Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I live in Hialeah, Florida, which is practically Miami physically, but definitely another place as far as the atmosphere. Mostly Cubans have lived there for the past 30 yrs (as am I) therefore most of the places are latin restaurants with the customary window off to one side so you can sidle up and order your shot of Cuban coffee or tostadas (pressed cuban bread, liberally buttered-up) for breakfast. Not only can you order through this little window, but you can hang out, eating/drinking and talk to whomever you like. Believe me, they will respond if they havent already started up with you! I feel these places make my town unique and I wouldnt trade it for anything. Its a flavor and familiarity that is very much a part of the community.

As special as they are, there are tons of them! So when every once in a while you see a little hole in the wall italian or vietnamese place, you think to yourself, "what is this place doing here?" It turns out to be fantastic! The food is as authentic as our little cafe windows and somehow makes Hialeah more than just a little city full of Cubans. Of course, only we Hialeans know this, b/c no one else in Miami likes to drive in here; they complain about our strange street arrangements. Their loss;)

Minnesota: home of Pillsbury, General Mills, Betty Crocker, Green Giant, Totino's Pizza, wild rice soup, Caribou Coffee, Spam, Hormel, Schwan's, Andrew Zimmern (love it or leave it), The Minnesota State Fair, Pronto Pups, Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Pearson's candies, Summit Beer, Grain Belt Premium, Punch Pizza... I could go on forever.

I'm proud of my hometown (Minneapolis) because of its appreciation for all things homestyle, hot-dishy, and on-a-stick, and because of the variety of ethnic foods and cultures that thrive in the Twin Cities.

If you're ever driving through Sweetwater, Texas, try a stop at Miss Allen's fried chicken, also called Ma Allen's. Seating is family style, so prepare to sit with some very nice strangers. As soon as you take a seat, here it comes. Fried chicken, roast beef, salads, greens, potatoes, corn, beans, cornbread or rolls, all laid out on the table. And cobbler for dessert. Wash it down with sweet tea. It's all you can eat, and the last time I was there, it cost $8 for adults, but that may be different. Also, Big Boys BBQ is a good bet as well, has made honorable mention in Texas Monthly's best BBQ issue for several years now.

Football season in west Texas is a special thing, think Friday Night Lights. And in March, Sweetwater becomes home to the world's largest
Rattlesnake Roundup. And yes, you can eat rattlesnake. Yay!

My hometown is Brooklyn, NY; specifically Bensonhurst. When I was a kid, it was happily occupied predominantly by an almost equal mix of Italian and Jewish people. (I know Jewish is not a nationality but it was a defining factor of a good half the population.)

On any given Sunday, I'd race home for dinner to find macaroni in many incarnations, accompanied by a beautiful, bubbling pot of gravy with meatballs, sausage and God knows what other meaty loveliness; crusty bread and some type of salad. It was a safe, friendly neighborhood with people who actually knew each other's names.

I grew up across the street from a school which I did not attend but alumni swear I did as I played in the schoolyard almost nonstop beginning from age six. One close friend lived on the block of that school and we frequently convened at her house. Friendships I made at the schoolyard are still intact, even though we're all pretty spread out now.

On any afternoon, you could sit on your "stoop" and in short order, someone you knew would pass. Next thing you know, you're both off to do something fun, be it play some type of sports, shop, or just hang out to talk right there on the steps.

I have not gone through life trying to recreate the neighborhood of my childhood as I know that's not possible. I'd sure love to duplicate the feel of it. To be honest, nowhere I've lived has felt like "home" since then.

Puerto Rico... With people and food full of flavor and fun. We are very much part of the US, but very independent and Latin in our culture. Rice and beans are a staple in every family and anything fried goes - Tostones, Bacalaitos, Platanos Maduros, ... you name it. Even now we're trying to fake it a bit by baking stuff that are usually fried.

Even though I do not drink it... Coffee is the big drink here, having our Puerto Rican coffee be the coffee of choice at the Vatican fo many, many decades. Cafeterias or Panaderias are huge here and they serve THE BEST sandwiches ever with the best bread in the world - Pan Criollo or Pan de Agua, as it is also called.

After seeing a little taste of Puerto Rico cuisine in the Top Chef finale... you should visit and experience it for yourself... anything else, it's just TALK.

