Forbes Top Ten Cities for Dining

[Dave Pressley]

Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Bologna, Singapore, Palermo, Barcelona, London and Sydney

Here's the link to the article: http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/2007/07/3...0731travel.html

[FunnyJohn]

Sounds pretty arbitrary. Why Singapore and not Hong Kong or Shang Hai? Where's San Francisco? No Tokyo? Pretty heavily Euro/Western-centric I'd say, and even then -- Palermo over Rome?!.

[Meaghan]

Forbes is for Dow Jonesies, not foodies.

[Dave Pressley]

Forbes is for Dow Jonesies, not foodies.

I couldn't agree with you more, but I am not very well traveled and am interested in others' opinions that have visited and dined in other cities around the world.

[jparrott]

I think if I were to be forced to name two off-the-beaten-track Italian foodie cities, I'd name centro di tartufo Alba before Palermo. The wine aspect also pushes Alba further up (even though by all accounts it's not such an amazing place for general tourists).

[FunnyJohn]

You're right Jake. For the wine and food combo Alba seems a superior choice over Palermo, and I'd say so too would Turino

[synaesthesia]

Sounds pretty arbitrary. Why Singapore and not Hong Kong or Shang Hai?

Two words: street food. To elaborate fusion of the best elements of some pretty awesome cuisines.

[dinwiddie]

Singapore is where the action is in China these days, so it probably is where the best restaurants are, as well as the street food.

I know several Frenchmen who say that the best city for food in France is Lyon, not Paris.

I have to disagree about Las Vegas, there are great restaurants, but not the breadth that are available in other cities in the US, even DC.

[FunnyJohn]

Two words: street food. To elaborate fusion of the best elements of some pretty awesome cuisines.

Well if street food is the criterion, I would put Kuala Lumpur ahead of Singapore. The article itself only seems to mention the hawkers at the market in passing.

[Anna Blume]

Lists sell magazines. Forbes is trying to get you to take it to the beach.

All due respect to Piemonte's role in elevating the dining experience of local residents here; the wine is incredible as are truffles and gianduia is pure genius (except for the unctuousness of Nutella). Disclaimer: I've never spent time there nor have I traveled further south in Italy than Naples.

Based primarily on experience reading and cooking, I find Sicily's local ingredients (seafood, nuts and other produce) and multicultural cuisine far more interesting and distinctive, especially when it comes to early Arabic influences. In Palermo, they actually use spices! Then there's seafood, lemons, pastry and ice cream.

Piemonte is known for its antipasti as well as its wine. From what I understand, locals make full meals of them when they dine out in a region where women have long been among the most acclaimed chefs. Main courses tend towards less inventive, if fine braises, and there is a whole lot of "white food", e.g. cauliflower flans.

I suspect that whoever wrote the article simply wanted to appear a little edgy. There are so many prejudices against Southern Italy and Sicily that it seems almost contrarian to praise them. (I hope I get there before they become the new Tuscany for Americans & Brits.) Nonetheless, it's ridiculous to select two cities in Italy and three in the U.S. The list also reassures readers who like to feel at home as tourists: English is the primary language spoken in half of the destinations.

[acevedo81]

I'm sure barcelona is up there, but San Sebastian is the city that has the largest number of Michelin star restaurants in Spain if not the world (I read this somewhere, but I'm backing off the world part b/c it sounds pretty extreme) and its not even mentioned on the list.

[FunnyJohn]

I'm sure barcelona is up there, but San Sebastian is the city that has the largest number of Michelin star restaurants in Spain if not the world (I read this somewhere, but I'm backing off the world part b/c it sounds pretty extreme) and its not even mentioned on the list.

Although I have never had the pleasure of visiting San Sebastian, I recall reading somewhere recently that it is considered the best food city in Spain and it is located in Basque country with the blend of influences that entails.

[DonRocks]

I'm very curious if anyone here thinks the top 3 cities in the USA aren't New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. You can nitpick and analyze, but at the end of the day, is there really anyone who thinks otherwise? The only Top 10 city I haven't spent time in over the past 10 years is New Orleans, and I don't see any city even remotely approaching those 3. As for 4-10, I don't see how it's possible to come up with rankings unless you spend one solid month in each city you rank, dining out twice a day, every day, i.e., 60 meals, and even then it's just an educated guess.

Regarding the Forbes article, Bologna over Tokyo?! (I'm 25% Bolognese, so I have reason to pull for it, but come on!)