name some other city "food scenes"

[vash]

I looked my wife in the eyes and asked her. what would be a better purchase?

a boat for ocean fishing? or the Sprinter Van. she said, "Van, dork. that way we can do it together". (oh, yea..marriage. opps)

we want to cruise the USA looking for regional food and general delishiness.

AS I am watching used Van pricing drop on FB marketplace, and the catalyst of the LA food scene thread; it got me thinking of destinations. Miami? I really want a cubano from Miami..and I have never had a slice of key lime pie in my life.

Chicago? NYC? Omaha?

saving up diesel money now.

(I still will work on that boat. Stabicraft 1550 Frontier..heheh.

[Dixie]

The best dinning experiences I've ever found are in Charleston, SC. There's tons to pick from too. I personally adore the upscale places like High Cotton, SNOB (Slightly North of Broad), and 82 Queen. There's also plenty of less fancy places with amazing food. The only place I avoid is Hyman's Seafood. Yes, it's a Charleston landmark and always busy, but I don't understand why. To me, it's the Denny's of middlin' fried seafood.

I'd love to live in Historic Charleston, but I can't afford to. So remember, if you're a Holy City Debonair, I'm single.

[David]

Almost every city has a good food scene now. We find something great everywhere we go.

We should make a list of restaurants around the country

So many good places in New Orleans, Charleston, New York, and even my home town of Houston.


Dixie, is that Zero George? We had some caviar there before heading out for dinner.

[vash]

my wife's wants Charleston. so that is a stop.

[Dixie]

Vash, Charleston is also filled with lots of other things to do and see. The boat ride to Ft Sumter is a treat. The Yorktown is also pretty cool, and The Hunley is also there. Folly Beach is nice, and you have to do a carriage ride. I take one every time I go. At this point, I think I know the tours better than a lot of the guides.

Oh, and I like to stay at The Vendue. There's something about those high rice beds and antebellum rooms that makes me start panting and perspiring, lawt!

[id10t]

New Orleans.

If you decide to go, lemme know before hand and I'll see if I can put you in touch wiht my quasi-cousin who is a float builder there


And based on my "no toll roads and avoid construction" drive from Colorado to Florida a few years ago, plan on good BBQ darn near anywhere in the SE USA.

[Dixie]

This memory seems to somehow oddly fit here...

Dinner was served, and I had been eighteen for all of two months when my new husband seated me at my momma's big fancy dinning room table.

"So, tell me all about your honeymoon in Charleston. Did you see Rainbow Row?" I looked at momma and replied softly, "no." "Did you see Ft. Sumpter?" Sheepishly I replied, "no." "What about The Battery?" I replied meekly, "no ma'am." "What about the Cooper River Bridge, The Citadel, or dinner? Didn't y'all see or do something?" I sat there, blushing into my plate, and shook my head, no.

At that point Daddy's face lit up with a big ol' smile. "For Christ sake dear, it was their honeymoon. All she ever saw was the ceiling!"

... I'll stop now.

[speeder]

I'll take things that never happened for $500, Alex!

[speeder]

Originally Posted by David

Almost every city has a good food scene now. We find something great everywhere we go.

We should make a list of restaurants around the country

So many good places in New Orleans, Charleston, New York, and even my home town of Houston.


Dixie, is that Zero George? We had some caviar there before heading out for dinner.

It depends on your definition of food scene, I guess. Probably every fairly large city in the USA has at least one good restaurant, maybe more but if you want world-class dining from every region of the world, the choices are few. Also, (and this is significant), people have vastly different standards based on what they have been exposed to in life.

I do not doubt that there are some amazing restaurants in random locations, (just read a Michelin Guide), but for a confluence of top-flight eateries from everywhere with the actual people from the countries who created them, it's LA/NY/SF in that order.

[Dixie]

Originally Posted by speeder

I'll take things that never happened for $500, Alex!

Lol, and you'd lose!

[DRONE]

Diners drive inns and dives
Guy reviews all across the country

[Zeke]

Food, and specifically restaurants, is way too subjective. People are attracted to highly rated eateries like moths to a flame. It gets tiring, it really does. The swarm goes here and the there. All a game.

Real food of the best variety is where you find it. Yeah, Triple D "discovered" some great food in some unique settings. There have been a few instances that I am familiar with where a very well regarded chef, the kind that might be part of a Michelin rated restaurant if ALL the factors considered checked all the boxes, escaped to open a hole in the wall, and failed.

