If European cuisine still rules Boston’s upscale restaurants, Asian food is increasingly influential. Customers are gravitating to its bright, bold, and spicy flavors, and chefs see such late-night menus as a way to bring in crowds. The National Restaurant Association study “What’s Hot in 2012” predicts the rise. Surveying nearly 1,800 chefs, it names street-food-inspired appetizers and main courses, fusion cuisine, Southeast Asian and Korean cuisine, Asian noodles, small plates, Asian-flavored cocktails, and more as trends for the year.
