Rob’s Fearless Food Predictions for 2018!

Ronald Cheng of Chinatown and Street restaurants

Traditionally we use the first day of the new year for some admittedly tongue-in-cheek predictions about the local and national food scene. Happy New Year fellow foodies!

1. Distant relatives Ronald Cheng and C.K. Chin will partner in a new fusion concept called Cheng, Chin and Everythin’.

2. After complimentarily opening Babbo to all the women of New York, celebrity chef Mario Batali is allowed to return to The Chew.

3. In an astonishing new poll, Franklin BBQ is named the best restaurant in the United States!

4. New Filipino restaurant Be More Pacific embarks on an ambitious campaign to instruct every customer how to order in Tagalog.

5. In a bold move, the Russian House announces it will add pizza to its authentic menu, featuring house made Moscow Mozzarella.

6. In its ever-expanding mode, The Domain opens 85 new restaurants in 2018. All are upscale chains featuring, well, everything you can already find at the Domain. Initial reviews on Yelp are enthusiastic.

7. Chef Ben Nathan of Café Blue is awarded Food and Wine’s “best clam chowder south of the Mason Dixon” accolade.Personally I would have eliminated the Mason Dixon part.

8. Jack Gilmore of Jack Allen’s Kitchen becomes the hands down national winner for “Most Successful Restaurants Opened at Sites that had Previously Failed” (not even a close second).

9. Garth Brooks finally acknowledges that he was not referring to our Oasis atop Lake Travis in “Friends in Low Places.” Apparently Oklahoma has an Oasis as well. Who knew?

10. Dripping Springs will be named in 2018 as the “Best City in the Country to Open a Restaurant.” It’s already got Creek Road Café, Homespun Kitchen and Bar, and Epicure, with The League Kitchen & Tavern coming in from Lakeway and more.