: "I can seat you right away at the communal table."
Diner: (Looks at two awkward people sitting at the end of a 16-person table.) "No thanks. We'll wait 20 minutes for the next normal table."

The chipotle chili (esp. in mayo)
Yes, the early 2000s were a fine time to be a chipotle chili. This hard-to-pronounce smoke-dried jalapeño crept into the food scene seemingly to conquer sandwiches. In the meantime, it built a nice empire as an appetizer condiment and it staked out some grilled-meat territory, as well. Then McDonald's invested in a restaurant chain named after it. Wow, this subset of the jalapeño family had a great run, but all spicy times must come to end.

Lava Cake
The '80s had tiramisu, mousse, and crème brûlée. The '90s had lava cake. Its popularity has carried it over to the 2000s where it can still be seen on menus next to flavored bread puddings and cupcakes. Although it's lost its molten mystique, it's still a delicious treat. What creation will be the next inductee to the dessert hall of fame?

I've just experienced a communal table at the Riverford Field Kitchen ("the lunch of my life!" - giles coren)and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. But then I was seated with some extremely friendly farmers and not Giles Coren so others experiences will be different.

Are we voting for the one we (still) like?

We still have bubble tea at our mall and I'm still drinking it.

Never heard of anything else on here except cupcakes - which are garbarge - and chipotles, which I like pretty well, but I do hate getting things that call themselves chipotle mayo or whatever but have no spice to them.

Are we voting for the one we (still) like?

Yup, sorry.

never heard of truffle salt but i guess i'm not surprised it's a thing?

WRAPPED IN BACOM OMG FUUUUCKKKK NOM

I love how the chipotle, commonly used in Mexican cuisine for God knows how long & delicious forever, is a "trend" because these schmoes didn't notice it until a few years back

cupcakes? billions of 2-12 year olds would surely disagree

I like cupcakes but 'cos every tea and coffee shop in the land does them you are more likely to come across bad ones. A good one is still a lovely thing though.

I think hating on cupcakes is as much a trend as cupcakes tbh.

OK, just looked up lava cake and realised it is this...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Chocolate_Fondant.jpg/800px-Chocolate_Fondant.jpg
...which is known by many different names in the UK and which I have never knowingly turned down. So I'm voting for that.

this new-age treat from Taiwan with its fat straws seems to have gone the way of bra-strap headbands.

What the hell is a bra-strap headband?!

Yes, the early 2000s were a fine time to be a chipotle chili

well no, because the point of the piece is that you got EATEN

i hate writing that isn't thought through

lava cake looks yum, i tend to be with the anti-cupcake brigade but i'd still eat them, everything else here = various shades of grim

communal tables are fun if you're in a beer hall

this poll is really about "which is least likely to be annoying when faddishly misemployed". cupcakes, obviously. there have been cloyingly decorated mini-cakes around since my childhood, just tune them out.

what is new-age about bubble tea? my entire understanding of the term 'new age' does not encompass 'super milky sweet tea'.

there was a cupcake truck (!) outside my work today. 2 hours before I had to go to the dentist :(((

I voted chipotle. I love the hell out of bubble tea but have recently come to re-appreciate the chipotle as a versatile ingredient. Fuck yes to all chipotle chilis!

WMC - bra strap headbands are headbands that look like, well, bra straps! They enjoyed a brief period of popularity in the early 00s.

http://mp.hairboutique.com/_images/products/lucy_hbheadbands_TPA338Pbrastrap_babypink__350w.jpg

Bubble tea for me btw.

Which is not say I'm over the other things although, to be honest, I didn't realize that truffle salt was a "thing". I still love cupcakes and chipotle. A really good molten lava cake with vanilla ice cream? Also pretty hard to beat but yeah, voted cupcakes.

I didn't know lava cake was a trend - I thought it was just a very standard and delicious restaurant dessert.

Cupcakes are the worst thing on this list imo, although I'm not really sure what truffle salt is.

Cupcakes are really the only thing that belong on here, the rest are just things that are sort of around (communal tables, bubble tea) or things that were trendy in the last 20 years and have just become part of the food landscape (lava cake, tuna tartare).

The most prevalent overplayed food trends (in the US) are probably:

- cupcakes
- bacon
- burgers
- food trucks

i dunno, i think burgers are here to stay

Bacon, burgers, and cupcakes are all classic. Perhaps mixed together as well.

(xpost) they're all here to stay, but burger places (new chains and independent) have opened at an alarming and unsustainable rate over the past few years.

artisinal poverty food
artisinal nostalgia trips
artisinal kids' food

fuck 'em all

all falling under the insidious umbrella of "comfort food"

when we achieve power this kind of odious frivolity will be banished. food will not be a trend. it will be an intravenously administered paste in the first stages of the new society, then eliminated and replaced by photosynthesis after the genetic engineering changes are implemented. down with cupcakes!

i like u

although I'm not really sure what truffle salt is.

