Here’s how restaurants are using creative condiments and sauces to elevate dishes

Compound butters have popped up recently in a number of dishes, like the mesquite butter bacon cheeseburger LTO from Sonic Drive-In, in which the beef patty was seared in mesquite butter; or the key lime grilled striped bass on the spring menu at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, in which wood-grilled Pacific striped bass was topped with key lime butter sauce. Cowboy Chicken — a casual-dining chain that specializes in wood-fired rotisserie chicken — serves homemade tomatillo sour cream sauce on its enchiladas and homemade chipotle mayo on its Original Cowboy Sandwich, while Farmer Boys promotes their veggie burger with house-made Thousand Island dressing. The Cheesecake Factory has written the book on innovative use of global ingredients, and the sweet potato enchiladas, in which warm corn tortillas are filled with roasted sweet potatoes, poblano peppers and melted cheese, continue the tradition.