Lists

Is L.A. the Country’s Best Food Scene, and Does Vancouver Have the World’s Best Chinese?

Looking back on a year of eating across the country, the Post’s travel writers have a spirited discussion about their favorite scenes and restaurants. Mentioned are Philadelphia’s Zahav, L.A.’s Animal, the Kogi truck, XOCO in Chicago, and Xi’an Famous Foods in New York. So what’s the best food scene going right now? Well, the Posties are pretty sold on L.A., where “seeing locals who look like they came from the “90210” extras tent diving into molecular gastronomy is fun,” there’s good sushi, you can see celebs casually dining with their families, and the cheap eats are still strong. “We’re now in a three-way-tie between New York, Los Angeles and Chicago,” says David Landsel, before going on to lament New York’s lack of barbecue and Tex-Mex (Philly, however, has Percy Street Barbecue).

Meanwhile, in the February issue of Condé Nast Traveler, writer Mark Schatzker makes this bold declaration: “I would say I’ve eaten Chinese food all over North America and in China and the best I’ve eaten in the world was in Vancouver. Hands down.” In fact, the experience there left him “trembling.” Sorry, Xi’an Famous Foods.

TRENDS: Food (and traveling for food) in 2010 [NYP]
Conde Nast Traveler magazine says Vancouver has best Chinese food in world [Vancouver Sun]

Is L.A. the Country’s Best Food Scene, and Does Vancouver Have the