Andrew
Minneapolis
Of all the places in the world, where do you dream about being when you're hungry. Give me details! I want to know where and what you ate, how it tasted, why you can't get it anywhere else. From fine dining to street food, I don't care. I want your dream destination for getting full!
Tokyo without a doubt. Japanese food is my absolute favorite food and could eat it the rest of my life. If I was thrown into the electric chair and I had my last meal it would be without a doubt a big sushi dinner complete with a bottle of Sake. Tokyo offers everything ( even whiskey is up and coming ) you can get sushi or ramen or sake or even go down to the fish markets for your own ingredients to make your own recipes. Tokyo is an amazing city and everyone should try to go there at least once in their life time. The street food such as grilled squid or udon is also delicious, healthy, and fresh. The Japanese take great care in preparing there food in terms of preparation and taste. I would be so big if I lived in Tokyo literally eating myself to death! I think I will go get sushi for dinner tonight now!
Believe it or not, but Kansas City (Missouri) is one incredible mecca of food ranging from tapas to BBQ and everything in between. I'm starving just thinking about it.
My favorites are:
Extra Virgin: Just order everything and have fun sharing. I tried almost half the menu and it was all incredibly delicious.
The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange: This place is known for their super knowledgeable bartenders, but the food is unbelievable starting with the appetizers and going right through dessert. The menu changes frequently, but it's always perfect.
Pigwich: It's a total whole in the wall type of place, but in a good way. As the name lets on, you'll be feasting on all things pig (and cow too). It's a perfect lunch time summer stop.
Oklahoma Joe's BBQ & Catering: Ok, technically just over the border in KS, but Oklahoma Joe's is awesome... and well worth the long long long wait you'll likely endure. Fortunately the smells wafting out the door will keep you in line.
I am so hungry now.
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Tough question, but I'd have to say Singapore. Wide variety of food from all over the world, higher standards of food cleanliness and good prices. Top notch in my opinion. My other answer is anywhere there is tasty food when you're hungry!
Arriving hungry in Bologna, Italy is rough, but when you can quickly head over to restaurants such as Osteria dell'Orsa or Trattoria Anna Maria, that can be easily fixed. Start with an antipasto platter, some pasta, and then a main course. You have to struggle to fit in the dessert. And of course, then the grappa and / or lemoncello that follows.
Nothing like fresh, local taglatelle, tortellini, and tortelloni, and a wonderful authentic Bolognese sauce. And that antipasto plate of mortadella and other local meats...divine!
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Hong Kong- no contest! From fine dining (I'm thinking 8 1/2 Bombana 8 1/2 Otto E Mezzo Bombana, LKH at four seasons Lung King Heen) to modern international food at PMQ PMQ, to street food institutions like Kau Kee beef noodle Kau Kee Restaurant and The Square dim sum. Whatever your budget and preferences you will eat very well.
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Philadelphia because Pat's King of Steaks, Wawa, Tony Luke's, Philly Pretzel Factory and good, american food! But bring your fat pants.
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I think anyplace that you really know intimately can be a foodie destination. I loved the hearty comfort foods of Krakow and Prague, but my foodie heart is in Valencia because I know it well enough to know where to eat which is quite phenomenal because when I first moved there, I thought Spanish food was boring.
For hot meals... I could eat at La Lola daily and never be bored. The portions and flavors are phenomenal. I love the rack of lamb served over chocolate cous cous. For truly amazing Spanish food with a unique twist, I love Seu Xerea, L'Hamadríada (try the beef cheeks), and A Tu Gusto.
For tapas, Vuelve Carolina is the masterpiece of Quique Dacosta, a well known Spanish chef. Everything is amazing. The flavors and presentation are unique and do not miss the mark. Restaurante El Pito 2 just north in Meliana is another tapas delight. Try the tellinas, the foi gras twice baked potato, the artichokes and mushrooms... they may sound basic, but every bite is heavenly.
For pinxos, I like Sagardi Valencia Centro. It's near the cathedral and serves up delicious pinchos when traditional Spanish restaurants are closed.
If I want Italian (better than anything I actually ate in Italy), I go see Carlo at Trattoría Da Carlo Restaurant and let him bring what he wants. On Mondays, he makes pizza himself. The rest of the week, his wife cooks. Try the octopus salad and fresh mozzerella, or, on Monday, the pizza Napoli. He's from Naples and just nails it.
