Locally famous foods

[adventurernumber1]

Of course, I am no native of Chicago, but something absolutely incredible that I have heard of is Chicago-style Pizza (which is a big local thing up in that area, I am pretty sure). I have never had the heavenly opportunity to taste such stuff, but I have heard it is unbelievably good and special. Actually, I started daydreaming about it and getting extremely hungry earlier this afternoon. 

[kurumi]

SF Bay Area (not naming particular restaurants): sourdough bread, Mission-style burritos, Xiao Long Bao, Dim Sum in general, garlic fries. There's also a big poke bubble at the moment, though that definitely belongs to Hawaii

[inkyatari]

Of course, I am no native of Chicago, but something absolutely incredible that I have heard of is Chicago-style Pizza (which is a big local thing up in that area, I am pretty sure). I have never had the heavenly opportunity to taste such stuff, but I have heard it is unbelievably good and special. Actually, I started daydreaming about it and getting extremely hungry earlier this afternoon. 

It's a thing of beauty.

Damn, I said it four times!

[1995hoo]

Probably the local trademark food in DC is the half-smoke, which is similar to a hot dog but is usually bigger and made of a blend of pork and beef. I don't know whether these are sold outside the DC area, but I can't say I recall having seen them anywhere else.

The most famous place to get half-smokes is Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street. I was eating there once when Marion Barry, who was in his final weeks as mayor, came in and sat down at the counter next to me. I would think the current president might enjoy the food because, as the Washington Post once said, Ben's is a place "where you show your arteries who's boss."

People talk about "Maryland-style crab cakes" being a Maryland trademark. Thing is, I've found over the years that if a restaurant says its crab cake is "Maryland-style," most likely it bears little resemblance to what you'd get in Maryland (usually because it'll have too much filler and too many extraneous ingredients like bell peppers). I sometimes wonder whether restaurant owners think people will look askance if they don't say "Maryland-style."

[spooky]

Benigets in Southern Louisiana is only known to them.  They are a powered deep fried pastry served best with coffee and you can find them mostly in NOLA, the French Quarter, but even Houma has them, 50 miles away.

I do not think I have seen a Zepoli or Stromboli outside the NYC metro area.

zeppoles are common in the Italian-centric part of RI.

Other RI-specific foods:

-pizza strips or tomato pie - basically cold pizza with thick sauce and no cheese, cut in strips instead of triangular slices.
-clear broth clam chowder
-"NY system" hot weiners AKA gaggers - The "NY system" name is because they are similar to a coney island dog. Typically served with celery salt, yellow mustard, meat sauce and onions

Hold on there - you forgot the coffee milk to wash it all down with.

I didn't want to claim that RI invented coffee milk, but it can be said that the two biggest producers of coffee-flavored syrup (Eclipse and Autocrat) were from RI.

[1995hoo]

I've seen stromboli advertised at pizzerias all over the country, although whether they're actually calzones, I couldn't tell you.

There are a couple of pizza joints around here that sell stromboli and it's definitely not the same thing as a calzone. The stromboli has more of a rolled appearance and is generally smaller than a calzone. The calzone looks more like a very large empanada made of pizza dough instead of a corn tortilla.

[tdindy88]

I remember being in a Chicago-themed restaurant in Boulder, Colorado with a friend years ago. I had a hot dog from there and he got mad at me when I put ketchup on it. I was unaware about that the rule about ketchup and hot dogs there. In any case I reminded him that we were in fact in Boulder, Colorado and not Chicago. That and because my hot dog was more of a regular one and not the Chicago-style.

[HazMatt]

People talk about "Maryland-style crab cakes" being a Maryland trademark. Thing is, I've found over the years that if a restaurant says its crab cake is "Maryland-style," most likely it bears little resemblance to what you'd get in Maryland (usually because it'll have too much filler and too many extraneous ingredients like bell peppers). I sometimes wonder whether restaurant owners think people will look askance if they don't say "Maryland-style."

As told by my coworker from Maryland (I think Rockville), anything is Maryland-style if you put Old Bay seasoning on it.  Which he puts on almost everything, literally keeps a can of it on his desk.

[abefroman329]

CT foods:

New Haven style pizza (thin crust).  Frank Pepe's is world renowned, but Sally's and Modern are also well known.

CT style lobster roll: Served hot with drawn butter.

The original hamburger: Served as Louis' Lunch in New Haven.  Uses white bread instead of a bun, and fries are not on the menu

Steamed cheeseburgers

Grinders:  Usually refers to the hot variety of sandwich, but order one outside of New England and you'll get looked at like you have 3 heads.  We also gave the world Subway

I definitely prefer CT-style lobster rolls to ME-style, I hate mayonnaise.

