Pork belly steam buns. Snapping turtle soup. Clam pizza with Thai chilies. These dishes might not seem to have much in common with one another, but in fact, they’ve all been classified as belonging to the same cuisine: New American. Loosely defined as farm-to-table fusion food with French and Asian influences, New American cuisine can now include just about any ingredient or technique from around the world. In theory, that reflects our country’s melting-pot culture and gives chefs freedom to play. But in practice, New American restaurants have become bland and derivative, little more than watered-down steakhouses with exotic words like yuzu and gremolata thrown onto the menus for good measure.
