Each City's signature dish?

[Randi]

Atlantic City, NJ - White House Subs and Salt Water Taffy

Newark, NJ - Italian Hot Dogs

[Basilgirl]

Calling Half-smokes DC's dish is like calling french fries New York's dish. There's no connect.

A Washington Post reader poll a few years back named the half-smoke as DC's dish...

Here's a quote off another forum discussing DC & half-smokes:

"Oh my, those hot dog vendors are a year-round staple in DC, have been for years. I would advise finding one of the vendors on Pennsylvania Avenue, as opposed to Constitution--the ones on Constitution are directly off the Mall area and more convenient to tourists; the ones on Pennsylvania Ave. cater more to the government workers. There is one vendor, a lady, who is normally at the corner of 9th and Penn., just outside of the Justice Dept.--she has been there for years and honestly has the best hot dogs and half smokes in DC, IMHO. Be sure to try her onion sauce too--it's the best as well!

As to where to buy Sabretts in the DC area, let me do a little checking and see where to buy. I do know that Murry's used to sell boxes of half smokes, Murry's brand though not Sabrett. I'll post what I find later.

tarragon"

And one from the esteemed Michael Stern:

"The great half-smoke place in the city is Ben's Chili Bowl, but you should be able to find them at BBQ's and hot dog joints in the greater DC area."

[Andrew Fenton]

Seattle- Beer or Salmon

I'd second the Salmon and add Dungeness Crab. And beer, but specifically microbrews.

Surely coffee?

[mnebergall]

There is no way that the half-smoke could be considered DC's 'signature" dish. Sabrett's appears to sell more in NY than DC. And, I think you can buy them at Costco.

[Mabelline]

Ooh, Ooh,Ooh; Louisville, folks! Juleps, Hot Browns, Derby Pie.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Los Angeles: DOH! I forgot Langer's pastrami sandwich.

Nah.... if you are going to pick a sandwich, it has to be either Phillipe's or Cole's French Dip.

[tunabelly]

Toronto: Tim Horton's gourmet pastries. :P

[ludja]

ooh, just thought of some good ones for Greensboro/Winston Salem:

Moravian Sugar Cookies

and

Western-Style Carolina Pulled Pork

(Large Moravian settlement in Winston Salem going back many years; they are famous for their wafer thin sugar and spice cookies)

(NC pulled pork can really be separated into "East" and "West" versions. West has vinegar, tomato and spices; East has no tomato. So you could change Raleigh/Durham to "Eastern Style Carolina Pulled Pork)

If you have a non-coastal South Carolina town in there, Colombia?, could have South Carolina Pulled Pork (with mustard in the sauce)

Edited February 12, 2004 by ludja (log)

[KAPDADDY]

Austin - Huevos Rancheros or Migas

Houston - Kolaches maybe?

Denver - rack of lamb

Oklahoma City - onion burgers

[mnebergall]

I was having dinner last night with a UCLA grad and I asked him what he thought LA's signature dish was; myself having spent three years in the LA area going to lawschool. We both agreed that it was the cheeseburger from one of the five Tommy's locations (me being familiar with #5 in Santa Monica). He was able to name the locations of all 5 and also point out that Tommy's son has opened up a Tommy's Jr.

[mnebergall]

BUFFALO: beef on weck

What, pray tell, is beef on weck?

[tommy]

weck is a hard roll, basically.

Edited February 13, 2004 by tommy (log)

[mnebergall]

weck is a hard roll, basically.

Thanks for clearing that up.

[rlibkind]

PHILADELPHIA

I was going to reluctantly relent to the cheesesteak/soft pretzel recommendation until I read Katie's ice cream missive. Absolutely! But for the record, another possibility is pepper pot soup, once ubiquitous, now exceedingly rare. Basically, it's tripe.

NEWARK (NJ)

Way to go, Randi! Italian Hot Dogs! They are (usually) beef hot dogs deep fried with onions (raw and not breaded) and frying peppers, put on a ciabatta-like, Italian bread. I know I've crossed the border of the Philadelphia and Newark spheres of influence when the menu switches from cheesesteaks to Italian hot dogs, and hoagies to subs.

TRENTON (NJ)

Pork Roll, a.k.a. Taylor's Ham.

MILWAUKEE

The signature food for Milwaukee isn't brats. It's beer. Or perhaps a butter burger.

CHICAGO

I don't like 'em, but they're real: Chicago hot dogs. The Italian beef sandwich is derivative and can be found in any city with a large Italian population, it's just that they make a big deal about it in Chicago, though I'll be the first to admit the addition of giardeneria (spelling?) is a stroke of genius. In fact, it's the additions that make a Chicago hot dog unique, rather than the hot dog itself. Let's face it, despite wanting to be known for meat, the stockyards are gone and Chicago is a city of frills! (Just kidding, I love that burg.)

ST LOUS

It's awful, but toasted ravioli is the hands-down winner.

ITHACA NY

Alfalfa sprouts

BUFFALO & WESTERN NY

Beef on weck. A roast beef on a kummelweck, a version of kaiser roll topped with caraway seeds and salt.

[afoodnut]

The Denver (here in colorado usually called a Western Omelette) Omelette is not a Denver or Colorado specialty. I don't know the history of the name; does anyone else?

The Denver Public Library has a chat-reference feature online. I'm currently asking a librarian. Google was no help....

Edit: OMG, this is the coolest thing. You can chat live with a librarian. Susie the Librarian said that she knows the Western History Department has received this question before, but they're closed today. They'll email the answer within two business days....