For Japanese, I love Ao Yama where I can get all you can eat food from tempura to teriyaki, sushi to green tea ice cream. It's all fresh, delicious, and in tapas-sized portions, so I can try a lot of flavors without stuffing myself.
For dessert, there's nothing quite like the traditional churros and hot drinking chocolate at Chocolateria Valor Valencia on the corner of the Plaza de la Reina, but La Lola and Burdeos in Love make delicious desserts. Oh... and el coulán at Rincón del Faro haunts my dreams. Seriously indescribably toe curling goodness.
When I'm in a hurry, I like to grab a calamari sandwhich at Casa Mundo. Coffee is good everywhere.
I know I'm missing something, but you get the idea. There's Argentinan, a quirky food nouveau place called SAMSHA, and so many more restaurants that offer unique things. It isn't just paella. If you know where to eat, you'll never be bored in Valencia.For food photos of these, search for the restaurants at my blog. Here's a link for Rincon del Faro to get you started. :)
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Definitely Charleston. I'm going to tell you but please don't tell anyone else because we locals like to eat where and when we want without waiting! When I want the best salad I go to EVO PizzeriaEVO in North Charleston -- you can have delicious pizza but I go for salad. Any of the Maverick Southern Kitchen restaurants, especially Slightly North of Broad for whatever special: they use local, fresh and you can put it in the bank. If you cannot get a reservation, sit at the bar and order. Drop by Normandy Farm Artisan Bakery early in the morning for fresh bread and their vegetarian sandwiches to take for a walk. Try Stars for the best burger in town, kale salad... oh my! and then Edmund's Oast. Fish always has a great, quick lunch, too. Great for a work day. But, Please don't tell anyone, OK?
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Without a doubt - Memphis, TN. No, it's not the place to go if you're on a diet, but if you love food cooked with a little soul, this is the place to be.
For starters, barbecue. There's Central BBQ - $5 pulled pork sandwich and mac & cheese.Corky's Ribs & BBQ - hands down the best dry ribs you'll ever have in your life.
The best fried chicken in the entire world can be found at Gus's World Famous Fried ChickenAt the Cheesecake Corner, I once had a man from New York tell me it was better than New York cheesecake.
And to round it all out, Jerry's Sno Cones, get the supreme version which has vanila soft serve layered with the snow cone. Also, it looks like this:
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Personally, I'm fond of Breizoz for a traditional French creperie, run and operated by French people, which frequently hosts French language dinners for those who want to brush up their skills. The galettes are absolutely delicious, with a specials board that changes daily, depending on what's in season. I recommend a dessert crepe with a bottle of Breton cider and a game of Scrabble.
Lygon St is lined with Italian restaurants, all vying for your custom. You can't go wrong with many of them, although my personal favourite is Il Gambero.
As for breakfast, you can't go past Degraves St for the authentic Melbourne experience. Tiny cafes are packed into the small alleyway.
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The best city in the world would have to be San Francisco. I have been around the world in the service, but I think it would be hard to be San Fran for the diversity of food within such a small area. From American Diner food, to authentic Italian, Korean to East Indian and everything in between, you can't beat it. Of course Tommy's Joynt will probably be my all time favorite, but North Beach Restaurant makes some of the best veal shanks I have ever eaten. They are even better than the veal shanks I have eaten in Spain, Sicily, and Italy. Seafood? Pick a spot anywhere along the Piers and you will rarely go wrong... Japan Town has restaurants ranging from traditional Japanese like Shabu-Sen, or Kiss Seafood, to munching my way through the various stalls in the cultural center.......... Chinatown? Far too many to list, and my best advice is to follow your nose!!
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Portland OR. The food cart scene there is second to none. What's even more amazing is that the food there used to be boring, and there was hardly any ethnic food to speak of. But all that has changed in the last 15 years.