Madelyn.
KarmaFreeCooking

I grew up in Fond du Lac WI where we had Tuckers, a local burger joint that didn't have seating inside. You had to go in and order. It was a huge pink building. On tuesdays they sold two burgers for the price of one and called them "Tuckers Two-fers". It's still called Tuckers, but now its a regular looking fast food-y place. ( I still see the big pink building when I drive by)

Down the road from Tuckers was Gillies Drive in- it's still there! I think the same car-hops are still there too! You put your headlights on when you're ready to order. When I was very little, my parents used to take us for a drive down Main street, then a turn through Lakeside Park, and back down Main Street and a stop at Gillies for a frozen custard! In High School, we would drive there for lunch and hang out there on friday nights during the summer. When it's closed in the winter, my brother in law and his friend sell christmas trees from there!

Another great place that has been around forever and is still there is Joe's Fox Hut pizza. It's in a tavern and you order the pizza directly from the kitchen- just pop your head in and tell the pizza makers what you want! They still deliver the pizzas in a big flat bag, not a box. When I take a trip back to Fond du Lac, my visit isn't complete without a Joes Fox Hut pizza!

My grandma lived in a small town not far from Fondy. On the way there we would stop and buy cheese from Widmer's cheese. It has been a family owned cheese making business for generations. They supposedly invented Brick Cheese, a yummy white cheese that is aged with bricks sitting on top of them.

We used to have a Hardees fast food restaurant that would sponser a huge corn roast with one of the local radio stations. I swear the whole town would be there!

I'm sure i'll think of so much more during the day! I've been on my own and out of Fond du Lac for 25 years. My family still lives there, so I get to visit the great places that are still there when I go back to visit.

Thanks for promptiing the great old memories!

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, went to college here (Carnegie-Mellon) and chose to make it my home as an adult. It is indeed the "Friendliest City", a moniker earned several years ago. Diversity is the key to Pittsburgh's charm. Our universities and health systems are among the best in the country. We LOVE our Steelers and Penguins (and Pirates). But the food here is where it's at. Go to any part of the city and you will find delightful Mom and Pop gems that serve up the best immigrant food you have ever eaten.

South Side is known for it's Polish food like pierogies and haluska; Bloomfield is Italian (Alexander's, The Pleasure Bar, Del's); North side is German (hit any brewery for a great wurst or schnitzel); Squirrel Hill has the best Jewish delis; Oakland and Shadyside cater to the college crowd, but also are home to great Middle Eastern, Indian and Asian delicacies. Mt. Washington, which provides a breathtaking view of the city, has several romantic spots that serve up some of the best seafood and high end dining. Station Square is home to many touristy restaurants, bars and shops, but still a fun place to visit. The Grand Concourse restaurant, the anchor of Station Square, is housed in a beautifully refurbished train station (also a National Landmark) and has incredible brunches and fresh seafood. Finally, we have the Theater District in the Golden Triangle (Downtown Pittsburgh). Most eateries cater to the theater goers and have great pre and post symphony/opera/broadway happy hours. They also attract the urban professional crowd as well as sports fans on their way to or from the games. My personal favorite is Six Penn Kitchen. Food is remarkable and the atmosphere includes a 3rd floor rooftop outdoor lounge where you can people-watch as different events let out. The Chef also maintains his rooftop garden and the wine selection is wonderful. Patrons come from every walk of life.

If you visit Pittsburgh, you have to "eat your way" through the city. You won't be disappointed.

Can you tell I love The Burgh? :-D

Though it's not my hometown, El Paso has, not surprisingly, world-class Chihuahuan and Sonoran cuisine, two nearby Mexican states. The food is heavy on beef and corn. A lot of locals like flour tortillas, so much so that wait staff ask which you'd prefer. The salsas are extremely spicy, enough to clear your sinuses and send torrents of sweat off your forehead. Tomatoes don't have a place in salsa here. Pico de gallo is simply chopped green chiles dumped into pureed red chiles, with some onion thrown in for color.

Owing to the few (several?) hundred Mexican restaurants in town, there are few taco vans to be seen.

Despite the beef influence, there are a few places to get pork in tacos, Tacos Santa Cecilia being one. They feature a vertical spit over a wood fire (with a gas line as a backup) onto which the pork is placed with pineapple slices on top. It looks like a gyro stand. You get grilled onions and cilantro on the side, plus a runny guacamole (standard here in restos). Carnitas Queratera is another place to get pork tacos.

Little Diner in Canutillo (on the edge of the El Paso city limits) makes everything fresh, including their tortillas (the full name is Tortilla Factory and Little Diner). They are famous for their gorditas. Beware of the red salsa -- it will take your head off and send it to New Mexico, which has its own influence on local cuisine.

Owing to the nearness to New Mexico, there are outstanding chicken or cheese enchiladas and chile rellenos -- the variation being whether you want red sauce, green sauce or no sauce on them.

Vendors sell giant pork rinds, onto which are pour chile powder or hot sauce, and cups of corn, onto which chile powder is poured. Chile powder is also put on popcorn.

