It’s that time of year again. Bells are jingling, lights are twinkling and pundits are madly compiling “top 10” lists for 2017. So here’s what was hot on the Bay Area’s food and drink scene this year, from ice-cream fever to tater-tot mania and year-round rosé.
1 Canned wine
There was a time when boxed wine sent oenophile eyebrows skyward and the very idea of canned wine was unthinkable. But a number of wineries, including Alloy Wine Works and Union Wine Co., are putting some terrific vino in picnic-friendly cans these days. Now even more wineries are getting on board. Will corks give way to pop-tops? Probably not — but it’s nice to have non-glass options when you’re headed for the great outdoors.
2 Epic breakfast sandwiches
Avocado toast, bacon and egg-filled brioche — this has been the year of the epic breakfast sandwich. These days you can grab a #Baconslut at Oakland’s Gastropig, incredible avocado toast at San Carlos’ Town and breakfast sammies at scores of other hot spots.
3 Aquavit
This caraway-tinged Scandinavian spirit was once an import-only sip. Now the U.S. boasts more than 40 aquavit distilleries — California has four —and the spirit is popping up on bar menus across the Bay Area. (Tip: Try it in a Bloody Mary.)
4 Tater mania
Perhaps it started with poutine. But variations on the fried-potato theme are suddenly everywhere — as swamp fries, tots and dips, nacholike tot-chos and more. And if you had any doubt about the trend factor, now there’s a french-fries-only restaurant headed for Santa Clara.
5 Extreme ice cream
Perhaps it’s a childlike response to the planet’s fevered politics, natural disasters and ever-hotter summers, but extreme ice cream — from rolled Thai-style sundaes to cookie dough on a cone — has never been cooler. The opening of San Francisco’s pop-up Museum of Ice Cream this fall was final proof that the Bay Area has gone gaga for frozen confections.
6 Paletas
Speaking of frozen treats, colorful, fruity Mexican ice pops were hot this year at places ranging from San Francisco’s trendy Nopalito and San Jose’s new Luna Mexican Kitchen to mom-and-pop spots across the region.
7 Eclectic coffee drinks
Blue Bottle Coffee and Verve may have spoiled us with pour-overs and cold brews. But this year, we went nuts for ever-more eclectic coffee options, from Nutella mochas and Havana lattes to cardamom-kissed Bedouin Brew and wildly colorful barrista art.
8 Rise of mezcal
We called it last fall, when mezcal menus began popping up in a few high-end Bay Area restaurants and bars. Now the smoky, agave spirit is everywhere, from Oakland’s Agave Uptown to San Francisco’s Hog & Rocks.
9 Market halls
What began with Seattle’s Pike Place Market and San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace, has turned into a major food craze, with new market halls opening left and right — and we’re not just talking San Jose’s San Pedro Square, which boasts 18 food and beverage vendors. Be sure to check out San Jose’s SoFA and San Francisco’s The Market, too.
10 Year-round rosé
It’s not your imagination. Pink wine is everywhere — and not just during the warm summer months either. As if we needed any further proof of rosé’s rise: A Livermore rosé beat out the cabs and sauv blancs to take home the best-of-show crown at a major Northern California wine competition. (Psst, here are 20 rosés to try.)