[abefroman329]

I remember being in a Chicago-themed restaurant in Boulder, Colorado with a friend years ago. I had a hot dog from there and he got mad at me when I put ketchup on it. I was unaware about that the rule about ketchup and hot dogs there. In any case I reminded him that we were in fact in Boulder, Colorado and not Chicago. That and because my hot dog was more of a regular one and not the Chicago-style.

It's a stupid rule.  I put ketchup on my hot dogs and will until the day I die.

[abefroman329]

Probably the local trademark food in DC is the half-smoke, which is similar to a hot dog but is usually bigger and made of a blend of pork and beef. I don't know whether these are sold outside the DC area, but I can't say I recall having seen them anywhere else.

The most famous place to get half-smokes is Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street. I was eating there once when Marion Barry, who was in his final weeks as mayor, came in and sat down at the counter next to me. I would think the current president might enjoy the food because, as the Washington Post once said, Ben's is a place "where you show your arteries who's boss."

People talk about "Maryland-style crab cakes" being a Maryland trademark. Thing is, I've found over the years that if a restaurant says its crab cake is "Maryland-style," most likely it bears little resemblance to what you'd get in Maryland (usually because it'll have too much filler and too many extraneous ingredients like bell peppers). I sometimes wonder whether restaurant owners think people will look askance if they don't say "Maryland-style."

I've never seen a half-smoke for sale outside the DC area.  And Ben's does the best job of preparing them, in my opinion.  I've gotten half-smokes from hot dog carts where they're boiled and it's disgusting.

I can think of no fewer than two reasons why the current President wouldn't want to go to Ben's.  Three, actually.

[US71]

Springdale Arkansas has AQ Chicken. Tontitown has Venetian Inn. Used to have Mary Maestri's, but Danny (her son) ran it into the ground.

[inkyatari]

I remember being in a Chicago-themed restaurant in Boulder, Colorado with a friend years ago. I had a hot dog from there and he got mad at me when I put ketchup on it. I was unaware about that the rule about ketchup and hot dogs there. In any case I reminded him that we were in fact in Boulder, Colorado and not Chicago. That and because my hot dog was more of a regular one and not the Chicago-style.

That's actually not just a Chicago thing, it's more widespread than that.  It's also a New York thing.  And frankly (see what I did there?), mustard really brings out the flavor of the dog, whereas ketchup just masks it.

[abefroman329]

I really only prefer ketchup on cheese dogs.  If it's plain, then I just eat it plain.

[adventurernumber1]

I don't really care about the rule all that much, but my own personal preference is that whenever I eat a regular hot dog, I usually have just mustard on it.

[jeffandnicole]

I remember being in a Chicago-themed restaurant in Boulder, Colorado with a friend years ago. I had a hot dog from there and he got mad at me when I put ketchup on it. I was unaware about that the rule about ketchup and hot dogs there. In any case I reminded him that we were in fact in Boulder, Colorado and not Chicago. That and because my hot dog was more of a regular one and not the Chicago-style.

I mean, look, they offer ketchup as a condiment so obviously people use it. 

It's still a mistake in my book, but I won't go around admonishing people for it.

But yeah, it's really a country-wide thing that ketchup doesn't go on hotdogs (even though it is the preference of many).  Definitely not just in Chicago.

I like deli or Guldens Mustard myself; maybe a little relish and/or cheese.

[inkyatari]

I like deli or Guldens Mustard myself; maybe a little relish and/or cheese.

Plochman's makes a really good Polish beer mustard under their Kosciusko label.

[1995hoo]

Way I see it is, if you pay for the hot dog, you can put what you want on it. I don't use ketchup on them, but I couldn't really care less whether someone else likes it, as long as said person doesn't try to schmeck up my hot dog.

[Flint1979]

Cincinnati-style chili (best known through Skyline and Gold Star).

I LOVE Cincinnati style chili. In fact, when I make chili at home, that's the kind I make.  It is so delicious.  That having been said, I don't think there's a chili style I don't like.  Except for my failed attempt at chocolate chili



As for local foods, Chicago is the home of the Italian Beef sammich, and it's a thing of beauty.

That Chicago style Italian Beef is the bomb.

