Post: #51

[snipped]

New York City is great for cheap food as well.

Grab a slice of pizza, a knish, or a bagel. Arguably the best in the world in those three categories (pizza obviously is going to highly contested).

I wrote up a data sheet with great places for all three.

Update:

And hot dogs.
[/quote]

No offense but there's a little more to cuisine than blobs of simple carbohydrates and Hebrew National franks (the pizza in NYC is good but I think New Haven-style is better, and just up the road).

The best cheap food in NYC right now for me are halal carts, platters of chicken/lamb with fresh salad and rice for five dollars (just have to eat it on the street).

Post: #52

(05-13-2012 04:33 PM)Scarecr0w Wrote:  Best food in the world?

there is no contest, Food from Peru is considered the best in the world by many, heck
even Lima has been named Gastronomic capital of the Americas:
http://www.andina.com.pe/Ingles/Noticia....TNqmgx90k=

A Bolivian friend of mine insists that much of Peruvian culture (cuisine, music, etc.) actually originates in the area which is now Bolivia...lol...I don't really have a beef with it either way I'm just sayin'. :-)

Post: #53

(05-17-2012 04:46 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  Try regional Chinese cooking. You could spend an entire year AT LEAST in each of china's culinary regions: Cantonese, Szechuan, Beijing, Shanghai, and each one of those regions has subregions with an insane amount of variety and tradition within.

If you think Italian food is just pasta and some meat then you've obviously never been to Italy.
(snipped)

These are both really great points, talking about "Chinese food" is *almost* like talking about "European food"--so broad it's quasi-meaningless. And Italy has *much* more to offer than "pasta and some meat" lol. (Most Chinese food in the West is a fast-food version of Hunan/Cantonese stuff-*not* representative [or even close] to the full variety [Chinese will literally *eat* anything so they have more variety :-)

Post: #54

I gotta chime in on Japan. Unbelievable. Just unbelievable. There is nothing better than a bowl of proper udon noodles. I still want to try the cuisine in the Hokkido Prefecture (Soporro). They have more of a meat/dairy diet.

Kuwait- I know right? But they had authentic Lebanese restaurants. The locals I talked to said the food was close enough to not worry about it. Also, due to the massive Indian Sri Lankan populations, the food was authentic. Saved me from having to go to either of those places. The restaurants were clean. Get a Kuwaiti sick and they'll shut the place down. They don't play with that shit.

London- NOT!

Socal- Fish taco's, carne asado burritos, yep. Some of those hole in the wall dives between San Diego and L.A. are world famous.

The DR- Great food but nowhere near the "best". I'm disappointed in the lack of seafood.

Estonia- Just like a previous poster, I resorted to McDonald's. Horrible.

My House- Not bragging, but it's impossible for me to find a ribeye or burrito at a restaurant better than I can make it.

Dream List

Tuscany- Always interested in going there with an emphasis on food. My uncle said it was the best in Europe.

Spain- Would love to go experience the seafood paella.

Mexico City- People keep talking about the quality of food there. I'm curious.

Sapporo- It's where udon started. They have a whole street dedicated to udon houses. Next time I make it to Asia will stop in up there for a few days. Plan on flying into a Southern city and taking the super ferries up. Would love to experience in the winter.

Ethiopia- My friends swore by the food there. Would love to check it out, but I don't see myself in the ME anytime soon.

Post: #55

Italy hands down.Everything else seems unrefined compared to Italian food.

Post: #56

italy and mexico
both are big countries so great cuisine but it varies on where you go. weather and women are great

Post: #57

(10-26-2012 10:49 AM)seeker04542 Wrote:  Best food in the world?

A Bolivian friend of mine insists that much of Peruvian culture (cuisine, music, etc.) actually originates in the area which is now Bolivia...lol...I don't really have a beef with it either way I'm just sayin'. :-)

That explains it all.

Post: #58

The country that I've been to that impressed me the most with their food has got to be Turkey, some of the best meals I've had were at some small family run restaurants in the countryside where they grow their own veggies, raise chickens, make everything from scratch, etc.

