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Oh, I'm sorry. I just realized how badly I derailed this thread. I was mixing this one up with the DC/Baltimore thread and I got defensive. DC has bad Chinese food. Some of the Maryland suburbs might have nice Chinese food, but I'm probably not going out there any time soon.
It's not that bad that the suburbs are the better place for ethnic (particularly Asian) food. Isn't Orange County known for its Vietnamese food? A lot of Chinese families concentrated in Maryland, just north of the Northwest. It's cheaper to open a restaurant and the schools are better for kids.
I'm not saying it doesn't exist elsewhere, but that it's not that common and often at lower quality.
Just like this thread, you wouldn't know that until you ate at a statistically measurable number of restaurants across a lot of different cities. Most people haven't because most people generally don't eat at multiple restaurants of the same type when they're visiting a different city than theirs.
Again, cities don't make food, chefs do. If a good Ethiopian chef moved from the DC area to Florida, does that suddenly make the chef and the food he makes bad?
Like this thread, just because a Chinese food is in a certain city doesn't mean that the food would automatically be good. No one will seriously argue that a Panda Express in the San Gabriel Valley has better Chinese food than a family owned Chinese restaurant operated by a well known Chinese cook in Des Moines, IA.
It's better to judge this on a restaurant to restaurant basis, but even then, there's still a lot of variables to go with it.
Of course, its right to assume that the higher the ethnic population, the MORE restaurants there will be, but does that make them good?
Chicago for example has one of the highest populations of Mexicans in the United States, but RARELY do I hear it even in the Top 10 of Mexican food cities in the United States.
A lot of NYC boosters feel that's the treatment they get when it comes to Chinese food, and rightfully so, some should be indignant.
Out of curiosity, how's the rest of the Bay Area's Chinese food compare to San Francisco. Obviously, I'd expect it to be good, but I'm wondering what would the ranking be. Is the best in San Francisco or is San Jose's better?
Out of curiosity, how's the rest of the Bay Area's Chinese food compare to San Francisco. Obviously, I'd expect it to be good, but I'm wondering what would the ranking be. Is the best in San Francisco or is San Jose's better?
San Jose doesn't touch Oakland IMO. Not so much the city but the restaurants in Oakland would be better, especially the ones in Chinatown Oakland. Not that its a bad thing, they're all excellent, just yeah Oakland #1 between it and San Jose. San Jose would be the better place for Vietnamese food though by far. In fact probably the best place for Vietnamese food in the US and then LA then NYC and Houston.
Without San Francisco the bay would move behind LA and not with it for Chinese food but would still be better than almost any other city in the US except maybe Seattle.
Out of curiosity, how's the rest of the Bay Area's Chinese food compare to San Francisco. Obviously, I'd expect it to be good, but I'm wondering what would the ranking be. Is the best in San Francisco or is San Jose's better?
It's very good... and outside of SF, for food in general, I think the North Bay (Marin/Sonoma/Napa) has the best food all around...lots of high end places there.
Don't be fooled by my screen name, but all in all, San Francisco DOES take the top spot. Vancouver should take the very close second spot. The great thing about San Francisco's Chinese food options is the sheer number of them! A LOT of Chinese restaurants in San Francisco are sub par, but a lot of them are excellent, no gimmick, authentic Chinese. General Tso's Chicken, Chop Suey- these are items that you will NEVER see on a Chinese menu in San Francisco. Fish head in chilis and chili oil, salt and pepper crab, brazed chicken feet- these are things you will actually seen on menus in San Francisco.
Seattle does not have better Chinese food than Los Angeles.
Seattle's Chinese food was actually pretty bad compared to LA, SF, and Boston, IMHO.
I'm sure it's better than somewhere, but not anywhere that's entered the discussion yet.
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