Mudpuppie-

Have you heard from the Denver Library with their answer? It will be interesting to see if their information/analysis is similar to that of the column Hollywood linked to.

Here's one answer....

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/ente...2576849,00.html

[ludja]

MILWAUKEE

The signature food for Milwaukee isn't brats. It's beer. Or perhaps a butter burger.

I've heard a bit about the "butter burger", but is it only one restaurant? (maybe that is ok, even if so).

When you mentiond that it reminded me of another dish I thought is really big in Milwaukee (from good friends that live there and when I've visited): frozen custard.

Milwaukee Frozen Custard

Never mind religion and politics, when it comes to the big issues in Milwaukee, it is frozen custard that launches a truly lively debate. Ask any three Milwaukeeans which smooth, creamy stuff they prefer, and you’re likely to get three different answers. It is a place where the challenge of making the “best” custard is taken seriously. The only city where actual taste tests are sponsored to determine which frozen custard is tops, reminiscent of a county or state fair. The winning recipes are those which have been refined through years of practice. Milwaukee’s nostalgic "Happy Days" culture has thrived and prospered for over 60 years, while the rest of the country has essentially watched it vanish.

Custard isn’t pudding, yogurt nor ice cream, which it resembles, but something like Heaven in your Mouth. Milwaukee Frozen Custard is the Real Stuff made from premium Wisconsin cream, into which is masterfully baked at least 1.4% egg yolk. By using our special machines, we make it with far less added air, or overrun, than regular ice cream making it much denser. Because it is served before being refrozen, as regular ice cream is, it uniquely maintains a pleasingly soft but heavy consistency. We believe it’s Better than Ice Cream. We think you will too.

and from: frozen custard in Milwaukee

What is Frozen Custard?

Since custard is an ice cream, it must, by law, contain at least 10 percent butterfat and 1.4 percent egg yolk. i.c. sweets “old fashioned” Frozen Custard machine with new quick freeze technology feeds the custard mix into a freezing barrel. The mix is rapidly frozen, with low overrun and small ice crystals, resulting in a smooth, creamy texture. The custard produced is velvety smooth and rich in flavor. It is made several times a day. The taste is best when eaten fresh. Once a person has tried frozen custard the excellent taste will bring them back for more!

History of Custard

Perhaps the best-kept and tastiest secret is a variety of ice cream known as fresh frozen custard. Custard has become so popular that Milwaukee, Wisconsin, probably sells more fresh frozen custard than anywhere else and is known as the “Custard Capital of the World.”

When I googled to check on 'Milwaukee' and 'frozen custard', I came up with a bunch of tag lines saying, Milwaukee: Home of Brats, Beer and Frozen Custard

(All three sound like proper nominees)

[Mudpuppie]

Mudpuppie-

Have you heard from the Denver Library with their answer? It will be interesting to see if their information/analysis is similar to that of the column Hollywood linked to.

No, not yet. Maybe it's time to drop Susie the Librarian another line.

[tommy]

weck is a hard roll, basically.

Thanks for clearing that up.

you're welcome.

[Varmint]

I've looked at this thread for the first time this morning, and I must insist that any reference to "pulled pork" for Greensboro or Raleigh or Durham be replaced with the term: "Barbecue" (by the way, Raleigh and Durham are two separate and very different cities). No North Carolinian refers to our pork specialty as anything but barbecue. Moreover, although Raleigh's "specialty" may be barbecue, I find it curious that Raleigh doesn't have a single solid barbecue restaurant, and neither does Durham (Chapel Hill does, thank goodness).

Finally, I have no problems with the Greensboro area listing "Western NC style barbecue" as its food, but recognize that the more common name for this is "Lexington style", as Lexington is the home of a number of great restaurants serving this type of barbecue. Greensboro and Winston-Salem collectively have about 1/3 the number of decent barbecue restaurants as Lexington.

Finally, I've never thought of sweet potato pie as a dish representative of Raleigh. In fact, I can't think of any dish that would constitute my town's "signature dish." Biscuits?? The problem is that Raleigh, as is the case with many Southern metropolitan areas, has changed so much over the past 20 years that it's lost a lot of its heritage. It's hard to point to a single type of food and declare it as quintessentially representative. Except for okra, perhaps.

[ludja]

Varmint, thanks for the well-placed 'refinements' to my post. I forgot about the name "Lexington Style" for Western Style and got carried away waxing poetic using 'pulled pork' rather than just bbq, which as you say, is what any North Cackalackian would say.

I agree too that bbq is not what springs to mind as a Raleigh specialty---and that Lexington has more bbq places than Greensboro/W-S. I guess I was stretching a little to encompass "food in that area" under 'signature dishes'. It seems like some of the cities listed may not really have signature dishes or that they have been obscured or changed in the mists of time. It might also be interesting to have a thread that discusses 'signature dishes' of cities/towns but without specifying the towns--i.e. Lexington for Western NC style BBQ.

I wonder if Raleigh has any "old dishes/foods" that it used to be known for before the 'great nothern hordes' descended? I don't really think of sweet potato pie re: Raleigh either.

[bloviatrix]

ITHACA NY

Alfalfa sprouts

Can you explain this one.

[cherrypi]

ITHACA NY

Alfalfa sprouts

Can you explain this one.

I'd guess that it's the Moosewood influence.

[stephenc]

I got back from Miami last night. I'll update this list later today after I finish some work.

[stephenc]

edit. (how do you delete posts?_)

Edited February 17, 2004 by stephenc (log)

[stephenc]

edit.

Edited February 17, 2004 by stephenc (log)