Has to be Berlin Burgermeister for a burger from a old pissoir, Henne Alt-Berliner Wirtshaus for the best chicken, Imbißstube Konnopke for currywurst And Kottbusser Tor for kebabs
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Every city has their own great places to eat. In Seattle, Washington it is close to the fish market at "Original Starbucks". In New Orleans it is The French Quarter. In San Francisco and other places in California you have San Francisco Chinatown. Nothing beats eating Asian. In Tampa, Saint Petersburg (Florida) and Clearwater, Florida. It is all the fresh fish, crab, lobster, clams, oysters and gator tail. What ever city you live in. Enjoy your local cuisine to the fullest.
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The greatest city of them all, New York City. Many people think of NYC as just Manhattan. If you include all of the other boroughs, I can't think of another city where there is so much diversity with so much ethnic foods to choose. NYC has thousands upon thousands of restaurants to choose from. You'll never go hungry here.
Hong Kong!! It has the most variety including European cuisines, high standards (normally) and by far the best Asian cuisine of most types available. Open all night as well.
Fantastically crispy pig skin on pork roll in Zen at Pacific Place for Dim Sum. Incredibly international offering for huge buffet lunch at the Island Shangri-La - Hong Kong or the Conrad Hong Kong Hotel, both in Pacific Place. Not to mention the dim sum palaces in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Sweaty hot authentic Thai and really well done Italian!! Japanese!!!! Drunken Shrimp!! Garupa!!
Hong Kong is a fantastic food destination, especially if you're hungry!!!
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For diverse & great dining Houston TX . Some you would think of Thelma's Bar B Que rib sandwich ! TexMex ( Guadalajara ) Burgers Sam's Deli Diner ! But also great Intl food options Argentine , Greek ,India Cuban ( Cafe Miami great coffee. Also Christchurch New Zealand has an amazing amount of good to great Thai places.
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There's this restaurant in Portland called Lardo (Lardo), and I'd just about move there just for its sandwiches. We're talking modern spins on Banh Mi, cubanos, French dips ... all full of way more flavor than any sandwich has a right to possess.
Portland also has a huge per-capita number of food trucks representing just about every cuisine you can imagine. While you're eating, other Portlanders are very likely to start up a conversation. Friendly people, awesome food. Can't go wrong.
I may be a little biased, but I'm going to have to say San Francisco. Being such a food-loving and overall diverse city, save for foie gras, there aren't many foods that I can't find here. They're all, for the most part, also really good and authentic to boot. Its actually made me a little jaded when I travel because I feel like a lot of foods that I eat on the road, I can also find at home.
We have amazing pizza of several styles...
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana for Naples styleLittle Star Pizza for Chicago style
Great Chinese food...
Like Golden Gate Bakery for egg tarts...Yank Sing for dim sum
San Tung Chinese Restaurant for the most amazing fried chicken
Of course, great Mexican food...
El Farolito for the best quesadillas and nachosColibrí Mexican Bistro for fancier Mexican
There's great American food...
Like Front Porch for SouthernThe Butler and The Chef for brunch
Super Duper Burger for burgers
We have amazing desserts...
Like Humphry Slocombe and Bi-Rite Creamery for ice creamTartine Bakery & Cafe for pastries
Frozen Kuhsterd and The Velvet Scoop for frozen custard
There's so much more, but I'm going to stop myself there. There's amazing Japanese, Basque, French, Spanish, Greek, German, street food, steakhouses... I do have to mention San Francisco's proximity to other amazing places, including Sonoma and Napa wine country. There's The French Laundry and Morimoto right in our backyard.
Ah, thanks for inspiring my love letter to San Francisco :)
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For me Bucharest is a great destination for an authentic culinary experience, mainly in the last 2-3 years.
If you want to eat traditional food and feel the interbellic atmosphere then Caru' cu bere is one of the best options. For a traditional lunch, to get the feeling that you belong to this big romanian family I totally recommend La Copac. From the vessels , up to design, spoons, the way food is cooked using old inherited reciped everything is memorable here.
Get the feeling of old forgotten times at Hanul lui Manuc live music evenings, delicious traditional food, a great selection of wines.
For a french morning where you can enjoy croissants made using natural ingredients, cakes, bread, coffee, omlette one of the best options would be Rue du Pain - Boulangerie Artisanale Keeping the french atmosphere, for amazing exquisite ecler, then French Revolutionis a must try , high quality standars and next to Romanian Athenaeum.
