Four Stars: Not Your Mother's Meatloaf – US Food Trends

Updated approaches to the ultimate home-style comfort food yield unexpected pleasures.

This article first appeared in the 1 January 2008 issue of Restaurants & Institutions (R&I).

R&I is the USA's leading source of food and business-trend information and exclusive research on operators and restaurant patrons. Editorial coverage spans the entire foodservice industry, including chains, independent restaurants, hotels and institutions. To find out more about R&I, visit its website here >>

By Allison Perlik, Senior Editor

Maple- and Mustard-Glazed Meatloaf (pictured above)
Soby's New South Cuisine, Greenville, S.C. Cremini, shiitake and portobello mushrooms sautéed with onions, herbs and Worcestershire sauce lend earthy punch to Chef Rodney Freidank's recipe. Eggs and panko crumbs help bind the mushroom mixture to ground beef tenderloin; the meatloaf is then coated with maple-syrup-and-Creole-mustard glaze and baked.

Veal and Pork Meatloaf Terrine
Baylor University, Waco, Texas (Aramark).

Butternut squash is baked with maple syrup and layered atop spinach to create this residential-dining entrée. The ground-veal-and-pork blend is accented with mustard, onions, thyme and panko crumbs. Sliced to order, the terrine is plated with balsamic- red-onion compote, mashed potatoes and spinach.

Turkey Meatloaf & Pudge
The Flying Biscuit Cafe, multiple locations.

Horseradish cream sauce blankets this grilled, thick-sliced meatloaf of ground turkey perked up with sundried tomatoes, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and ketchup. Sharing top billing is "pudge," a family recipe of the Atlanta-based chain's original chef's for mashed potatoes with sun-dried tomatoes, basil and olive oil.

Meatloaf Sliders
Icon Grill, Seattle.

At this contemporary-American concept, happy-hour diners can create combo plates of priced-by-the-piece miniature items, such as bacon-wrapped meatloaf sliders for $2.50 each. All orders come with a choice of sauce: chipotle mayonnaise, smoked tomato-bacon rouille, sagebuttermilk ranch or sweet-cherry barbecue.