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Seems like every city is expanding their food scene-- I'm interested to know what major metros stand out as being mediocre or average in regards to their food scene. So what large metros (1 million+) have relatively boring/predicable/limited food scenes?
Seems like every city is expanding their food scene-- I'm interested to know what major metros stand out as being mediocre or average in regards to their food scene. So what large metros (1 million+) have relatively boring/predicable/limited food scenes?
Nashville (It does well in southern cuisine, but is below weight for ethnic offerings)
Dallas (Too much BBQ)
Denver (Very Americanized versions of "ethnic" cuisines)
Salt Lake City (until recently, chocolate milk was known as its most famous drink)
Kansas City (see Dallas)
Charlotte (see Nashville)
Orlando (too many chains, in addition to overpriced theme park food)
San Antonio (great TexMex, but nothing to write home about otherwise)
Austin (see San Antonio and Dallas)
Oklahoma City (see Dallas and Denver)
Portland ME, not on the list, belongs on it. For the last generation at least, it's been the queen of dining (fine and not so fine) in New England. Boston is larger, but Portland punches very far above its weight class in food terms.
Portland Oregon surely belongs if it falls below the threshold of choice. It seems like Portland ME would fit this list well too (though very small).
Portland Maine has a celebrated food / coffee / beer scene.
Portland Oregon is widely considered a top 5 food city across all markets, is the point I believe he was making. Portland, ME would be a better fit for this list.
I feel like 90% of decent sized cities have good enough restaurants to satisfy foodie cravings. Coming from south Louisiana, I have a pretty high bar when it comes to food, and living in place like Denver, which isn't known for good food, I think much of these conversations are weighted too heavily for ethnic varieties and such, Denver definitely isn't New Orleans but to say it has bad food would be an outright lie. I would believe the same is true for most metros over 1 million.
Any place that's got tons of chains or themed restaurants dominating the scene, to me, fall short.
This is why I'm in food heaven where I live. My neighborhood is almost exclusively independent restaurants ranging from good to outstanding. Even the bars here have really good, elevated food.
The only place I've been where I thought the food was notably subpar was Jacksonville. I was also very underwhelmed by offerings in/near National Harbor, MD, which is south of DC and across the river from Alexandria.
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