Jun 23, 2022·edited Jun 23, 2022Liked by Andrew Zimmern
Actually guys I don’t think of Tennessee as being underrated in the food scene. It seems Tenn gets a lot of play & attention. What I do think is that it’s all based on Nashville! Which is delicious & a boatload of fun to graze thru. But I 100% agree with you… the rest of the state…you don’t hear about at all…and it is full of gems, I’d eat catfish on nearly any southern granny’s porch! We used to vacation a lot throughout Tenn & have several family members there. Beautiful state. Let me know when you get that beach and I’m in!
I think that its Tennessee. You can get some of the best BBQ in the world in Memphis and then head east for Nashville Hot Chicken. And we have all of the soul food here too. I don't know how the rest of the world eats catfish, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say most of the other states do it wrong! If the state had a beach... Oh well I guess it will have to stop just shy of perfection.
I lived in Birmingham for three very long years, but the food was amazing. It has a ton of great BBQ places and at the time (this was more then 15 years ago) had an unnerving number of cheap Chinese restaurants. I used to live down the street from a place that apparently used to be a Pizza Hut. Some local women had taken it over and each day the menu was whatever they happened to cook that day. This amazing southern food, heavy on the butter and love. And then there was the Shipley's Donut outlet where I used to buy these amazing kolaches.
Virginia gets very little love. We don't have a food identity, which works against us. We are not a bbq state, but we have some of the best bbq in the country (and ZZQ in Richmond is truly among the very best!) Our waters produce some of the best seafood, but people think of Maryland for crabs (we have the same bay; the same crabs!) NC for bbq, and Washington DC for international cuisine and fine dining. Our hams are extraordinary, with all due respect to Tennessee and Kentucky...Edwards Surryano is probably the best aged ham made in America.
Drive to the middle of nowhere and stop in a Adam's Peanuts, a general store straight out of the 1950 and get a Felts country ham sandwich for 3 BUCKS! And buy a smoked hog jowl for 2.50 a lb. Convince your friends that it's guanciale and you paid 15 bucks a pound and they'll believe you!
Richmond is an amazing food city with great chefs inspired by arts and music and culture that is often overlooked. Remember, this is where the great Peter Chang decided to roll out his empire! And ZZQ is the best bbq in America!
VA Beach has so many great oyster bars, crab shacks, and seafood markets. Fresh, seasonal, local fish can be found everywhere. Eat something out of your comfort zone: golden tile fish, soft shell crabs, or shad roe in season!
Northern Virginia may be largest area in the country for international foods: Korean in Annandale, Vietnamese at The Eden Center, ALL branches of Asian foods, ALL branches of middle eastern foods, ALL branches of Latin AMerican and Caribbean foods, etc etc
Hell, even Charlottesville has some of the best bagels south of NYC at Bodos!!
I will say Georgia, and I don't mean Atlanta. The food scene in Atlanta has gone so far San Francisco foo foo that there remains only one restaurant I'd recommend and that's Mary Mac's Tea Room. It's Southern home cooking at its finest, and the portions and service are a throwback to the 50's and 60's. But once you leave Atlanta, head to the Georgia coast, where from Savannah to The Golden Isles you can find some of the best seafood cuisine on the entire East Coast. The restaurants on the New England coast, Boston, and Charleston have nothing on this region of Georgia.
Michigan! Specifically The D (Detroit)....Hamtramck/Polish, Mexican Village, Greektown, Eastern Market, Farmington Hills/Middle Eastern....Oh how I miss those places.
I'm going with West Virginia. Quirky little places in what is, in some locales, magical locations. Granted, you aren't going to have tons of places to choose from, but there is some really good food created by some of the nicest people on earth. (And, no... I am not from WVA :)
My heart wants to say Georgia, because I grew up eating so many amazing meals there, but honestly, I have to say Oregon blew me away as having the best, most underrated, food experiences from all my travels.
