By Sammi Smith

AMONG ALL OF THE 2016 CHAOS, THE FOOD INDUSTRY CONTINUED TO TRIVE AND INNOVATE FOOD TRENDS, SOME EVEN WORTH A 4 HOUR WAIT. THING YOU'VE FINISHED YOUR 2016 BUCKET LIST? THINK AGAIN! ADD THESE 10 TRENDY FOOD FADS ON YOUR LIST TO HAVE A DELICIOUS END TO THE YEAR.

1. BUBBLE CONES

Starting in Hong Kong, the trend of bubble cones took America by storm this year. from Wowfulls in New York City, to Milkcraft in Connecticut, you're bound to find a store near you! Milkcraft freezes every scoop to order with food grade Liquid Nitrogen, which creates smaller ice crystals when freezing, and results in the smoothest possible ice cream. After visiting a few times, I easily came to the conclusion that the Sea Salt Caramel was my favorite, topped with Fresh Caramel Sauce, Sea Salt Flakes, and Maple Kettle Corn. Other fan favorites tend to be the S'Mores Campfire topped with Deep Cocoa Chocolate, Fire Roasted Marshmallow, and Graham Cracker Crumbs, and the Cookie Butter Blue topped with Blue Speculoos cookies and cream butter. If you haven't tried this 2016 trend, I recommend bumping it to the top of your to-do list: The S'Mores.

Left: S'More's Campfire Bubble Cone

Middle: @fatfoodfriends & I at Milkcraft

Right: Sea Salt Caramel Bubble Cone

2. Over The Top Milkshakes

Although the infamous restaurant in New York city is named Black Tap Burgers & Beer, don't be fooled. Their true gem is their outrageous milkshakes which include toppings such as whole pieces of cake, sour candy, brownies, and anything else you could ever imagine. All it took was a few popular foodies to post about these shakes to get the buzz going. Picture after picture began to pop up on my feed, making me hungrier every time I hit the like button. I decided I had to have a Black Tap experience, but after doing some research, I learned people were waiting on line that were two hours or more just to sit down. I did not plan on trying them anymore, until I found myself at the Black Tap tent at Governors Ball Music Festival on Randall's Island in New York City. It was maybe 11 am, so the line was surprisingly short and definitely worth it. Although they did not offer the extensive menu that they do at the restaurants, I was still very satisfied with my Black and White shake, which is their signature. As I received my towering pile of candy, cookies, and brownies carefully placed on the side of my shake cup, I couldn't fathom the amount of sugar I was about to intake. I couldn't finish it all, but can admit to eating all the toppings and would do it again if I could! Stuck in New York for a day with nothing to do? Head on down to on of Black Tap's locations for a long wait, fast service, and amazing shakes. Even if you're as impatient as I am, and I'm very impatient, it's worth the wait, take my word for it.

3. GOURMET DONUTS

Don't want to venture into Connecticut? Is the city life more for you? Dough New York may have everything you're looking for! They have 5 locations, as well as Smorgasborg and various festivals. Their donuts aren't as "extra" as Donut Crazy, but they are outrageously large, and delicious. They take classic flavors and add a crazy flare or twist. While it Smorgasborg in Brooklyn, I was able to get the Lemon Poppy, Hibiscus, Cafe Au Lait, and a classic, Plain Glazed. As well, they have rotating flavors including eggnog cream, mojito, chocolate chipotle, and cheesecake. If you're trying to upgrade from your usual Dunkin' Donuts morning fix, check out either of these crazy locations. After consuming, I donut recommend going back to Dunkin' Donuts.

4. RAINBOW BAGELS

Finally! A 2016 food trend that's not sweet. Although rainbow doesn't have a taste, everyone would rather be eating a pretty colorful bagel than a plain bagel. The trend started the The Bagel Store in Brooklyn where you can get flavored rainbow bagels, and no I don't mean everything or poppyseed, I mean Passion Pink And Purple Raspberry Flavored. Lines began flooding out of The Bagel Store, which ultimately lead to the neighborhood scene changing and "regulars" losing their pull at the store.

"The bagel that broke the internet"

-Scot Rossillo, Founder of The Bagel Store, Brooklyn

The rainbow bagel truly broke the internet. Watching videos of rainbow bagels being made has become mesmerizing and ordering food coloring infused bagels has become addictive. From the big city, the trend traveled down to a small bakery in Darien, Connecticut, Upper Crust Bakery and Cafe, commonly known as UCBC. Although the rainbow bagels are UCBC are not flavored, the color aspect definitely ads a flair to your regular meal. Weather you try a rainbow bagel, or the original from The Bagel Store, it makes for an exciting meal and a great photo op! If you're really feeling adventurous, try making your own rainbow bagels, following the instructions here.