[Flint1979]

I remember being in a Chicago-themed restaurant in Boulder, Colorado with a friend years ago. I had a hot dog from there and he got mad at me when I put ketchup on it. I was unaware about that the rule about ketchup and hot dogs there. In any case I reminded him that we were in fact in Boulder, Colorado and not Chicago. That and because my hot dog was more of a regular one and not the Chicago-style.

That's actually not just a Chicago thing, it's more widespread than that.  It's also a New York thing.  And frankly (see what I did there?), mustard really brings out the flavor of the dog, whereas ketchup just masks it.

It's also a Michigan thing as well. Detroit and Flint style coney's don't come with ketchup even though I've seen people put ketchup on a Flint style coney but never on a Detroit style coney. Both coney's feature the sauce Flint's is a drier meatier sauce and Detroit's is like a chili, then mustard and onions. Detroit also has it's own style of pizza and the best place for pizza in Detroit is Buddy's, there are a few locations but the original one is on Conant and McNichols (Six Mile Road) in Detroit, it's actually a bar but has some damn good pizza. For Detroit style coney's it's really down to either Lafayette or American and I prefer Lafayette it's an old school joint serving some really good coney dogs, American and Lafayette sit side by side downtown and are open late into the night. Best Flint style coney is found at Starlite Coney Island on Center and Davison in Burton, not only does this place offer the best coneys in Flint but everything on their menu is awesome especially breakfast, it's open 24 hours and competes with Angelo's which is about 1.5 miles east at the corner of Davison and Franklin in a rougher part of Flint.

[Jim]

When I was first recommended by a Cincinnati-area native to try Skyline on a trip through back around 2002, I was hesitant.  Chili and cheese on spaghetti sounds like a terrible idea.  But I did, and I've been hooked since.  I always make it a point to stop at a Skyline when in their territory (most often one of their "outliers" in Naples, FL) and make it at home probably about once a month.

[spooky]

When I was first recommended by a Cincinnati-area native to try Skyline on a trip through back around 2002, I was hesitant.  Chili and cheese on spaghetti sounds like a terrible idea.  But I did, and I've been hooked since.  I always make it a point to stop at a Skyline when in their territory (most often one of their "outliers" in Naples, FL) and make it at home probably about once a month.

Chili and cheese on spaghetti doesn't necessarily sound like a bad idea. Cinnamon and other baking spices prominently featured in chili sounds like (and is) a terrible idea.

[cl94]

When I was first recommended by a Cincinnati-area native to try Skyline on a trip through back around 2002, I was hesitant.  Chili and cheese on spaghetti sounds like a terrible idea.  But I did, and I've been hooked since.  I always make it a point to stop at a Skyline when in their territory (most often one of their "outliers" in Naples, FL) and make it at home probably about once a month.

Chili and cheese on spaghetti doesn't necessarily sound like a bad idea. Cinnamon and other baking spices prominently featured in chili sounds like (and is) a terrible idea.

Different type of chili. Cincinnati chili is more like the meat sauce found in Rhode Island and Upstate New York than what most people think of as "chili".

[kphoger]

When I was first recommended by a Cincinnati-area native to try Skyline on a trip through back around 2002, I was hesitant.  Chili and cheese on spaghetti sounds like a terrible idea.  But I did, and I've been hooked since.  I always make it a point to stop at a Skyline when in their territory (most often one of their "outliers" in Naples, FL) and make it at home probably about once a month.

Chili and cheese on spaghetti doesn't necessarily sound like a bad idea. Cinnamon and other baking spices prominently featured in chili sounds like (and is) a terrible idea.

Different type of chili. Cincinnati chili is more like the meat sauce found in Rhode Island and Upstate New York than what most people think of as "chili".

Then you might want to edit the Wikipedia article on Cincinnati chili.

Ingredients include ground beef, stock, tomato paste, spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cumin, and chili powder, unsweetened dark chocolate and bay leaf, in a soup-like consistency.

[spooky]

When I was first recommended by a Cincinnati-area native to try Skyline on a trip through back around 2002, I was hesitant.  Chili and cheese on spaghetti sounds like a terrible idea.  But I did, and I've been hooked since.  I always make it a point to stop at a Skyline when in their territory (most often one of their "outliers" in Naples, FL) and make it at home probably about once a month.

Chili and cheese on spaghetti doesn't necessarily sound like a bad idea. Cinnamon and other baking spices prominently featured in chili sounds like (and is) a terrible idea.

Different type of chili. Cincinnati chili is more like the meat sauce found in Rhode Island and Upstate New York than what most people think of as "chili".

I was referring to Cincinnati chili - all I could taste was cinnamon the one and only time I tried it.