NYC: Conservative or Innovative Cuisine?

[docsconz]

Admin: Split from the thread on Gordon Ramsay in NYC.

How his food will be received in New York, which has been quick to embrace innovation and increasingly obscure and exotic ingredients, will be interesting to watch.

NYC quick to embrace innovation? In culinary terms? Could have fooled me. Although I love it, NYC must be the most culinarily conservative major city on the planet.

[jsmeeker]

No way.

I think Dallas would easily take NYC in this category. You should see how many high-end steak joints we have.

[rich]

You should see how many high-end McDonald's we have.

[oakapple]

NYC quick to embrace innovation? In culinary terms? Could have fooled me. Although I love it, NYC must be the most culinarily conservative major city on the planet.

It depends how you define "major city." As a guy who's lived in Detroit and Tampa, New York looks pretty adventurous.

[docsconz]

By "major city", I mean major on an international scale with international influence.

[jsmeeker]

By "major city", I mean major on an international scale with international influence.

fair enough. IF you want to discount Dallas from that list, that's fine. Which US cities, other than NYC, are on that list? Los Angeles? San Francisco? Miami??

[docsconz]

fair enough.  IF you want to discount Dallas from that list, that's fine.  Which US cities, other than NYC, are on that list? Los Angeles? San Francisco?  Miami??

Certainly the cities you mentioned would be on anyone's list of US cities with international appeal and influence. Other non-controversial choices IMO would include Chicago, D.C. and Seattle. Las Vegas, N.O., Boston and Philadelphia would be subject to debate as for their level of international appeal. Philadelphia would certainly be there if Shola ever opens a restaurant Any number of other cities could certainly be considered. My point about NYC is just that given its clear international standing, it remains very conservative when it comes to food. That is not to say that there aren't pockets of people pushing the envelope and patrons of those people pushing the envelopes. It is just when it comes to culture of any sort, in general NYC prefers a "hit", whether it be a hit Broadway show or an internationally recognized chef who isn't too "out there" Even ethnic cuisines fit that mold unless they have large pools of recent immigrants to support "authentic" cuisines or large pools of expats. This may be one reason why really good Mexican has had such a hard time getting a foothold here. New Yorkers really want what they are familiar with. From what I can tell, I think Gordon Ramsey will fit in fine as New York also likes some "attitude".