The Mennonite influence in Mexico is reflected in cheese-making; one style is called Mennonitas, and can be used for melting in cooking. Occasionally, you'll run across a Mennonite family in a resto or Wal-Mart.

Texas-style steaks are popular too. There are some very very good steakhouses here, and they are locally-owned or else mini-chains (with outlets around town -- it's a very big town, mileage-wise and it's split by a mountain).

Some attempts at higher-quality cuisine have succeeded here. There is the Magic Pan, a casual place with very very good food (lunches are light, such as quiche and a salad) and the dinner menu just hits the spot.

Ardovino's Crossing (taking you through some dodgy border culture to get there) is fun, and they host a Saturday farmer's market during growing season.

Cafe Central is the pretentious #1 -- and it would survive in a Bay Area or Honolulu -- but it knows it's tops and therefore it isn't.

On the other hand, maybe there aren't so many places for great non-Mexican food in El Paso. Besides a funky, cool Thai place called True Thai (family-run; once had drinks served by the owner's 7-year old grandkid who was visiting), and where the curries are home-made; twin Chinese restaurants Moon Star and Moon Day on Mesa; and a couple of pho joints that also offer some pretty darn edible curries, Asian food is unpalatable here. Fortunately, there are two pretty comprehensive Chinese-run markets in town, just off the I-10 on the East Side. Buy your own, make your own, and you have just outcooked all but two of the Chinese joints in town. One of them offers live fish and shellfish (depending on market). I think they cater to Chinese execs who manage the production factories just across the border. There is no Japanese cooking worth eating here.

I have heard that there is good Chinese food in Juarez, Mexico, the sister city just across the so-called Rio Grande/Bravo river (so-called because it was canalized a century ago to prevent flooding and is really a creek now). But I haven't been to them.

One thing I never knew before coming here is the extent of Chinese influence here and in northern Mexico. Chinese workers built railroads in Mexico, too, and the family that runs one of the Chinese grocery stores has Chinese roots.

There is a brother-and-sister pair making a go of running a cafe/restaurant called Ripe, which cooks up fresh food daily, for eat-in or take out. It's very California in concept, and very good, up on Redd Road, up the hill.

The pre-eminent (and only) web site that covers El Paso dining is this one. I'm not the author, but my experience tells me that the author really gets the nuances of food at this part of the Southwest Border:

http://www.eskimo.com/~sockeye/ep/EPRank.html

Concord, MA -- home of the Concord grape!

*NOTE* it's pronounced "conquered" not con-CORD.

There recently was a thread dedicated to my hometown, Rehoboth, that talked it up pretty well! I must admit, I was super excited to see the thread.

http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2008/07/rohoboth-beach-delaware.html

I live in Chicago, a town that has already been talked up, but is still considered second rate to New York. Of course you all know us for our deep dish pizza, our Chicago style dogs, and maybe even our Italian Beef. But I'm here to tell you that we're so much more than that!

These are just the foods that originated in Chicago but we have excellent scenes for all types of eats: sushi, Thai food (two of my favorites), you name it! So come visit Chicago so you can see what I'm talking about! :)

although i did not grow up here, Kalamazoo MI will forever be my future hometown. a college town with near cultish permenant residents, we're 15 minutes from the middle of nowhere. i couldn't be happier.

Water Street Coffee Joint - we have three starbucks, but people happily wait in line at Water street for their fair trade coffee.

MacKenzies - best bakery ever. bread baking magic happens there. you can usually get some of their cheesecake at Water Street. i drive past a Panera and a Great Harvest Bread co. to get to MacKenzies.

Theo & Stacy's - started 30-some years ago by Greek couple Theo & Stacy, now run by Stacy and her sisters - the classic Greek-American diner. Full of senior citizens most of the time, but the best gyros i've ever had. When i graduated from college, my parents said they would take me anywhere i wanted for dinner. i said Theo & Stacy's.

Bells Brewery - best microbrew ever. Pub Grub ain't bad either. they also get really good bands in.

Old Peninsula - second best microbrew ever. Not a bad seat in the house, menu is excellent, staff is super friendly.

Niskers - char broiled anything and everything. best fish sandwiches and pico de gallo in town.

FoodDance - they deserve some props for buying as much as possible local. but it's a little frou-frou for me.

Taco Bobs - exactly what it's sounds like, Bob's taco stand. used to be a true taco stand downtown, but now they actually have a place with a door. invented the "walking taco" which was all the rage downtown, basically a crumpled hard taco shell and all the taco fixins in a big cup, served with a fork.

man, now i'm really craving some Niskers.