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Folks, simmer down. Y'all do realize that this thread's responses, like most in City-vs-City, are largely written by people who have not spent time in both cities, don't you? These posts read like the cheap and lazy stereotypes that they are, and it's clear nearly everyone is pulling ideas from their bums. People think they know LA based on what they've seen on TV, and similarly, people think they know Chicago based on third hand information. If you've lived in Chicago and/or LA, it's painfully clear that most of the people here responding don't know wtf they're talking about, and couldn't tell their asses from a hole in the ground if we drew them a diagram.
Threads like this don't generate honest responses from people who know anything. Threads like these are for internet idiots to jerk off to their own personal biases, which are almost never grounded in experience or reality. If more than two people who have posted here know anything about both Chicago and LA in order to make valid comparisons, I would die of shock.
So don't take anyone's opinions here seriously. They're total bs.
I'd like to clear up the mis-conception that L.A. has zero fine dining compared to Chicago, since that appears to be the one argument against the city folks are clinging to.
L.A. had 20 Michelin star restaurants in 2009, their last edition to date.
There are at least four restaurants that have since opened that are almost certainly Michelin-star caliber (Red O, Bouchon, Nobu, Mozza in the OC). Nobu opened in 2008, probably too late to make it into the guide, or it would almost certainly be in there.
IOW, L.A. could conceivably have MORE Michelin star restaurants than Chicago (23 in 2011). At any rate, the difference isn't as pronounced as some of you would wish it would be.
This is the head of Michelin Guide saying this about LA. Turns out we aren't the only ones who can think critically about the LA food scene. And with that, I bid you adieu on this matter.
This is the head of Michelin Guide saying this about LA. Turns out we aren't the only ones who can think critically about the LA food scene. And with that, I bid you adieu on this matter.
Actually, most of the people go based on how good they think the food is, versus what some food snob who thinks that a trio of snail shells stuffed with caviar with a drizzle of pomegranate-saffron in the shape of a fibonacci sequence is worth $125 and the sneer of the guy waiting on you decides is "good."
FTR, I really care absolutely nothing about food guides, even if they favor my city... total waste of money. That guy is seething with butthurt over the fact that no one here cares about his prissy little guide... lol.
Michelin chose nothing. They're losing money left and right, and nobody cares about Michelin here. Or Vegas, there's great fine dining in that city too, what save face comments did that French snob make about not printing a guide there? Funny, you're all so enamored with Michelin, yet it turns out LA and Chicago are practically level as far as their guide is concerned. Oops.
Last edited by RaymondChandlerLives; 11-13-2011 at 01:19 AM..
Contrary to popular belief, it isn't the Aerospace industry, Hollywood or even the Silicon Valley that drives the economy in California, it is agriculture. California grows it because it can, and ships it because there is demand. We keep the best and ship the rest ;-). And sure, there is some dreck produced, it goes with the territory, but there is also some mighty fine produce grown in Calfornia that does competes at a world class level.
From South to North -
In San Diego County you'll find fabulous Hass avocados and kiwi fruits and even decent apples up in Julian. While not a fruit, the north part of S.D. county is now producing macademia nuts for the local market. And let's not forget that the famous Chino Farms, purveyor to Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck, along with myraid other North County residents, is located in Rancho Santa Fe and grows and sells gorgeous produce.
The winter grapefruits that come out of Imperial County's Cochella valley are incomparable. Large, heavy, juicy fruits, a product of the warm, dry growing climate in the dessert. As are the dates produced in both Imperial and the eastern part of Riverside County.
Riverside County's claim to fame is citrus. Lovely oranges and lemons.
Orange county got it's name from the orange groves in the county. And I have clear childhood memories of driving through them on the way to Disneyland from San Diego. They literally did perfume the air. Unfortunately, now the only perfume is auto exhaust. But South Orange Country also used to grow extremely sweet strawberries, and there were wonderful stone fruit (mostly plum) trees in the Northern part of the county. A lot of them sadly, gone in the name of progress and development.
Ventura County still has a thriving agricultural community. Celery, strawberries and numerous other vegetables grow year round in the Oxnard/Camarillo area, most of it sold locally or into the L.A. market. Living in Ventura, the first of the season Oxnard strawberries were always anticipated with great lust by the locals. Go East in Ventura County towards Santa Paula and you'll find more oranges, lemons and tangerine groves. Many of the local growers here donate product to the local school districts at no cost. Go Northeast from Ventura towards Ojai and you'll find The Oaks, a restaurant that's been dedicated to growing and cooking their own spectacular produce long before Alice Waters, Charlie Trotter, Brad Ogden or any of the others began cheffing.
