American Food Guide — Regional Cuisines You Must Try

Northeast

New England (Boston, Maine, Cape Cod):

• Clam chowder — creamy soup with potatoes, bacon, clams. Best at Legal Sea Foods or Union Oyster House (Boston, oldest restaurant in America, 1826).
• Lobster roll — fresh Maine lobster meat on a buttered split-top bun. Warm with butter (Connecticut-style) or cold with mayo (Maine-style).
• Fried clams — whole belly clams, breaded and fried. Ipswich, Massachusetts invented them.
• Maple syrup — real Grade A dark syrup from Vermont. Nothing like the fake stuff.

New York City:

• NY-style pizza — thin, foldable, wide slices. Joe's Pizza, Di Fara, Lucali.
• Bagel with lox — Russ & Daughters, Ess-a-Bagel, H&H. Cream cheese, cured salmon, capers, onion, tomato.
• Pastrami sandwich — Katz's Deli since 1888. Thickly sliced, piled impossibly high, on rye with mustard.
• New York cheesecake — dense, creamy. Junior's or Eileen's Special Cheesecake.

Southeast

Virginia & Carolinas:

• Carolina BBQ — pulled pork with vinegar-based sauce (NC) or mustard-based (SC). Lexington and Shelby, NC have legendary pits.
• Shrimp and grits — Charleston classic. Stone-ground grits with butter, cheese, shrimp.
• She-crab soup — creamy soup with crab and sherry. Charleston specialty.

Florida & Miami:

• Cuban sandwich — roast pork, ham, Swiss, pickles, mustard, pressed. Versailles (classic) or Sanguich de Miami (hipster).
• Stone crab — Oct-May season. Joe's Stone Crab in South Beach since 1913.
• Key lime pie — real Florida Keys version is yellow-green, not neon. Tart and creamy.

Deep South

Louisiana (New Orleans, Cajun Country):

• Gumbo — thick stew with okra, meat, seafood. Dark roux is key. Mr. B's Bistro, Commander's Palace.
• Jambalaya — rice with sausage, chicken, shrimp. Coop's Place in the Quarter.
• Po' boy — French bread sandwich with fried seafood or roast beef. Parkway Bakery, Domilise's.
• Beignets — square French doughnuts with powdered sugar. Café du Monde, 24/7 since 1862.

Tennessee (Memphis, Nashville):

• Memphis BBQ — dry-rubbed ribs (Charlie Vergos Rendezvous) or wet ribs (Cozy Corner).
• Nashville hot chicken — fried chicken rubbed with intense chili paste. Prince's, Hattie B's.
• Meat and three — Southern cafeteria style with a protein and three vegetables. Arnold's Country Kitchen in Nashville.

Texas:

• Texas BBQ (Central Texas style) — brisket is king. Rubbed with salt and pepper, smoked 12+ hours over post oak. Franklin BBQ, Snow's, Goldee's, Kreuz Market.
• Tex-Mex — cheese enchiladas, fajitas, queso dip. Austin and San Antonio are epicenters.
• Chicken-fried steak — steak breaded and fried like chicken, served with cream gravy.

Midwest

Chicago:

• Deep dish pizza — inverted pizza, crust as a bowl, cheese on bottom, chunky tomato on top. Lou Malnati's, Pequod's, Giordano's.
• Italian beef — thin sliced roast beef on a long roll, dipped in jus, topped with giardiniera. Al's Beef, Portillo's.
• Chicago hot dog — yellow mustard, onion, relish, tomato, pickle, sport peppers, celery salt. NEVER ketchup. Portillo's, The Wieners Circle.

Milwaukee & Wisconsin:

• Cheese curds — squeaky fresh cheese. Fried or raw. Wisconsin cheese shops.
• Bratwurst — German-style sausage, usually grilled with beer.
• Fish fry Fridays — Midwestern Catholic tradition, still going strong.

Southwest

New Mexico:

• Green chile — roasted Hatch chiles are New Mexico's pride. On everything.
• Sopapillas — puffed fried bread with honey.
• Frito pie — chili poured into a Fritos bag with cheese.

Arizona / Sonoran:

• Sonoran hot dog — Tucson specialty. Hot dog wrapped in bacon, in a Mexican bread roll, with beans, tomato, onions, mayo, mustard.
• Chimichanga — deep-fried burrito. Invented in Tucson.

California

• California burrito — San Diego specialty. French fries INSIDE the burrito.
• Mission burrito — San Francisco giant. Rice, beans, meat, salsa, guac, sour cream, cheese.
• In-N-Out burger — a California institution. Order "Double-Double Animal Style."
• Fish tacos — Baja-inspired. Grilled or fried fish, cabbage, white sauce, salsa.
• Sourdough bread — San Francisco's signature. Boudin Bakery, baking since 1849.
• Farm-to-table cuisine — California invented it. Chez Panisse in Berkeley.

Pacific Northwest

• Salmon (fresh, wild Pacific) — grilled, smoked, or raw. Pike Place Market in Seattle.
• Dungeness crab — season Nov-May. The Pacific Northwest crab.
• Coffee culture — Seattle birthed Starbucks, but the indie scene (Stumptown, Blue Bottle) is better.
• Voodoo Doughnut — Portland's iconic doughnut shop. Open 24/7.

Classic American (Everywhere)

• Burger and fries — Shake Shack, Five Guys, In-N-Out
• Fried chicken — KFC, Popeyes, Chick-fil-A, or regional variations
• Apple pie — à la mode (with vanilla ice cream)
• Diner breakfast — eggs, bacon, hash browns, pancakes, bottomless coffee — $10-15
• Root beer float — root beer with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
• Philly cheesesteak — thin beef, melted cheese, roll. Pat's or Geno's in Philadelphia
• Buffalo wings — invented in Buffalo, NY 1964. Spicy, vinegary, served with blue cheese and celery