For a bistro/bar with scandinavian influences perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, a drinking evening, then M60 should be on your list. Really friendly staff, cosy atmosphere,
You feel like trying authentic turkish cuisine? Then, Califis one top place to try it. Is has express service in the old town, on Selari street, but you can also find it in Militari and Piata Iancului. I recommend Peymacun, Falafel. They have veggie options, prices are really decent and of course the famous turkish tea and ayran can be enjoyed here.
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I haven't been, but I'm told that would be Marshall, CA if you happen to love oysters.
I might also mention the night markets in Taipei City. Shilin Night Market is my fave. I bring it up because I know you're a fan of stinky tofu.
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New York City, I never had a bad meal the whole time I was there. Anywhere in Bavaria is also great, even when you're not hungry you want wurst and beer.
Ok, so I know it's not the sexy answer, but for me it's New Orleans. Hands down. In fact, I have traveled to New Orleans simply to EAT. No joke. Where do I begin...beignets at Cafe du Monde? I know it's cliche...but it's THAT GOOD. Muffulettas...too many good spots to narrow down. Just eat one! The "divier" the better. Brennan's....ah, Brennan's. I have literally shed tears of joy over the many delectable offerings at Brennan's. Bread pudding is ruined for me. Ruined!!! It's not the same if not from Brennan's. Turtle soup, bananas foster...ah, I digress. And then there's El Gato Negro. I'm from Dallas, Texas. The Mecca of tex-mex. So to say that I've never had a better margarita is a big deal! So, so good. And the food? Delicioso! I could go on and on and on. But just know that of all the places I have traveled...Nola is where I go when I want to eat!!
Singapore hands down. They probably have the most restaurants per capita or per square kilometer. The HawkerFood stalls have cult-like followers. From Chilli crab to Nasi Lemak (coconut rice with toppings) the local food scene covers 5-6 cultures in it. All the celebrity chefs have a branch here too. There are so many local, international brunch, lunch and dining options that it's a full time job to follow all the new places.
Best of all, all of them are so close by the longest journey to all your favorite foods is no more than 15 minutes away!
New Orleans My pick is New Orleans! Beignets and coffee at Cafe du Monde, Oysters Rockefeller at Antoine's, muffeletas at Central Grocery, Hurricanes at Pat O'Briens (on the drink side). Commander's Palace, Arnaud's, and Court of the Two Sisters are other great places to eat. Gumbo, jambalaya, po'boys... so much good food everywhere.
New Orleans has got to be the best place to eat in the USA! This is where great seafood dishes are invented. If you haven't had char grilled oysters at Drago's, creole food at Dooky Chase's Restaurant, or eaten at Commander's Palace come on down to the Big Easy and pass a good time, cher!
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I'd have to say London
It's such a diverse city with various cultures; I'd simply be spoilt for choice when it comes to food.
Be it local comfort favorites like fish and chips at a pub, the famous roast duck at Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant, an exotic Peruvian meal at Coya Restaurant London, casual and classy Italian dining at Cicchetti or dining at Michelin-starred restaurants like Dinner by Heston for contemporary British cuisine, Benares Restaurant for fine Indian food, or Yautcha for fabulous dim sum - there is so much delicious food to make this hungry girl happy!
Not to mention the superb afternoon tea tradition.
Anyways, I think I've made my point ;)
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George Town, Penang.
Best food courts and street food in the world with enormous selections of food from all over Asia.
Singapore! It's the best food city on the planet. They know how to eat! You can eat your way all across southeast Asia. Singapore is a melting pot of malay, Chinese and Indian communities, and the food of all 3 regions and sub-regions is well represented across the island. It's also the best place in the world to eat cheaply. You can stuff your face in a "hawker centre" (outdoor food court) for no more than USD $10 per person, and the quality of the food is as good as any 5-star restaurant. The food is also excellent at the higher ends of the price range as well. The Golden Mile Food Centre hawker just north of the central business district is the best on the island (mostly Chinese), and other good spots are Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice in the Maxwell Road hawker centre (at the south end of Chinatown), the Old Airport Road Food Centre, the "No Name Seafood" chain with a few outlets around town, and for breakfast the "Kopitiam" chain.
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I will talk about my city, Buenos Aires, because is a great place to eat. As we´ve had inmigration from all over the world here you can find the best of Italy, Spain, France, Armenia, Turkish, China, Japan, Peru, Bolivia, etc.
