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I feel like the only people who do not leave Manhattan are either very new to the city (a few years) or old time boomers. The best food in NYC is in Brooklyn and Queens.
The best chicharrón I’ve ever had was in the Bronx, so maybe add that to the list Then again, East Harlem has a couple good Puerto Rican spots. Fonda Boricua was great in the mid 00’s.
Puerto Rican food isn’t generally fine dining, but it is some of the best comfort food on the planet. What I wouldn’t give for a few yuca pasteles right about now, with a plate of bistec encebollado. Maybe some mofongo too? And of course, arroz con gandules to sop up the oil. I can make most of those dishes, but they can be real pain in the butt - especially pasteles. Unfortunately, where I live I need to cook them myself if I want to eat them.
The best chicharrón I’ve ever had was in the Bronx, so maybe add that to the list Then again, East Harlem has a couple good Puerto Rican spots. Fonda Boricua was great in the mid 00’s.
Puerto Rican food isn’t generally fine dining, but it is some of the best comfort food on the planet. What I wouldn’t give for a few yuca pasteles right about now, with a plate of bistec encebollado. Maybe some mofongo too? And of course, arroz con gandules to sop up the oil. I can make most of those dishes, but they can be real pain in the butt - especially pasteles. Unfortunately, where I live I need to cook them myself if I want to eat them.
Queens and Brooklyn have the wider selection and much of it fairly accessible, but all the boroughs have great spots.
You all seem determined to talk your way around Old Town Alexandria.
Bethesda is the most urbane of the DC suburbs, true, and Silver Spring nips at its heels, but there's nothing like Old Town Alexandria anywhere else in the DMV — or if there is, I haven't run across it yet.
Agreed, even though I am not the biggest fan of Bethesda.
Admittedly, I will have to say Old Town Alexandria is pretty nice. Probably one of the best main street districts in NoVa in my opinion. I go there sometimes on weekends. But there are a few places around the DMV that are close and still have a bit of the main street charm left but obviously not on the uniqueness level of Old Town Alexandria's town center.
Virginia: Clifton, Vienna, Fairfax City, Sterling, Old Town Manassas, Town of Leesburg, Fredericksburg, Middleburg, Purcellville, Haymarket, Occoquan
Maryland: Old Town Gaithersburg, Kensington, Cabin John, Glen Echo, Mount Rainer, Hyattsville historic district, Old town Laurel, Downtown Frederick, Old Town Bowie, Takoma Park
These are some of the ones that came to mind for me but they aren't as unique or well kept and/or as popular as Old Town Alexandria.
Michelin will add 20 new restaurants in DC this year. They just announced 16 new restaurants that will be added. These 16 will be added to the 4 announced in December 2021 to make 20 new restaurants this season:
DC currently has 22 restaurants with Stars in city proper. With 20 additions, that number should increase substantially. I will say their new focus on diversity in cuisine and their focus on chefs of color is extremely exciting.
Honestly, I find the whole "which city has the most Michelin Stars" rankings hilarious. It's not even available in every country and having a few stars next to a restaurant name means nothing to me or the majority of people. Hell, where I'm at currently (Montreal) I can think of at least 50 restaurants that would get Michelin stars, but because it's not available in Canada yet, does that mean our restaurant scene sucks/lacks fancy stuff or our food scene is meh? The answer is no.
Bottom line, who gives a flying **** about which city has the most Michelin stars, if the food scene is good/diverse, that should be the metric.
Honestly, I find the whole "which city has the most Michelin Stars" rankings hilarious. It's not even available in every country and having a few stars next to a restaurant name means nothing to me or the majority of people. Hell, where I'm at currently (Montreal) I can think of at least 50 restaurants that would get Michelin stars, but because it's not available in Canada yet, does that mean our restaurant scene sucks/lacks fancy stuff or our food scene is meh? The answer is no.
Bottom line, who gives a flying **** about which city has the most Michelin stars, if the food scene is good/diverse, that should be the metric.
To your point, Michelin measures way more than fine dining. Their Bib Gourmand rated restaurants are Michelin quality at an affordable price point. Maybe the Bib Gourmand is a better reflection of the restaurant scene within city proper? The rankings certainly change when looking at the more rounded affordable selection of restaurants. Chicago zooms past DC and San Francisco in the Bib Gourmand rankings:
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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Michelin is also a marketing tool that many restaurants strive to attain…is it any different than a musician hoping to attend Julliard, a director or studio hoping to win an Oscar, or a finance student having Wharton or Stanford Business School on their resume hoping to land that coveted job at Goldman Sachs?
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Then again, East Harlem has a couple good Puerto Rican spots. Fonda Boricua was great in the mid 00’s.
