Edited by Gail Bellamy

‘SHROOM AT THE TOP: Chef Cindy Pawlcyn’s appetizer, Shiitake Mushroom and Goat Cheese Toasts.

Appetizers these days offer a menu double-whammy, answering the customers' demands for small tastes of luxury items while providing you with a showcase for your creativity and cuisine style. On the recipe pages that follow you'll find bite-sized specialties such as the Spicy Idaho Potato and Chicken Croquettes from corporate chef Russell C. Skall of Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Tampa, and the Bacon-Wrapped Wisconsin Menage with Honey-Glazed Cipollini Onion Skewers from chef John Caputo of Bin 36 in Chicago. Chef Kelly Degada of Pres a Vi in San Francisco shares a recipe for Rock Shrimp and Avocado Lumpia, while beef-lovers will appreciate the Hot Lava Stone Queso Fundido from chef Juff Tunks at Ceiba in Washington, DC. Check out chef Cindy Pawlcyn's Shiitake Mushroom and Goat Cheese Toasts from Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena, CA, and executive chef/owner Richard Rosendale's Sweet and Sour American Lamb Ribs from Rosendales in Columbus, OH. You'll find other ideas, too, such as chef Wesley True's Shrimp and Grits from True in Mobile, AL, and chef Travis Hyde's Truffled Polenta Gnocchi with Pork Cheek Ragu from Z Cucina Ristorante in Columbus, OH.

FOR MORE APPETIZER RECIPES

Visit our website at Restaurant-Hospitality.com for a collection of recipes developed specifically for full-service restaurants like yours.