The Polka Dot Cupcake: 2011's Hottest Food Trends

Industry trend watcher Andrew Freeman is at it again. He is back with his fourth annual list of picks for the food and restaurant trends with the most promise.

Freemans latest list resulted from "a combination of close industry observations, coast to coast travel, discussions with industry experts, regular meetings with hotel and restaurant clients and extensive media research.

Without further ado:

The pie: Move over cupcake, make way for the pie. Pies in all sizes, sweet or savoury, individual bite sized and even pies blended into shakes. Yes this little guy is moving up from the state fair to Hollywood!

New mom & Pop Shops: Realizing the time is now, and if you going to do it, you might as well do it your way, partners are opening self financed and self built restaurants. These are small establishments, fewer than 40 seats, designed by friends and family.

You're the one: Single purpose restaurants which are serving variations on one item. Not a trend I'm convinced will take off but don't be surprised if you find "The peanut butter palace" selling biscuits, sandwichs and egg benedict.

Shrink Wrapped: Traditional meals are going way of the fun sized snack. Smaller portions are perfect for smaller wallets and eating on the run. Keep a look out for mini pizzas and bagels, two bite hot dogs, mini tacos or burritos and even down sized pot roasts. Small is big!

Marketing 101 Night & Day: Restaurants and high end quick service operators are joining with farmers, artisans and specialty purveyors reinventing the food hall. Restaurants are also expanding by opening quick service windows. Opening a window of opportunities.

Desert Menu: Restaurants are abandoning descriptive marketing jargon (liking cooking methods, sides or adjectives) instead highlighting only key ingrediants. You may not know exactly what you getting, but that will make your dining experience so much more exciting.

Talk dirty to me: In search of simplicity and pure flavours, chefs are abondoning sauce, instead using powders, crumbles, dustings and "dirt" crafted from cookie crumbs, dried mushroom powder and dehydrated beet to name just a few. This is not a trend I will follow, I cant eat anything without sauce!

Fire it up: Extending way beyond wood fired pizza, restaurants all over are roasting vegetables directly in embers and slow roasting whole animals or large cuts of meat over wood burning fires.

Haute Dogs: Hot dogs are the new hamburgers as chefs reimagine them with boutique style sauces and gourmet toppings. Hot dogs wioll escape from speciality stands and venture into restuarants as chefs dress them up.