Sustainability, burgers and the farm-to-table thing will keep their stronghold across the food service spectrum this year, but “value” will be the code word for 2010. Small and cozy will fare better than big and flashy, and intrepid foodies will become more interested about ingredients. So, restrain yourself for a new year of food discoveries; 2010 promises to be another exciting year in food and dining trends – and none of it involves molecular gastronomy.

1. “Frugal” is the new “Expense Account” Dining
Today's foodies are less obsessed with snob appeal and more interested in impressing with quality, pragmatic dining situations. Diners in 2010 will continue to trade down from pricey to sensible with their dining choices, making cheap-but-hearty ethnic eateries and neighborhood bistros more appealing than fancy white tablecloth dining destinations. In 2009, diners learned that it is possible to deliver good quality at a reasonable price point, and now they are expecting things to stay that way, post-recession.

2. Gourmet Burgers
While tastemakers Epicurious and New York Mag are both bandwagoning that Fried Chicken is in and Burgers are out, we’re seeing that - while chicken will indeed be hot property (see #3) - gourmet burger shops will still be in full demand. Expect “gourmet” burgers smothered with the likes of manchego cheese and Iberian ham.

3. Deep-Fried and Fabulous
Expect lots of deep-fried fare, like the bone-in fried chicken - the latest unlikely darling of upscale dining room - and Southern-style cooking to become hot entities in 2010. Deep-fried and BBQ chicken are already hitting the dining scene in heavy rotation, but watch for fried chicken crisped in new and inventive ways. Think Korean twice-fried chicken, thinly coated, with a satisfactory crunchy bite and a turbocharged flavor.

4. Sustainability
Dining on locally-sourced meats and seafood is not news, but the sustainability thing will skyrocket even further in 2010. We have learned in the past few years to adopt sustainable practices in order to make a difference. And that includes eating locally sourced, seasonal foods and buying products with sustainable/biodegradable packaging.

5. Superfoods
Scientific validation of natural health benefits of “superfoods” has been keeping intrepid foodies busy at the keyboards Googling key benefits in superhero fruits, vegetables and legumes. Eating an immunity-building diet – “culinary medicine” is the current buzzword - is set to be a big health trend of 2010. Want to get started? Superfoods that will rise to glory this year are mangosteen, açai, purslane, garbanzo beans, blood oranges, goji berries, mangosteens and seabuckthorn.

6. Comfort Cafés
Diners are craving homespun comfort foods like an addict needing a crack fix. Homemade food - like casserole and meatloaf - are back on the table, and ahead-of-the-curve restaurant owners already recognize this and are tinkering with all-time comfort faves, like mac n’ cheese, Shepherd’s pie and roast beef. Basically, meals that are typically inexpensive and are fairly substantial.

7. Bite-Size Desserts
Full-sized desserts have become the Dodge Caravan of dining - savvy diners have been ignoring them for years. Now, with focus on our ever-increasing gut and ever-decreasing cash flow, bite-size and mini desserts will be a hot ticket for 2010 and onward.

8. Smaller Portion Plates
This one has already seen great success in 2009. But, like the mini desserts (#.7), half-portion and small plates are what diners want right now, and are expecting a similarly smaller price point. Restaurateurs know this quite blatantly, as the smaller portion dining option has been the only thing filling seats in certain restaurants. Many chefs disclosed that they were even working on “food flights” (a progression of ceviches, mini-tacos and mini-sandwiches).

9. Back to Basics
Simplicity will be important, as people have begun to think about not just what they're eating but how much. So, get ready for locally canned, pickled produce, and chefs that cure their own salami and butcher their own beef, lamb and pork from primal cuts. It’s all part of healthy alternative, and slow cooking brings out the savory sweetness of true flavors anyway.

10. Smartfoods
Of all the latest functional food concepts, consumers have shown huge interest in foods that that improve mental performance. Just over one-third of consumers drink energy beverages for a mental boost. Ginseng, guarana and taurine are among the key ingredients in emerging Supercharged foods.

11. Small, local and temporary eateries
Neighborhood restaurants and bars and tacquerias lead the list of top restaurant trends. So, get ready for pint-size eateries and temporary outposts. Simplicity will have a greater voice in food over the coming year, so expect an explosion of pho eateries, affordable noodle bowl spots and tacqueria restaurants. And expect an onslaught of temporary pop-up restaurants.

12. More Information, Please
With everyone from the National Restaurant Association to food bloggers on the top of their game, consumers have gained a new hunger for information about food products - and the manufacturers are providing it. We want to know everything from Fair Trade chocolate and spices and mercury-safe seafood to researching hormone-free meats, and organically grown fruits and vegetables. The nutritional information on the back of cereal comes with a high learning curve, but we’re mastering it.

13. Street food and food trucks
Riding the wave of the anti restaurant movement has an insurgent of small, cheap and temporary dining. Airstreams and food trucks are now offering fresh tasty and authentic food without what some believe are the unnecessary overheads of the restaurant environment. Once the domain of greasy, substandard chip trucks and taco stands, mobile dining has officially made the move towards "gourmet" status. All over North America, diners are flocking towards upscale food trucks, finding the current location of their favorite via Twitter.

14. Home Cooking
If you’ve read this far, you’ll have “affordable comfort food” etched in your brain, and this trickles right down to the real deal. Home cooking - think pot roast, brisket and stew – is so alluring, it is having many households re-discovering their dining room tables. Restaurant chains have noticed and are hope to recoup some of the lost business by getting their product into grocery stores – and therefore, onto your dinner table. Look for even more chains to move into the world of retail food, like Burger King, which is selling its french fries in retail stores.

15. “Smart” spiked Drinks
The superfood market is expected to trickle into drinks and cocktails this year, with soy products and exotic fruits leading the charge. This rise is due to consumers looking for additives deemed good for them, so expect mixologists to start offering up libations with nutrient-rich fresh, organic and functional ingredients. Additives like acai berries, goji berries and pomegranates are working their way into good-for-you cocktails with “enhanced” beverages - on the “idea” that you can drink yourself into good health while becoming fabulously drunk. Beverage buzzwords include goji, green tea, guanara, hibiscus and acerola.

16. Korean is the new Sushi
Will Korean surpass sushi? Probably not. But the Korean cultural experience is quite hot right now, and is expected to continue into 2010 and beyond. About time, as the Korean cuisine is so vast in its culinary spectrum there is truly something for every discriminating palate. Realistically, we foresee elements of Korean food starting to trickle down into a more bastardized version for the North American palate. Expect an abundance of Korean BBQ and little bowls of banchan noodles and kimchi.