This is the truffle salt in my pantry (sadly, it's lost a lot of its potency in the two years or so I've had it).

intravenously administered paste

Nice grasp of human anatomy, Locutus.

i've never had tuna tartare on a wonton chip but i'd sure as hell like to.

Yeah, see I think this is somewhat of a false premise w/r/t tuna tartare v. sashimi. They're totally different things. If you took sashimi grade tuna and made tartare out of it, it would be like a top notch filet being ground and put into a meatloaf. Not a sin against humanity, but you may be missing the nicer textures and consistency of flavor that a nice peice of meat has to offer.

I'm personally going to eat the fuck out of some tuna tartare tonight - I had a BAD day.

My wife is an avid baker and from her experience cupcakes aren't going away anytime soon. I also know another woman who just opened a cupcake shop and is doing quite well.

i hate bacon frenzy but i'll play devil's advocate for cupcakes as i think they are basically a good idea with an obvious natural appeal. the only thing is that they are slightly hard to eat but mostly i feel that the backlash is rooted in anthony bourdain macho bullshit

this is basically a "sex and the city 2 couldn't have been THAT bad" defense though

Nice grasp of human anatomy, Locutus.

― My totem animal is a hamburger. (WmC), Monday, August 2, 2010 7:49 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

lol

oh i hate truffle salt for the role it played in the character assassination of revolutionary & fashion icon M.I.A.

i'll rep for any dumbass food trend that starts a "major lazer is fucked up" meme though

i feel that the backlash is rooted in anthony bourdain macho bullshit

I think the cupcake backlash is rooted in the sheer number of cupcake places that have opened recently, along with the undue lines and the fact that a lot of the people opening them have little to no food world experience. If you want to hear from someone who REALLY hates the cupcake trend, talk to a baker.

I thought the fries were done in truffle oil... not salted w/ truffle salt?

xp

Has the cupcake trend not had some kind of benefit for experienced bakers, though? Like, it seems like any trendy baked good would be a good way to get people in the habit of visiting your struggling bakery, etc. But I have no idea.

I like getting a good lava cake as I find it challenging to make at home.

Has the cupcake trend not had some kind of benefit for experienced bakers, though? Like, it seems like any trendy baked good would be a good way to get people in the habit of visiting your struggling bakery, etc. But I have no idea.

ha, no. The cupcake trend has resulted in a bunch of places that exclusively do cupcakes and are wildly successful.

huh! I mean, I see twee'd up, fancilicious cupcakes at my local vegan bakery place, selling well I think, but they might've been doing that kinda thing all along.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorcasino/3478356070/"; title="pattycake bakery sign by Doctor Casino, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3343/3478356070_10c5dbb352.jpg"; width="500" height="330" alt="pattycake bakery sign" /></a>

^^^ their sign, for a while. Maybe they were more aggressively hitching themselves to the bandwagon. Anyway, the treats are all great, dunno if I've ever actually had a cupcake though!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3343/3478356070_10c5dbb352.jpg

man once agane i will be making fave ilxors mad thx to my food views but bubble tea i do not understand it, snot balls, in my sugar water. its more likely than you think!

don't know bubble tea, guess it doesn't have booze

― buzza, Tuesday, August 3, 2010 1:42 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark

au contraire mon frere, you can get them in taiwan w/ booze

I had bubble tea in taiwan last year and it was a revelation, remove all these fake bubble teas from my table peasants

The only thing that bothers me about cupcakes is when there's like inch-high frosting. And if the frosting is too buttery. I'm very picky about frosting.

Communal tables I'm OK with, if for no other reason than places that have them are able to accommodate more diners. I've never actually found myself in a conversation with people at my table, but I have gazed admiringly at their food.

I order bubble tea sans bubbles.

but they are so fun to shoot out of the straw at friends!

That's really all they're good for in my life. I *get* them, but I don't like them. Rubbery.

jaymc OTM re frosting. jaymc: you and your ladyfriend made AMAZING frosting on those cupcakes of yours.

Besides potential frosting issues, cupcakes are eternal classics, and the backlash is nonsense.