Other countries that I enjoyed the food immensely were Jamaica (jerk chicken, escovitch fish, curry goat), Morocco (tagine), and Laos (fresh/locally grown everything, better than Thailand IMO)...

Of all the places I've traveled to, I'd say Central America had the most boring food, beans, rice, and meat gets old after a while. Also, for as great as Brazil is, I'd say their cuisine is pretty disappointing, I stuck with a lot of other food when I was there, Lebanese, sushi, pizza, etc.

Edit: I've only been to Quintana Roo in Mexico which isn't known for it's food, but I'd imagine the food in Western Mexico is world class.

Post: #59

Kyoto has a ton of super high end restos. The Michellin guide does not do them justice to all.

I had lunch in one of them, gorgeous old school hotel with a garden designed in the 1700's by a famous landscaper. So well thought of that even in the dead of winter there is something green to look at. Just perfect.
The meal wasnt bad at all either, very delicate, light flavors, interesting textures and contrasts. Not quite like Chinese food where the whole is greater than sum of parts, here every little dish stood on its own. Very neat. Not quite filling but very satisfying.

Some of them are actually quite reasonable, lunch can be had for $50US. Dinner, however, its a different ballgame.

Legend has it that the best ones dont even advertise. By referral only. I cant even imagine whats up with them. . .

Post: #60

The best meals I've ever had were in the following restaurants, just be prepared to shell out around $250-300 USD:

1. Funky Gormet - Athens, Greece. Best meal of my life.
2. Olo Rivintola - Helsinki, Finland
3. Shushi Nakazawa - New York, New York
4. Some Nepali restaurant by Inle Lake, in Myanmar.

Napoli City in Italy has the best pizza I've ever had. Italian pizza is different than NYC pizza so it's hard to compare Italian to NYC pizza.

Sorrento, Italy has some great food.

Edit: I'm going to japan in about a month and a half, so my opinions might change when I'm there.

Post: #61

Would "good, cheap fast-food options" not be part of the average, not the best?.

This question isn't complete.

best cooking, best food culture, best produce?

Singapore actually has pretty good restaurants, but it doesn't grow any of its own food.

Malaysia has the best food culture in my mind, the accessibility of good food, everywhere, all hours of the day for cheap is hard to beat across the board, but it doesn't really have many standout killer restaurants for example.

Conversely, Tasmania has fantastic produce but not a broad cuisine, or many good cooks

Post: #62

double

Post: #63

Latin Europe and Latin America

Post: #64

(02-04-2014 07:13 AM)Fortitudinal Wrote:  Kyoto has a ton of super high end restos. The Michellin guide does not do them justice to all.

I had lunch in one of them, gorgeous old school hotel with a garden designed in the 1700's by a famous landscaper. So well thought of that even in the dead of winter there is something green to look at. Just perfect.
The meal wasnt bad at all either, very delicate, light flavors, interesting textures and contrasts. Not quite like Chinese food where the whole is greater than sum of parts, here every little dish stood on its own. Very neat. Not quite filling but very satisfying.

Some of them are actually quite reasonable, lunch can be had for $50US. Dinner, however, its a different ballgame.

Legend has it that the best ones dont even advertise. By referral only. I cant even imagine whats up with them. . .

Yeah there is no menu, and they dont have any means to give you a bill or for you to pay. There is a respect thing that I dont understand, though my host tried to explain it to me.

The bill is sent to your home. That relieves the chef of having the dishonor to have to ask for money for his food.

But yeah, Tokyo is on another level. I still dream about a red Perch dish I had there. Like 8 years ago.

I want to add San Sebastian in Spain. That place left an unforgettable impression upon me.

Post: #65

(02-04-2014 11:30 AM)hipster Wrote:  Latin Europe and Latin America

pretty much spot on.

