2009 - 2010

[Guinness]

Logi: where are you? Down here in the deep south, if you know where to look, you can still get pretty good chinese (and vietnamese, and thai, and laotian, and malay). I generally stay away from the scary looking japanese/chinese/thai/mexican(!) place on the highway to the in-law's place in the mountains though.

[maddox]

As far as I know, Logi is in the Big Apple.

And it should surprise me that no decent restaurant is available.  On the other hand, good restaurants demand $$$.

[TexanCowboy]

Same as Guinness. In Texas, if you look to your left, and then to your right, you can find some of the best Mexican and BBQ places on the planet. The Chinese and Italian food aren't bad either, although I'd hate to be the poor person who had to eat Indian food here. I've been up north, and what passes for Mexican there is barely edible. Same with the BBQ.


LATER: Of course they do, maddox. I went to a restraunt there once, and they charged me $30 for a New York Strip.  >:(

[maddox]

$ 30, that is what I have to pay for 3 burgers , 2 fries and 2 cokes in a "quality fastfood joint".

Normal pricetag for a steak and fries, nothing else, is $20 per person.

[Logi]

Indeed the Big Apple. Perhaps I try to avoid my wallet getting significantly lighter? ;D

I do believe they charge $30 for just the steak here.

[Tanthalas]

Same as Guinness. In Texas, if you look to your left, and then to your right, you can find some of the best Mexican and BBQ places on the planet. The Chinese and Italian food aren't bad either, although I'd hate to be the poor person who had to eat Indian food here. I've been up north, and what passes for Mexican there is barely edible. Same with the BBQ.

Depends on where you are "Up North" Back Home they have this awsome little Mexican Joint (ok ok so there are like 3 of them) Called Melinas.  Course the 3 brothers that own them (and one sister) make everything from their Moms Recipe Book, so its real genuine Mexican food (Tex Mex to be exact) Right down to Fried Icecream.

[TexanCowboy]

I'm now obliged to ask you if you've ever had a socaros.

[ctwaterman]

Having been to Texas and many other places and having dined both in Edinburough and in London I say every place has soemthing they do better.

You cannot get a good Doughnut south of the Mason Dixon line.... and if you have tried to get Buffalo Chicken Wings outside of New York State you probably still havent had real chicken wings.   Pizza in the South just isnt Pizza and I like both Thin Crust [New York City Style], Deep Dish [Chicago Style] and the mix of the two you get here in Buffalo.   You dont find too Many Dominoes in Buffalo they cant compete with the local corner Pizza joint.

Now try to get some Good Sponge Candy or a Bagel outside of New York State :)

I Do agree that the BBQ is best in KC, and the Tex-Mex in Texas and if you want Fish and Chips you have to go to an Authentic English Fish and Chips place they just do it better.

I like Buffalo because it has a large diverse Ethnic Population you can get Authentic German Brots, Italian, Polish Hams and Kabasa for Easter I even know where to find an Authentic Mexican Restraunt in the Buffalo Area or a place that serves Authentic Jamacian Pulled Pork.

Diversity in food has led to *pokes stomach* and expansion of my Horizions.  :o

[Tanthalas]

I'm now obliged to ask you if you've ever had a socaros.

not a item im farmiliar with, but admitidly Mexican isnt my Favorite.  Im more a Fan of Japanease, Yes Sushi to (its just Japanease for Fish after all, it dosnt have to be Raw)

[ctwaterman]

[Souther Drawl]Ya'll know what we call Sushi around hear d'nt Ya...[/Southern Drawl]

Bait....

Puts another Susi Roll on the Hook and tosses it into  the river leans back and opens another Beer.

[Guinness]

You cannot get a good Doughnut south of the Mason Dixon line....

Well these guys do ok:



There's also the South's major contribution to the culinary arts:



The truth is there's a good reason the South get's a bad rap for food. When most people think of the modern South, they think suburban hell where going out to eat means choosing between Applebee's and Chile's. Basically the town where Peter lives in "Office Space". And for the most part, it's true.