North Dakota for sure. I am always surprised how many Americans don’t even know where it is. Gorgeous landscapes and tons of outdoor activities to do. Charming small towns with home grown food, local arts, and friendly people. Not to mention the buffalo!
Ohio is where I learned what a Kosher Deli was like. Maine showed me the love letter to hamburgers that was found at Nosh Kitchen Bar. Massachusetts taught me about Italian-American baked goods & how the best pizza of your life can be found in a sleepy suburbs gas station & down the street is some of the best ice cream ever. Vermont showed how food can make one want to slowdown and relax. Nebraska is where I had the best steak ever. Nevada is my home & where I learned the wonderfulness of poutine and where I learned what real pork ribs can be like.
Now I live in North Carolina, and so many of the food traditions of here are going away or being forgotten about. New blood is coming in and showing locals why their stuff can be great too.
For me I would say Connecticut, it's sort of its own thing, not trying to be like a NY or Boston, a bit of both, sort of, but not really at the same time. Not too NY-ish or too New England-y either, literally in between, depending where you're at in CT. Some people do have accents but also many don't. For me what got me was the Pizza years ago in High School. First time I had it, it was a regular round pie, but cut up into small squares, instead of the 'traditional' triangular slice I was used to. There would be those 'miniature' triangles near the edges though, due to 'real estate'! Just really cool and never forgot that. I would recommend trying Willington Pizza in Willington, CT, very nice place to have a meal with Friends/Family. Really nice towns all over, especially inland (towns just northwest of Hartford, west of Talcott Mountain) and along the coast too (Mystic is nice). The Northwestern part of CT along the New York State border (Litchfield County, CT) is sort of its own little world too.
I know I can’t say Minnesota ;) Some thanks to you Mr. Zimmern for making our foodie scene known! I’ll go with either of the Carolinas, a wonderful blend of culture
Actually guys I don’t think of Tennessee as being underrated in the food scene. It seems Tenn gets a lot of play & attention. What I do think is that it’s all based on Nashville! Which is delicious & a boatload of fun to graze thru. But I 100% agree with you… the rest of the state…you don’t hear about at all…and it is full of gems, I’d eat catfish on nearly any southern granny’s porch! We used to vacation a lot throughout Tenn & have several family members there. Beautiful state. Let me know when you get that beach and I’m in!
I think that its Tennessee. You can get some of the best BBQ in the world in Memphis and then head east for Nashville Hot Chicken. And we have all of the soul food here too. I don't know how the rest of the world eats catfish, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say most of the other states do it wrong! If the state had a beach... Oh well I guess it will have to stop just shy of perfection.
I lived in Birmingham for three very long years, but the food was amazing. It has a ton of great BBQ places and at the time (this was more then 15 years ago) had an unnerving number of cheap Chinese restaurants. I used to live down the street from a place that apparently used to be a Pizza Hut. Some local women had taken it over and each day the menu was whatever they happened to cook that day. This amazing southern food, heavy on the butter and love. And then there was the Shipley's Donut outlet where I used to buy these amazing kolaches.
Tennessee, specifically Knoxville, where Southern Foothills Cuisine is alive on the land!
Virginia gets very little love. We don't have a food identity, which works against us. We are not a bbq state, but we have some of the best bbq in the country (and ZZQ in Richmond is truly among the very best!) Our waters produce some of the best seafood, but people think of Maryland for crabs (we have the same bay; the same crabs!) NC for bbq, and Washington DC for international cuisine and fine dining. Our hams are extraordinary, with all due respect to Tennessee and Kentucky...Edwards Surryano is probably the best aged ham made in America.
Drive to the middle of nowhere and stop in a Adam's Peanuts, a general store straight out of the 1950 and get a Felts country ham sandwich for 3 BUCKS! And buy a smoked hog jowl for 2.50 a lb. Convince your friends that it's guanciale and you paid 15 bucks a pound and they'll believe you!