Post: #66

- For ice-cream and meat meat meat: Argentina, specially the interior for fresh vegetables (Salta and the Calchaqui Valleys). For trout, Patagonia.
- For Quinoa soup and cheap good varieties of potatoes: Bolivia (cheap cheap cheap).
- For the best street food in the world: no contest here, the prize goes invariably to Thailand. Best Pad Thai ever: train station market in Kanchanaburi, 25 baht.
- For the best every-day food done by everybody: the Southwest in France. Just like in the movies. Also, best baguettes (duh), and almost anything found in pattiseries and boulangeries. French food is a lot cheaper than you think.
- For best things over toast: Basque Country. Best deals for lots of good food and wine: any day menu in Spain, specially in the Castilla region.
- For wine: red --> Bourdeau and St. Emilion for . Also Mendoza, Argentina for Malbec. White --> Torrontes in Cafayate, Salta, served cold, with a side dish of spiced goat cheese.
- For best hummus: Israel/Palestine. Even the famous ones like Abu Gosh. Best Knaffe (google it): Muslim Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem.
- Consistently good coffee: Surprise, it is Tel Aviv, the city of coffee shops.

Post: #67

(02-16-2014 10:31 PM)marksoc Wrote:  - For best hummus: Israel/Palestine. Even the famous ones like Abu Gosh. Best Knaffe (google it): Muslim Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem.

You mean Abu Shukri in the old city?

Post: #68

(02-16-2014 10:36 PM)MaleDefined Wrote:  

(02-16-2014 10:31 PM)marksoc Wrote:  - For best hummus: Israel/Palestine. Even the famous ones like Abu Gosh. Best Knaffe (google it): Muslim Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem.

You mean Abu Shukri in the old city?

I meant the town of Abu Gosh. However, for some weird reason the best for my tastes was the hummus in this kind of "reggae hummus place" next to the Dizzengof Center on King George st. in Tel Aviv. They gave a big plate of hummus with pita and onion so you could eat it with the onion layers, and after you finish a nice cuppa of free Arab coffee to wake up after the bomb you dropped in your stomach. MMmm, hummmuuus.

Post: #69

Japan, Southern Mexico, France. Awesome shit.

Post: #70

NYC
sushi: yasheda and masa
hot dogs: crif dogs, and the place that serves brats on timesquare in the middle, even greys papaya is good
italian: sd26
eclectic: breslin at the ace hotel, olives & something at the W hotel near union square
hamburgers: shake shack, schnippers, minetta tavern,
fun places, great food: stanton social club, the norwood club, eataly, edi and the wolf, gramercy tavern
Too many others to list. I usually check groupon or living social, and if it's a good deal, check yelp reviews and then buy the package. Way cheaper than paying retail all the time.
It's hard to have a bad meal in NYC, the competition (and rents) are just too high for the place not to be awesome

love that creole food in New Orleans though. Nothing like it. there used to be an amazing place in NYC called Gravy but i closed.

Post: #71

1. Thailand
2. Vietnam
3. Tokyo
4. Peru
5. USA (California, NYC)
6. Portugal
7. Hungary

Post: #72

This is an awesome thread.

Based off my experiences....

1. Lima - I just love the freshness that's integrated into all aspects of the Peruvian food. The mid to high-end restaurants in Lima are top notch and relatively affordable. I particularly like the Nikkei Japanese-Peruvian fusion stuff.

2. Mexico. I have a slight preference for the Southern Mexican food because the Northern stuff is all over the USA. There's nothing like going on a street food crawl around Mexico City and Puebla.

3. Japan - I'm not really too experienced with Japan, but I've been on enough 1-2 day trips to Tokyo to know that the food is top notch. I'm a big fan of their noodles as well.

4. Guangzhou, China. I know, it's China and the food is cooked using shitty ingredients and so on. Going to the high-end dim sum places in Guangzhou is a much better experience than going to the comparable ones in Hong Kong, although they probably won't speak English.

5. Southern BBQ. I always love trying out the top place, whether it's in Birmingham or in Raleigh. I'm rarely disappointed, although some places are definitely better than others.

Post: #73

Costa Rica and New Jersey. Every other place I have been is a step down.

Post: #74

This Thai restaurant in Seoul Korea.
I can't remember name. It was a side street alley type place where you had to know the exact door or you wouldn't know it was there.

Post: #75

There's no such thing as best food in the world because it all comes down to personal taste. Having said that, any recommendations for best places serving food containing lamb and chicken on a spit...yiros, kebabs, Atomic Bombs etc?