It wasn't the food, I hope you understand that part.

[David]

Originally Posted by speeder

It depends on your definition of food scene, I guess. Probably every fairly large city in the USA has at least one good restaurant, maybe more but if you want world-class dining from every region of the world, the choices are few. Also, (and this is significant), people have vastly different standards based on what they have been exposed to in life.

I do not doubt that there are some amazing restaurants in random locations, (just read a Michelin Guide), but for a confluence of top-flight eateries from everywhere with the actual people from the countries who created them, it's LA/NY/SF in that order.

I do agree. We always reserve at least one Michelin star restaurant on our trips when available. For every great Michelin star experience, we have a non-listed amazing experience and are sure to let the chef know. Our recent trip to Charleston was one such experience at Wild Common. Not cheap but not starred either. Amazing meal in my opinion. On the flip side, we've had some Michelin starred restaurants that just didn't live up to the hype for me. We ate at Osteria Francescana in Modena this summer and while good, it didn't live up to my expectations. My point is, search out new restaurants with great reviews and you might be pleasantly surprised.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by vash

I still will work on that boat. Stabicraft 1550 Frontier...

Stabicraft is/are awesome! Link saved because I need to buy one and then get divorced ASAP

There is no food paradise or wasteland once you get out there...clusters of greatness? Sure.

My advice to you is to not try and apex the food experience...there is going to be a clunker or two along the way.

The best thing I have every tasted in my life was a breakfast at 'My Jewish Mother's' in Virginia Beach...1985 or so.

Dixie is right...one of my sisters went to the College of Charleston and worked as a cocktail waitress at the Francis Marion Hotel. I filled in as a bartender over the holidays when I was home from college...after work visits to some of the better places in Charleston was incredible.

But that is just one example...btw, if you go to Miami, and you should, remember to blink.

[Tishabet]

I have fished a stabicraft many times, overall love them. The fabrication and weld quality is outstanding. But, make sure you spend some time inside one.. all of those sealed chambers mean a lot less room inside than the LOA and beam would otherwise indicate. If you are willing to look at used also get ACB (air chamber boats) on your radar.

For foodie cities I was pleasantly surprised by Lexington KY.

[TimT]

So many places with good food scenes...and as mentioned peoples tastes vary..

I haven't been to LA in about 10 years.... but Id say LA=NYC or NYC=LA

Just by Michelin numbers its NYC, and LA is much larger than NYC by area..

LA has two Michelin 3 star restaurants

NYC has five Michelin 3 star restaurants...

Other notable food cities..

Charleston as mentioned.

I was in Asheville a few years ago... not sure how it has recovered from the flooding..

Savannah.

Lima, Peru, had some spectacular meals there

Beijing.... Me a total pizza nerd spying a "Wood Fired" pizza sign in Chaoyang... and having a superb sourdough pizza....not to mention the cart with the guy who made Mojitos...Also went to a superb steak joint, and a simple jian bing from a cart for breakfast..

Even in Queens, NYC...Roosevelt Ave... From where it splits from Northern Blvd where there is an H-mart, and Korean BBQ rest... then after Citifield to where it terminates and the BQE... is like flipping through a world atlas... Every cuisine you can imagine just on this one avenue...And this is just one street in one borough...Tibetan Momo shops, the Arepa Lady, Eritrean, Ukraine.. you name it..

Just look and watch what the locals do....

There is a little mom and pop Taqueria I can walk to that opens at 6am ... the lawn crews and day laborer's eat there all day... a simple menu but so good... If the food wasn't good... it might not have made it, since they opened right when the world stopped from Covid..

[vash]

Originally Posted by DRONE

Diners drive inns and dives
Guy reviews all across the country

that dude lives in my hometown. I am not a fan. I cant get behind a chef that makes gagging noises when he sees some food item he doesnt like. I kinda think a chef should be above that. his restaurants blow.

[A930Rocket]

I live in Charleston, but we rarely go out.

That said, Dixie has given me a new list of restaurants to try!

[rattlsnak]

I second NOLA. Like nowhere else..

[Gogar]

Charleston is a great food town!

Houston is also amazing and very diverse but you would need some help just cause it's so huge.

IMO the food deserts are Nebraska Iowa and Kansas, although the people are always quite nice.