Top 10 cities for foodies: MSNBC Travel picks ...

[Gifted Gourmet]

MSNBC

we let our tastebuds wander the globe in search of sustenance. Our definitive list finds cities chosen for their unique dishes – if you hanker for snake, head to Hanoi – others for their celebrity chefs – witness Las Vegas and New York – and still others for creating dishes known the world over – we have Brussels to thank for mussels and fries and Tokyo for superlative sushi and sashimi. Of course, France and Italy are renowned for their local cuisine, so you'll find two stellar cities worth visiting here to sate your appetites......

Looking over this list, which cities would you want to add to the list?

Which cities would you want removed from the list?

Why?

[Vanessa L.]

Montreal. Mainly because I'm hopelessly biased. But I think there's a wonderful food culture in this city that gets overshadowed by multi-culti New York, but there so much about Montreal that's original and all it's own.

Also Chicago. I'm acutally fairly surprised it's not there.

[Daniel Rogov]

With all due respect, there has got to be something TERRIBLY wrong about such a list that does not include Paris.

[Pan]

Their misspelling of mangia -- three times in a row -- is not impressive.

The thing I wonder about is that there's no Indian city in the list, and how can you leave out Singapore or a Malaysian city or Bangkok?

That's the problem with these kinds of top-10 lists: There are just too many worthy candidates.

[Gifted Gourmet]

With all due respect, there has got to be something TERRIBLY wrong about such a list that does not include Paris.

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That was my initial impression as well ... boggles the mind ... of all of the eating cities in the world, surely Paris ought to lead the list ... but they chose to select Lyon, which is fine ... but ...

[Chris Amirault]

The conceit of these sorts of lists is mind-boggling. Has the author visited the most populous 500 cities or something? It's so absurd....

[barolo]

Perhaps the list is related to the 10 city tourism organizations that have doing the most promotion recently?

[cinghiale]

The mention of stoemp under Brussels intrigued me. Never heard of it, but sounded kinda like champ, the Irish mash, a recipe for which I've saved from a Corby Kummer article in the Atlantic Monthly and make occasionally. So, I googled for more info and found NOTHING indicating that it's made by "combining rabbit or veal". (No mention of this dish on eG at all). But, as mentioend upthread, the misspelling of mangia pretty much sealed it for me that the author of the piece is clueless.

[Gifted Gourmet]

The mention of stoemp under Brussels intrigued me.  Never heard of it, but sounded kinda like champ, the Irish mash, a recipe for which I've saved from a Corby Kummer article in the Atlantic Monthly and make occasionally.

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this particular recipe does indeed sound like "mash" ...

Stoemp Aux Poireaux/Stoemp Met Prei - Belgian Mashed Potatoes

This is a version of a dish I first had in Brussels. I think it is a traditional Flemish working person's dish, and goes really well with Carbonnades de Boeuf or Waterzooi. It is also sometimes cooked with ham as well. You can use light chicken stock in place of the vege stock if you prefer.

Stoemp with Caramelized Onions looks fantastic! I am planning to try it myself!

[cinghiale]

I, too, found these recipes, Melissa. Stoemp basically appears to be a mash served with a meat course. Interestingly, on Belgian food sites, the main meat is pork (ham, sausage). A bit of beef (carbonnade, stew) and chicken (Waterzooi), but there was very little out there for veal, let alone game. Of course, lots of moule and endive and waffles.

This website features recipes from Everybody Eats Well In Belgium.

FYI: Here's the champ from Kummer: Atlantic Monthly article

[gruyere]

These lists are generally a frivolous, somewhat meaningless exercise, especially when CNBC or other like organisations take a cursory glimpse of what is on the landscape. The omission of Paris is likely an attempt to appear original. In fact what it does is add further to the ignorance factor.

This from the March 2006 edition of Gourmet magazine: To quote editor in chief Ruth Reichl "This is Gourmet's sixth single city issue. Devoting ourselves to exploring Paris, Rome, San Francisco, New York and London was wonderful, but spending time in Montreal was perhaps most exciting of all."

Another editor said "This is not just a charming city with terrific food. And it's not just fun to be here. What's really great about Montreal is how much hope it gives you for the future. These people have really figured out how to live."

I’ll take a dedicated food journalist working for a respected food magazine over the opinion of CNBC, thank you very much.

[The Cynical Chef]

DAMNIT!!!

How could they pass over Greenville!? Surely there is a top ten category for cheap meat n three's.

I'm moving.......

[joiei]

Sounds like they are trying to sell travel packages at Sherman's Travel which was linked all over at the end of the piece.

[Gifted Gourmet]

How could they pass over Greenville!?  Surely there is a top ten category for cheap meat n three's.

I'm moving.......

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If you continue to cook in the same manner as you do currently, John, surely someone on some travel & food site will drop in and pronounce 33 Liberty "a hidden treasure worthy of national recognition" ... but unsure when this might occur ... there must be a Michelin Guide covering the delicacies to be found in their Meat & Threes of the Known World ... edition.

[S_tran]

IM really happy that vancouver made it on there!!GO VANCOUVER!

[iharrison]

The fact that Vancouver made the list and not Montreal is absurd ... lazy journalism and ignorance if I ever saw it.

This top 10 list on AskMen.com is much better:

http://www.askmen.com/fashion/wine_dine_60/87_wine_dine.html

[S_tran]

Well I am from Vancouver and the reason why I think that Vancouver made it was because of the diversity of out culiunary scene and its growth over the years. The level of the sophisticated diners and top restaurants imo here is very hard to ignore. YOu can find great Indian food, Chinese, Vietnamese, small french bistros, Belgian cuisine to your classes French cuisine, or even those little mom and pop mexican restaurants and greek restaurants etc. Although i am not saying Montreal doesn't deserve to be on there, im sure it does. It's just my take on why I think we made it on there.

[rich]

Any list that omits Paris and includes Lyon knows exactly what they're doing. Bravo to MSNBC for having the gumption to publicly say so.

It's about time someone did.

Surprised they included both New York and Tokyo. They're really the same city except New York has more Japanese restos.

[rich]

I see askmen.com also had Lyon and not Paris.

Bravo to them too.

[augieland]

MSNBC

Looking over this list, which cities would you want to add to the list?

Why?

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The Paris thing makes sense to me; most the best dining is prohibitively expensive and staid.

I love New York, I spend my days paying homage to it’s food, but at most the points in my life if asked what restaurant I most wanted to go back to it was in Chicago. Trotter’s then Alinea now. Somehow Chicago always leaves me impressed by expertise and creativity. I can’t imagine a list that doesn’t include it.