However, if you put your ear to the ground, and look hard enough, there's plenty of good food to be had down here, especially in the big cities. There's one place about halfway between my house and downtown Atlanta. The building looks like it's been bombed out. The parking lot (if we can call it that) has 4 foot deep craters in it. The neighborhood is a demilitarized zone, but it has improved since they bulldozed the public housing across the street.

But they make the best gyros I've ever had. Ever. Anywhere. Keep in mind I went to college in Boston, hang out regularly in NYC and Philadelphia, etc. I've had a few really good gyros. This place blows all of them out of the water. It's run by the Gyro Nazi and his wife. They take about 4 months of vacation a year when the place is closed. You absolutely don't even think about eating on site. But it's fantastic, and cheap.

And the sort of place us in-town Atlantans that know about it would never actually consider telling some exurban troglodyte about under normal conditions. They'd flock in on the way to Braves games and ruin it.

We do have our native foods in the South. Soul Food is one of them (blech). BBQ is another. This isn't Yankee BBQ. We call that "grillin" down here. No, this is the sort of BBQ that requires someone keeping a 24/7 watch on the pit. I'm equal distant between two joints that have been fighting the Battle of the Brisket down here for about 5 years now. Both of their brisket's are completely different, but I couldn't choose between them. I usually choose one over the other because I like the brunswick stew better.

What we don't have (in Atlanta at least), is real family-style Italian. That's the thing I miss from living in Boston. Down here everyone seems conditioned, when they want to take their kids out for dinner, to go for "Mexican" (the Tex-Mex vs. Mex distinction is breaking down here). So a good family style Italian place just can't hold up.

And Sushi? We've got some pretty damned good Sushi too. It's expensive though. I don't blame the Sushi places for that. Good Sushi is a premium, get dressed up to go out, sort of meal in the South. And it's a long way from a good tuna or salmon here.

[ctwaterman]

Yikes - I wouldnt eat a Krispy Cream doughnut for Money....  Talk about Air and Sugar and no flavor.... :P

My Local Tops Supermarket makes better doughnuts then Krispy Cream.   There are a couple of small bakerys here that make some seriously good pasteries and Doughnuts with real character.  My Favorite used to be Freddys Backery but all the mega stores making their own doughnuts put them out of buisness.   They were an Industrial production place we used to buy Hundreds of Dozens of Doughnuts from them.   

Ive eaten in a Waffle House before I wouldnt willing repeat the experience.

Now Good Catfish that Ive had in a couple of places in Atlanta and if you want good sea food I can recomendmost places in  Boston and a Place on the Chesepeake outside of Baltimore.

You have to travel and keep your nose out for where the locals go... Or watch the Food Channel Diners, Dives, and Drive Ins...

Charles

[Guinness]

Guy Fieri ruined my favorite bar with that damned show. Ruined it! If you can't appreciate Waffle House, you must be a Yankee. Probably means you like IHOP too.

As far as doughnuts, I can't stand those heavy sit in your stomach forever doughnuts, so I guess like many things, there's a southern version and a northern version. Sort of like hot dogs...

[TexanCowboy]

You know, part of what you said is true, ctwaterman. I haven't had a decent pizza in years. Best we have is a place called the New York Pizzaria. No place here has even heard of deep dish.

Bagel? Easy. Go to my Grand-Uncle's house. He handmakes bagels every day, is from New York, and they are the freakin BEST bagels I've ever had.

BBQ? Yeah, it's better in Texas. If you're from the north, and you've had BBQ, that's not what it is. BBQ is really shredded meat, slow-cooked over a grill, with a bunch of BBQ sauce. Not that tangy stuff in bottles from the north, but gravy.

Fish? Decent, at least. I can catch a fish on the pier in Galveston, bring it to someone on the pier, and they'll cook it for $5. And it's dang good.

[maddox]

BBQ

droooool