List your top 10 cities in the world for best restaurants (beers, breakfast)

[himain]

Miami

[FlightAttendant]

1. Paris
2. Rome
3. Toronto
4. Tokyo
5. NYC
6. SFO
7. Aix en Provence
8. Chicago
9. Budapest
10. My kitchen <G>

[Hasdrubal]

San Sebastian hands down

[South Jersey Styx]

My favorites (not by rank):

USA:
New Orleans
San Francisco
New York City
Washington, DC
Seattle
Charleston, SC

Abroad:
Madrid
Athens
Florence, Italy
Paris

[SteffyGrad]

1. Paris
2. Tokyo
3. Madrid
4. NYC
5. London
6. San Francisco
7. Barcelona
8. Sydney
9. Florence
10. Stockholm

[AKgirlinCA]

I am surprised Los Angeles has not made many lists...I would not know though as I very rarely venture the 50+ miles to LA

[meemy]

New Orleans
New Orleans
New Orleans
New Orleans
New Orleans
New Orleans
New Orleans
New Orleans
New Orleans
New Orleans

And did I mention New Orleans?
.

[JustCallMeTC]

Originally Posted by bjh

Is this from personal experience or reputation alone?

I would have to say Dallas/Ft. Worth is one of the restaurant capitals of America, anyway.

And of course, that's two cities

DFW has some great places to eat, but it isn't even the best city in Texas for food. That would be Houston.

You need to get out more.

[Goodpasture]

Originally Posted by Mooseketeer

From personal experience :

Lyon
Paris
Toulouse
London ( if you have large sums of money, some of the restaurants here really are fantastic)
San Francisco
Napa Valley ( I know, not a city)
Edinburgh
Vancouver
Quebec City
Boston
NYC
Buenos Aires
Florence ( Tuscany in general)
Rome
Barcelona ( and area)
Prague ( if you have oodles of money)
Lima ( for the Ceviche restaurants)
Montreal

For street food :
Marrakech
Essaouira
Cairo
Palermo
Mexico City
Istanbul
Ho Chi Minh
Phnom Penh




And I would love to travel around Japan to all their top restaurants.

I think we have a winner............although............


Every major city has excellent world class restaurants. The problem is, that the 5 stars are so very expensive that although the food is magnificent, you don't get to eat at them often (unless of course, you inherited a fortune)......and I was not that fortunate. I learned years ago that good food is fundamentally simple, fresh, and well prepared. things I see on TV like carrot foam or candied scallops are pretty and I am sure take a lot of talent and imagination to prepare, but a fresh home garden carrot really doesn't need much to be exquisite except a rinse from the garden hose. I cannot imagine anything better than a scallop sauteed in butter seasoned with some herbs and served with a fresh spring mix salad and brown rice.

My second issue with so called world class restaurants is the portion size. A couple of bites and the dish is gone. 10 courses, 10 forks and spoons, 10 different wines..........give me a break. One of my most memorable meal was in Nova Scotia when I had a large lobster, some modest chardonnay, some dipping butter and lemon, on the beach shared with a woman I loved.

This brings me to what creates a memorable meal (in the good sense.....I've had disgusting foods that certainly were memorable). It must be well prepared. It must reflect the culture it is part of. It must be of sufficient quantity that you don't go away thinking about grabbing something on the way home......nor do you want a meal that is so overwhelming that you groan as you relax your belt......I'm not a big fan of doggie bags for people.

When I was younger, I took a trip from Rome to Trieste. Consistently I had incredible meals in little mom and pop cafe's in small villages along the road. A glass of the local wine, some hand made pasta with a bit of sauce, some bread......locally pressed olive oil.......magnificent. Even breakfasts of fresh rolls, butter, local honey, poached eggs or omelets made with a local cheese was exquisite.

I've experienced similar excellence in Japan, in France, in Holland. in Germany, in Denmark, in Turkey, in Lebanon (although I doubt Lebanon is that way any more) in Israel. In the USA I have to think twice when I go into a cafe....except in certain instances........ Same in Hong Kong, or Singapore, or Bangkok or villages in Mexico. In Europe and Japan you are pretty well assured of a wonderful meal in most any cafe you stop in. At least that is my experience.......but then it has been a while since I traveled extensively so I could be wrong............

[JustCallMeTC]

I'll stick to the lower 48.

1. NYC
2. SF (Bay Area to Include Napa Valley)
3. Chicago
4. New Orleans
5. Las Vegas
6. Los Angeles
7. Seattle
8. Boston
9. Philadelphia
10. Houston