Strongest Appetizer Trends

Appetizers as Entrées

It seems Americans feel that anytime is right for a burger, even before or in place of a healthy food main dish. Restaurant operators have responded by offering their own variations of White Castle’s original Slyders--miniature, square-shaped burgers topped with shredded onions and pickles. Examples of the mini-burger-as-easy appetizers abound, from Houlihan’s to Chicago’s Bar Louie. Some other instances include:

* Big Mouth Bites--four mini-beef burgers that are topped with applewood-smoked bacon, American cheese, sautéed onions and ranch dressing on sesame seed buns, Chili’s Grill & Bar.

* Hawaiian Sliders--mini-burgers seasoned with chorizo sausage and topped with Cheddar-Jack cheese, onions and bacon sauce on Kahuna buns, Kahunaville Island Restaurant & Party Bar.

Some chains are adding the mini-burger to an appetizer recipes sampler platter:
* Smuggler’s Platter--mini-cheeseburgers, along with chicken wings, fried pickles and mini-chili dogs, Cheeseburger in Paradise.

* Bar Burgers & Wings Platter--served with seasoned French fries, Dave & Buster’s.

The quesadilla is another entrée living a double life on many appetizer menus. The simple cheese-melted-in-a-tortilla has been transformed into a filling appetizer option that, when pie-cut, is also ideal for sharing and sampling. 

For example:
* Quesadillas Cozumel--traditional quesadilla stuffed with a crabmeat blend and served with guacamole and a sour-cream topping, Pepe’s Mexican Restaurants.
* Grilled Jumbo Shrimp Quesadillas--filled with roasted peppers, onions, Monterey Jack cheese and grilled shrimp, Z’Tejas Grill.
* Parmesan-crusted Sicilian Quesadillas--a fusion cuisine appetizer featuring sautéed chicken, sausage, bacon, marinara and Monterey Jack cheese stuffed into a pan-fried, Parmesan-laced flour tortilla, T.G.I. Friday’s.