5. ACAI BOWLS

Enough sweets and carbs! It's health kick time! Acai bowls have become the new health food fad, promoted by celebrities such as Alexis Ren and Kylie Jenner. The açai palm is a species of palm tree in the genus Euterpe cultivated for its fruit and hearts of palm. In this case, you use the juice or frozen concentrate of the fruit to blend into your bowl. Although some may say it's a "glorified smoothie," it's a great snack and easy to make. After reading some DIY posts, I began making my own! Want to make your own? Read my signature recipe here!

6. SUSHI BURRITOS

Sushi what?? Yup, you read that right, a delicious hybrid between two different cuisines, Japanese and Mexican. Although Chipotle has had an enterprise on the Mexican food industry for a while, there's a new burrito in town. President Trump may not approve because it's not made by "hardworking mexicans," but the hardworking Japanese have done it again & created another catchy food trend. Born in San Francisco at Sushirrito, this wrap of goodness has traveled to The Big Apple. There are many different places to get a sushi burrito including The Rawl (read more about our adventure to The Rawl here) and Hai Street Kitchen, but my favorite is from Uma Temakeria. After seeing multiple pictures of their sushi burritos online, I was excited when The Meadows Festival in New York announced they would be having Uma Temakeria as a food vendor. Although the concert was only two days, I managed to scarf down at least four of these crazy delicious burritos. Each time, I got the Uma-Ritto, which is Salmon, tuna, tobanjan mayo, cucumber, carrots, tempura crunch & sesame seeds. There were limited options because it was a festival, but at their two NYC locations, you can create your own, among other sushi and chirashi bowls. If you love sushi, or just want to try something new, this is the place for you!

7. ARANCINI BALLS

Although arancini balls have been an authentic Sicilian street food for years, it has been put to the test in the streets of New York by Arancini Bros. Arancini is fried balls of Arboria rice filled with anything your heart desires, coming in packs of two or six. Although I've never been to their flagship location, I've had the widespread food trend at Governor's Ball Music Festival, Panorama NYC Festival, and Union Square Holiday Market. My six favorites are ragu, pesto with mozzarella and tomato, nutella, buffalo, philly cheese steak, and crabcake. Arancini Bros has over 30 options, with additional seasonal balls. They are split into four categories, meat, vegetarian, seafood, and dessert. Drop by their flagship location, Whole Foods, or the Mets Stadium to try the new ball on the street!

8. DONUT ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Pick a donut- cake or chocolate
Add icing- vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry
Add toppings- anything you can imagine, my personal favorites are mini marshmallows and oreos
Slice
Add ice cream- all homemade ice cream and over 25 flavors
"mmm..."

The combination options are endless! Holey Cream has other items on their menu such as cupcakes, brownies, ice cream, cookies, milkshakes, and create your own hand-dipped donuts. Looking for a food you can say holey shit about? Head to Holey Cream in New York City for such an amazing experience, it's almost holey!

9. TAIYAKI

Taiyaki is the Japanese word for "baked sea bream," but in the foodie world, it's a fish shaped cake made from pancake or waffle batter, filled with sweet red bean paste or custard. Two second generation Asian-Americans, Jimmy, Ricky and Tom decided it was time to bring the trend to the streets of New York City. They turned fish shaped cakes into fish shaped cones, creating buzz in the Chinatown community before their opening on September 16, 2016. After just over two short months, Taiyaki has blown up over Instagram and other social media platforms. I decided I would try this Japanese delicacy for myself. The steps to creating your own Taiyaki were simple and straight forward.

Choose your ice cream- vanilla, chocolate, matcha, or black sesame + seasonal flavors
Choose tail filling- custard or red bean
Pick toppings- rainbow sprinkles, chocolate powder, mini m&ms, crushed oreos, graham cracker crumbs, mini mochi, strawberries, or chocolate sprinkles
Drizzle- chocolate, red bean, caramel, or condensed milk

I chose vanilla ice cream, with a tail filled of custard, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate sauce. The cone was fresh and warm. Although I was sceptical of the custard filling, it was a great edition. Trying to expand your food culturalization? Drop by Taiyaki in NYC for a new experience!

10. FROZEN SMORE'S

Did you know S'mores are called S'mores because you always want "some more?" Well, Dominique Ansel Bakery wanted some more, which led him to create the Frozen S'more. Almost all New Yorkers are familiar with the name "Dominique Ansel," known for innovative and "out of the box" desserts that are photographed and plastered all over social media. The Frozen S'more attracted New Yorker's attention faster than his other creations, which convinced me to try it for myself. The man handed me a stick. It had a custard ice cream center that was covered with crispy chocolate wafer chips, and all enrobed in a modified frozen marshmallow. They are torched to order and even come on their own apple wood smoked tree branch. Looking for some more? Head to Dominique Ansel Bakery to fulfill your cravings!

Top Ten Food Trends of 2016