Menu Makers
Appealing Appetizers Run the Gamut for Guests.
Choose and Use Them Wisely.

By Jimmy Love

   An appealing selection of appetizers can mean the difference between being an attractive, popular bar or just another of a long list in your zip code.
   Appetizers help set the mood for your customers, and there are numerous ways to promote them and your beverage menu at the same time. If your menu consists of some combination of french fries and onion rings without any real selection, it may be time to step it up branch out from the norm. Kicking the appetizer offerings up a few notches can be an extremely satisfying experience for the operator and the guest.

Exotic and Exciting
   For awhile now, the growing trend in the bar business has been to serve a selection of tapas as appetizers. Tapas are fun, easy to make and relatively inexpensive when split between two or more people. Cuba Libre, a hip night spot in Austin, Texas’ Warehouse District, has distinguished itself as a great place to get some bar food, and its selection of tapas is within the $5-9 range. Operators there have been creative in their selection, coming up with fun and tasty creations  to satisfy any taste. In the $5 range are the Mariquitas Plantain Chips served with pineapple mint mojo sauce and chipotle ranch sauce. In the $9 range, the Camarones Diablo bacon-wrapped jalapeños stuffed with smoked shrimp and cream cheese, wrapped with bacon, grilled and served with roasted corn pico de gallo sell well.
   Maurice Martinez, executive chef for Cuba Libre, says tapas have been a big hit.
   “Over the past year, we’ve introduced new products focusing on flavoring,” he says, “and that has really picked up our appetizer business.” He says that some of the most popular tapas served have been the Calamari and the Mozzarella Salad. “Our regular customers want the same things,” he says, “but others are excited to try our new selection.”
   When asked if he would recommend that other bars try to incorporate tapas into their appetizer selection Martinez says, “Yeah, definitely. They’re not difficult to prepare and they sell very well.” What is his secret? “It’s the sauce that makes our tapas special.”
   Shrimp, jalapeños, oysters, chicken, plantain, pineapple and other exotic ingredients also are key factors to the success of Cuba Libre’s tapas menu.


Basic But ‘Best’
   You can be sure that appetizers were a major part of Citysearch.com’s decision to name the Backstage L.A.’s “Best Bar Food” for 2005. The selection at the Backstage ranges from simple to creative, with everything in between.
   With moderate pricing (by Los Angeles standards), the appetizers of the Backstage include favorites such as garlic fries and chicken wings, all the way to exotics like chicken and steak Satay, beef taquitos, fully-loaded steak nachos and fried cheese rolls stuffed with onions, olives and jalapeños. The Satay comes with strips of chicken or skirt steak marinated in Asian spices served with sweet chili sauce and Asian slaw. At $8.50, it’s a tasty bargain. 

Mix the familiar with the exotic to boost your appetizer appeal this year

Pushing Seasonal Selections
   “Anything with pomegranate in it is selling like crazy,” says Marc Kadish of Boston’s Sunset Grill & Tap. Known for their gigantic selection of beer, the Sunset’s main objective for its appetizers is to focus on things that go well with their tap microbrews, imports, and domestics.
  “Of course, sales of the nachos and the wings are not declining amongst the college crowd,” Kadish says. “We’re still selling some classics, as well as some interesting things that are really flying out the door.”
   What kind of interesting things? “It depends on the season,” he says. “Right now, Quahogs, which are small clams, are really big in New England. We make Cape Cod-stuffed New England Quahogs with sherry, garlic, onions and a few other ingredients and top it off with some butter, Tabasco and lemon.”
   Other interesting selections include Sweetwater Duck with salad, jicama, mango, black shrimp and a raspberry vinaigrette, as well as New England crab quesadillas. Kadish also says vegetarian items have become more popular. He describes the appetizer selection, usually around 40 items, as “traditional as well as eclectic.”
   One of his advertising strategies is actually to promote seasonal appetizers as specials to boost beer sales. A rule of thumb by which Katdish always abides by is that hot appetizers tend to do well in cold weather, while more subdued selections sell better in the summertime. “We’ve taken our Cajun-battered wings off the menu for the summer,” he says, “but I guarantee you that they will sell in the winter.” With 40-plus items on the menu, all selling well, he knows what he’s talking about.


Dive In
   Across the country, no matter what happens to be popular in one specific area, the overarching trend in appetizers is to mix the familiar with the exotic. Go ahead and put queso and chips on the menu, but balance it with some sort of bold crab dish. As a general rule, it’s never wrong to serve buffalo wings, but it’s a great idea to serve them right alongside something out of the ordinary. Tapas still is a great idea to revamp the feel of your appetizer selection. Distinguish your menu this year, and you will see a jumpin appetizer sales to reward your efforts.

NCB