For breakfast you can enjoy some wonderful pastrys, we call them "facturas", in every bar or coffee shop, in the traditional bakery shops (panaderías), and nowadays there are many fancy bakeries, french inspired, like L'Epi or Le Blé, which have amazings croissants and brioches.
And then you can have really good spanish food, italian food (the pizza here is incredible), sushi, chinise, peruvian food, french food, and of course the meat in one of the many "parrillas" (grill houses) in the city. If you are feeling more adventurous you can take a "choripan" (porc sausage sandwich) or a bondiola sandwich in one of the food trucks in Costanera Sur. This is nearly the only type of food we eat on the streets, other than hotdogs, beacuse even when we are in Southamerica we don't eat in the streets as much as in other countries.
And you definitly have to try the "argentinian" food such as "empanadas", "milanesas" (the bests of the world) and food from the north of the country like "tamales" or "humita".
Deserts are important to us also. The most famous are the "flan con dulce de leche" (like a pudding with our famous sweet), "panqueques" (crepes), or icecreams which are really good here.
During the day you can try the "alfajores", cookies filled with dulce de leche and coverd with chocolate.
We also have a special kind of sandwich, similar to the finger sandwiches served for the 5 o'clock tea, made with a thin layer of white bread and filled with jam, cheese, eggs, olives, tomato, letuce, etc. We call them "sandwiches de miga".
As you see you could come to Buenos Aires just for the food and be perfectly contented here.
I dream about Jeonju, S Korea. My partner lived there and would eat Cheesy Bulgolgi every day... and nearly did when there. It was the only place we ever saw that on the menu and besides that comfort food, it's known as the birthplace of bibimbap & has some great makkeoli spots. While I'm partial to the province directly south (Jeollanam-do) for the best & freshest food in the country, Jeollabuk-do is great as well. Here I'm drinking some traditional tea at one of our first date spots.
When we had an overnight in Seoul last year, we made the 4 hour trip each way to see a friend...but mostly to get Chees-suh Bulgolgi.
It has to be Falafel. Cheap, cheerful and hits the spot. The best street food around. If your wanting something after the bar or even for lunch - it fits. Great taste and mixture of herbs and spices from the region. You don't know Tel Aviv until you try this great delicacy.
Lima, Peru!! A fresh ceviche and filling causa by the ocean.
London. The cliche's are no longer true. London is quite possibly the greatest food city in the world. Why? Because it's so international with so many cultures living there, doing business there, and traveling there that the best of every cuisine have a presence - and it's the good stuff, the best of the best - from street food to the finest dining. This is the culinary capital of the world.
New York City is a close 2nd place and Tokyo is right up there for similar reasons as London.
San Sebastian ! Home to the most Michelin stars - but you don't need to eat at a fancy restaurant to enjoy foodie heaven here. The pintxo bars are amazing and innovative. I spent a few days here and more or less spent most of my time eating.
http://passportandplates.com/blog/foodie-heaven-four-days-in-san-sebastian/
http://passportandplates.com/blog/foodie-heaven-four-days-in-san-sebastian/
Memphis BBQ. They have the best ribs. Don't worry here about under cooked ribs. These are fallin off the bone good. Tender.
Memphis. They have the best ribs. Don't worry here about under cooked ribs. These are fallin off the bone good. Tender.
Have been to many of the places named in the comments, but overall I must say Brussels. Will anyone seriously argue that Brussels has the best chocolate, best fries, best waffles and best cookies? I doubt it. And, with approximately 330 different beers brewed in Belgium, one will never get a better selection, including in Germany and the Czeck Republic. Finally, Brussels has more Michelin three-star restaurants per capita than any place on earth, including Paris and Lyon.
Las Vegas! The strip has many of the world famous chef's with their own restaurants. It's hard to beat...
Anywhere in Spain....Especially San Sebastian. Spain is now what Paris used to be for young chefs. Many of them clamor to stage in Barcelona, Madrid, or San Sebastian. Not to mention the great food in Andalusia.
Anywhere in Italy. But specifically at the Osteria Francescana in Modena.
It is the best in Italy and second best in the world. While there go visit how they manufacture the new Alfa Romeo 4C at the Maserati factory also in Modena.
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