Richmond is an amazing food city with great chefs inspired by arts and music and culture that is often overlooked. Remember, this is where the great Peter Chang decided to roll out his empire! And ZZQ is the best bbq in America!
VA Beach has so many great oyster bars, crab shacks, and seafood markets. Fresh, seasonal, local fish can be found everywhere. Eat something out of your comfort zone: golden tile fish, soft shell crabs, or shad roe in season!
Northern Virginia may be largest area in the country for international foods: Korean in Annandale, Vietnamese at The Eden Center, ALL branches of Asian foods, ALL branches of middle eastern foods, ALL branches of Latin AMerican and Caribbean foods, etc etc
Hell, even Charlottesville has some of the best bagels south of NYC at Bodos!!
But actually, let's just keep it a secret!
I will say Georgia, and I don't mean Atlanta. The food scene in Atlanta has gone so far San Francisco foo foo that there remains only one restaurant I'd recommend and that's Mary Mac's Tea Room. It's Southern home cooking at its finest, and the portions and service are a throwback to the 50's and 60's. But once you leave Atlanta, head to the Georgia coast, where from Savannah to The Golden Isles you can find some of the best seafood cuisine on the entire East Coast. The restaurants on the New England coast, Boston, and Charleston have nothing on this region of Georgia.
Michigan! Specifically The D (Detroit)....Hamtramck/Polish, Mexican Village, Greektown, Eastern Market, Farmington Hills/Middle Eastern....Oh how I miss those places.
I'm going with West Virginia. Quirky little places in what is, in some locales, magical locations. Granted, you aren't going to have tons of places to choose from, but there is some really good food created by some of the nicest people on earth. (And, no... I am not from WVA :)
My heart wants to say Georgia, because I grew up eating so many amazing meals there, but honestly, I have to say Oregon blew me away as having the best, most underrated, food experiences from all my travels.
Maine has blown us away. We especially love Northern Maine, Moosehead Lake area. But we've been in Portland for a couple months. Duckfat baby!!
Hands down New Mexico. So much variety in flavors, textures, aroma. Lots of regional cooking
Definitely Alabama ❤️❤️The heart of Dixie
North Dakota for sure. I am always surprised how many Americans don’t even know where it is. Gorgeous landscapes and tons of outdoor activities to do. Charming small towns with home grown food, local arts, and friendly people. Not to mention the buffalo!
Ohio is where I learned what a Kosher Deli was like. Maine showed me the love letter to hamburgers that was found at Nosh Kitchen Bar. Massachusetts taught me about Italian-American baked goods & how the best pizza of your life can be found in a sleepy suburbs gas station & down the street is some of the best ice cream ever. Vermont showed how food can make one want to slowdown and relax. Nebraska is where I had the best steak ever. Nevada is my home & where I learned the wonderfulness of poutine and where I learned what real pork ribs can be like.
Now I live in North Carolina, and so many of the food traditions of here are going away or being forgotten about. New blood is coming in and showing locals why their stuff can be great too.
For me I would say Connecticut, it's sort of its own thing, not trying to be like a NY or Boston, a bit of both, sort of, but not really at the same time. Not too NY-ish or too New England-y either, literally in between, depending where you're at in CT. Some people do have accents but also many don't. For me what got me was the Pizza years ago in High School. First time I had it, it was a regular round pie, but cut up into small squares, instead of the 'traditional' triangular slice I was used to. There would be those 'miniature' triangles near the edges though, due to 'real estate'! Just really cool and never forgot that. I would recommend trying Willington Pizza in Willington, CT, very nice place to have a meal with Friends/Family. Really nice towns all over, especially inland (towns just northwest of Hartford, west of Talcott Mountain) and along the coast too (Mystic is nice). The Northwestern part of CT along the New York State border (Litchfield County, CT) is sort of its own little world too.
I know I can’t say Minnesota ;) Some thanks to you Mr. Zimmern for making our foodie scene known! I’ll go with either of the Carolinas, a wonderful blend of culture