Heavily frosted cupcakes are kind of a pain in the ass when you've got a mustache. None of these options is really appealing enough to vote for.

i hate bacon frenzy but i'll play devil's advocate for cupcakes as i think they are basically a good idea with an obvious natural appeal. the only thing is that they are slightly hard to eat but mostly i feel that the backlash is rooted in anthony bourdain macho bullshit

― A B C, Monday, August 2, 2010 9:09 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

this is basically a "sex and the city 2 couldn't have been THAT bad" defense though

― A B C, Monday, August 2, 2010 9:09 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i totally buy this, though i'm not a fan of frosting-bomb cupcakes as a rule.

ugh

I had to play nice because my sister-in-law took us to a cupcake boutique while we were in Nashville that served cupcakes with so much frosting on them that they were twice as tall as they should have been

it was ludicrous and gross though (and I LIKE FROSTING)

Nice grasp of human anatomy, Locutus.

― My totem animal is a hamburger. (WmC), Monday, August 2, 2010 7:49 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

to be compared to that fictional character is an honor.

we should have said "liquid", but "paste" is more ear-catching to primate brains

cupcakes are great and always will be but the fad has allowed them to get so ridiculously overpriced

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/39487/savage-love-are-cupcakes-porn-for-women

cupcakes are good, but often dry and overladen with gritty/greasy frosting. i.e., not the amazing treat they're cracked up to be.

tuna tartare is likewise good, but easily upstaged by carpaccio, sashimi, poke, etc. so no.

bubble tea is great! though the trendy sparkle is gone, still nice as an every now and then treat

chipotle is a basic, time-tested cooking ingredient. should not be in this contest.

no comment on the rest. voted bubble tea, due to being silly for it.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I prefer more frosting that cake in my cups.

than cake

then you are my sworn enemy, Jeff

bummer!

Food is a funny thing. Sometimes I think me and Jaymc are food opposites. Yet we get along so well. Maybe one day it will tear us apart.

Whats tuna tartare? isnt it just carpaccio someone's chopped up into a mush? sure looks like it.

Bubble tea's been around here since forever, and they actually do decent real asian stuff at loads of the little korean jointz - Im not a fan of the ones that are all ridic fruit juice, its the ones that are Actually Tea that are the good ones. Not something I'm big into tho. For some reason it was a big big thing in perth in like 2001.

Dont know why in the article, the "communal table" has a pic of something that quite clearly isnt a communal table at all - not smooshed up against a wall like that.

(as in, thats just a group of people having dinner together)

sometimes i just say things that are borne out of too much time on the internet

that's a good point about truffle salt vs. truffle oil, though. salt is far superior

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

There are not enough UHs in the world:

http://eater.com/archives/2010/12/10/hip-hop-cupcakes-commercial-blackface-scandal-duncan-hines.php

whoa.

why did i read the comments

yeah that Sandy Collins is one smart bird. Ugh.

RIP Crumbs.

Shocked that a business built on stale cupcakes that taste like count chocula couldn't survive.

this popped up on the news today and I literally did a little dance of joy

fuck boutique cupcakes

I generally dislike the whole phenomenon but especially fuck crumbs, it was such a shitty, disgusting place. At least I'll never have to have them instead of a real cake at an office function again.

^ first-world problems crosspost

right, because most of the other threads here are about famine and water shortages

hey i would want my fucking cake too

I've never heard of this crumbs, but cupcakes are still awesome.

Byebye cupcakes, and PLEASE take froyo with you when you leave.

I've never heard of this crumbs, but cupcakes are still awesome

this

froyo kinda crucial for the lactose-intolerant. what do you just want them to suffer

Yes. Yes, I do.

whatever haters cupcakes and froyo are still awesome but I never liked Crumbs. How can you hate on individual portions of cakey goodness? GTFO with this cupcake bashing imo.

cupcakes are people too, my friend

X-X-X-post

And did the lactose-intolerant think of everyone else when froyo shops were driving out other businesses? (Not that I expect them to. The only people thinking were 1) entrepreneurs hoping that they could rush their Pinkberry clones to market before the bubble collapsed; and 2) landlords who believed they had a chance to get the rents they thought they OUGHT to be getting.)

if you go to glassdoor you can read reviews by ex-crumbs employees -- apparently a very dysfunctional company w/ lots of turnover, and often the cupcakes the customers would get had been baked three days ago.

i always thought those cupcakes were stale, too sweet, and too big.

(for the record: i like cupcakes, but most of the time i'd rather just have the frosting.)

http://goo.gl/kVbKyH

:(

Gourmet burgers are more tiresome than any of these. The last time I was in Vegas it seemed like every casino had two places to get $30 burgers that aren't all that special.

Communal tables are awesome but I encounter them primarily at BBQ joints.

https://twitter.com/dick_nixon/status/768067663507681280?lang=en

I work within walking distance of a Sprinkles Cupcake ATM.

And a Crumbs that closed and reopened, fwiw.

chipotle mayo still everywhere

communal tables still everywhere

lava cake pretty dead though

Dormant but experts still checking every now and then