In Santa Barbara County you'll find more lemons, more orange, and the addition of olives. All 3 are a legacy of the Spanish mission system of colonization.
Which pretty much brings us to that great production area called the San Joaquin Valley, where everything from almonds to zucchini will, and does grow, much of it for the commercial markets outside the state. But even here in the mass production zones you can still find stunning produce. It'll help if you're local, because it's a long drive from the major metropolitan areas. And just as is happening in much of the agricultural mid-West, small farmers in the Valley are being overtaken by the large commercial growers.
North of Fresno (raisin capital of the world) are Hmong farmers farming their native produce using traditional methods. Most of it gets trucked to farmer's markets in Northern California and some is trickling into the L.A. market. Bay Area chefs have discovered this community and are buying and supporting it as best they can. Martin Yan (of Yan Can fame) conducts tours for Bay Area restauranturs to the Hmong farms as a way to introduce their products to a larger market and to help keep them in business.
The north end of the San Joaquin valley is home to some of the tastiest apricots anywhere. Apricots you will never find in a grocery store, but that do find their way to various farmers markets and foreign markets. Apricots that are plump, sweet-ripe and fragrant. This is also Plucot territory, an interesting stone fruit cross between a plum and an apricot. Juicy, ripe plucots are really pretty good and an interesting fruit with which to cook and bake.
Going North and East from the San Joaquin Valley brings one to the rolling hills of El Dorado County. The gold may be panned out, but some farmers are finding gold in stone fruits (great peaches) of superior flavor and quality, that are in demand, not only in the State but in foreign markets as well. Go further North towards the Oregon border to find apples, apples and more apples. Who knew that California is a major apple producer?
Everyone knows that Napa, Sonoma, and now, Mendocino Counties grow some mighty fine grapes. West Marin County grows some mighty fine lettuces and veggies, root and otherwise. Most of it goes to the local and private (in the form of CSA memberhsips) market.
And last, but certainly not least, the incredible Monterrey/Salinas growing area. Hard by the coast, the Monterrey peninsula is cooled by the ocean breezes and fog. Almost anything grows here. Every kind of lettuce imaginable, artichokes, aspargus, beans, celery, strawberries (Driscolls), mushrooms. A good portion of the produce here is packed to specification in the fields, shipped and in Japan 24 hours (especially lettuce), 3-5 days for points East of CA. Monterrey Farms generates their own compost for use in growing mushrooms. For a commerical operation they're doing things on a pretty simplistic level. Of course, you can go foraging for wild mushrooms in many of the counties north of the Bay Area. And while clearly a commerical venture, the Fresh Express plant in Salinas is the most amazing processing plant. Even better than Willie Wonka's chocolate factory. Produce is process from field to bag in a matter of hours. I know that's not politically correct for this list, but it's still an awesome accomplishment nonetheless. But the most amazing thing about the Fresh Express plant is that when the summer season is done in Salinas the entire factory is disassembled, placed on semis and rail cars and shipped and reassembled in Yuma, AZ for the Winter season.
Having said all that (whew!), the quality of the produce in any area is probably going to depend a lot upon the quality of the soil (sandy, loamy, dense, loose, etc), the nutrients in the soil, the soil pH and the water the produce gets. The water in Northern California is a heck of a lot better than the nasty, corrosive stuff we get in Southern California. The climate is also going to affect the quality of what's grown, how much rain, sun, wind, fog, whatever. California's got every climate in the world (please don't hate us for it) which facilitates growing just about anything in the world, year-round. Clearly some of it grows better in some areas of the state than others.
No doubt, California feeds the world, but it feeds itself best of all. Sometimes you do have to ferret it out though. Hate us if you must, we Californians will continue to be deliriously happy with what we've got, and continue along blithely enjoying the abundance of the state.
In short: Los Angeles is more diverse than Chicago, is much larger than Chicago, AND it rests in one of top agricultural regions in the world. California farms are still growing and shipping out fresh produce all over the country when Chicago is getting hammered in the Winter. Sorry, Alinea isn't going to make up for all this.
Last edited by RaymondChandlerLives; 11-13-2011 at 02:52 AM..
LA gets the win for Thai, Chinese, and burgers.. Chicago for italian,polish, hot dogs ect. Mexican food is equal considering both cities have a huge mexican american population.
The list of cuisines where L.A. beats Chicago is a lot more substantial than that.
And no, Mexican food is not equal. I haven't seen overrating like this since I last spoke with a New Yorker.
Does Chicago beat L.A. for hot dogs? Opinions definitely vary on that one:
I'm not sure if these are even legal in Chicago, they're certainly more restricted than other cities.
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