# The disappointment in ordering a local/regional specialty outside of that locale **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [September 21, 2023, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503 "2023-09-21T21:24:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/101 "2023-09-24T13:09:14Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > _The Goldbergs_ say the best Philly Cheesesteak is in New Jersey… > [Best cheesesteak? It's Donkey's Place in Camden, per 'The Goldbergs'](https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/the-insider/best-cheesesteak-donkeys-place-in-camden-goldbergs-tv-moron-20180305.html) > > Evidently, Anthony Bourdain has been there, too. Maybe we can get a local Doper to go try it. We went to Pat’s or Geno’s as tourists (I can’t remember, they are across the street from one another) and it was good, but I wish I knew of the places Philadephians preferred. Yes Donkey’s Place has the reputation as being at least one of the best if not the best. I have not been. It’s in let’s say a challenging neighborhood in Camden. That’s quite a challenge. It’s also not your traditional cheesesteak because it’s on a Kaiser roll. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/102 "2023-09-24T15:37:33Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > We went to Pat’s or Geno’s as tourists (I can’t remember, they are across the street from one another) and it was good, but I wish I knew of the places Philadephians preferred. Dalessandro’s in the Roxborough section. Give yourself plenty of time, the line is usually out the door. Chubby’s is right across the street, and they’re good, too. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/103 "2023-09-24T15:48:27Z")
Ordered salmon at the Bubba Gump’s in San Francisco. I was served a whitish piece of fish. I told the waitress that it didn’t look like any salmon I have ever seen. She had one of the cooks come out, he told me that it was fresh Atlantic salmon. I pointed out at the Pacific Ocean and told him the best salmon in the world swims right out there, I use to work on salmon fishing boats and I know what good salmon looks like. The stuff on my plate did not look like good salmon. He apologized and said it is what he is given to cook. I ate it, it was edible. The first place I went when I got home was a local Duke’s Seafood Restaurant and had a proper piece of salmon. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/104 "2023-09-24T17:33:39Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Correct. Thus my comment above. A real Philly Cheesesteak is inferior to any good cheesesteak with provolone instead. That’s not an “instead”. Whiz might have been the “original”, but a wide variety of cheeses (including provolone) are accepted as “authentic”. Any place that offers whiz as an option will also offer American and provolone, and likely also mozzarella. > [@Loach](#): > > It’s also not your traditional cheesesteak because it’s on a Kaiser roll. If it’s on a Kaiser roll, it might be a good sandwich, but it’s definitely not a cheesesteak. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/105 "2023-09-24T18:53:34Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > Ordered salmon at the Bubba Gump’s in San Francisco. There’s your mistake. Literally any of the other seafood options on that street, even the ones catering to the tourists, would have been better. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/106 "2023-09-24T19:23:19Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I grew up in Baltimore, where steamed blue crabs were a regular part of my diet, whether just the crabs, or crab soup, or crab cakes. All are among my favorites. > > So imagine my dismay when, as a stupid 19 y/o in Memphis (in the Navy at the time) I saw crab cakes on a menu and decided I deserved a treat. Apparently in Memphis, at least in 1973, a crab cake was, in fact, a patty of soggy bread-like substance, seasoned, over which someone whispered the word _crab_. > > I could have wept… I will only eat Northwest Dungeness crab, or crab cakes made from them. They are much better than any other crab you will find, inculding Alaskan King crab. I have had NE style crabs, including soft shell crabs. Pitifull ocean insects. I don’t understand how people can eat them. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/107 "2023-09-24T19:25:53Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > There’s your mistake. Literally any of the other seafood options on that street, even the ones catering to the tourists, would have been better. Even granted that it’s a terrible-quality place that’s just using the cheapest ingredients they can get away with… why the heck would anyone in San Francisco be serving Atlantic salmon? It can’t be cheaper to fly it clear across the country than to catch it locally. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/108 "2023-09-24T20:03:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It can’t be cheaper to fly it clear across the country than to catch it locally. For what it’s worth, at my local Trader Joe’s (in California, albeit about 100 miles from the ocean) farmed Atlantic salmon is cheaper than wild caught Pacific salmon. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/109 "2023-09-24T20:06:58Z")
Yep. That, plus economies of scale for a nationwide restaurant chain being supplied by a large food distribution company from a warehouse in the area, means locally sourced food doesn’t have a chance of being on their menu (even if at a comparable cost). ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/110 "2023-09-24T20:16:23Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > I will only eat Northwest Dungeness crab, or crab cakes made from them. They are much better than any other crab you will find, inculding Alaskan King crab. Dungeness crab is superb, and when I’m on the west coast, it’s my favorite seafood. (On the east coast i like Maine lobster. Neither crab nor lobster travel well, though, so best to eat them close to where they are caught.) But i enjoy most of the crabs, including Maryland blue crabs, their undressed kindred, soft shell crabs, king crab, even that bony little stone crab they eat in Florida. Crab cakes are usually too heavily seasoned for my tastes, and often mostly bread. But i like most other preparations. The very best crab I’ve eaten was a dungeness crab with ginger and onion, served in some suburban Chinese place in Vancouver. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/111 "2023-09-24T20:17:15Z")
Athletic salmon is farmed. Most farmed foods are cheaper than the comparable wild-harvested version. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/112 "2023-09-24T20:27:39Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Athletic salmon is farmed. You have to have a decent farm system if you expect to be in the playoffs every year. The best dungeness I’ve ever had was at Lazio’s in Arcata. Built right into a fish house. Doesn’t get any fresher than that. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/113 "2023-09-24T20:28:06Z")
Still better than academic salmon. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/114 "2023-09-24T20:58:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Even granted that it’s a terrible-quality place that’s just using the cheapest ingredients they can get away with… why the heck would anyone in San Francisco be serving Atlantic salmon? It can’t be cheaper to fly it clear across the country than to catch it locally. I don’t know when this particular incident took place, but it’s worth noting that the California salmon fishing season [didn’t even happen this year](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/cancelation-of-california-salmon-season-forces-fishermen-to-find-new-way-forward/). And anecdotally, based on my experience at Costco in both Santa Barbara and Seattle, farmed Atlantic salmon is always cheaper than locally caught salmon, sometimes substantially so. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/115 "2023-09-24T22:11:16Z")
I feel lucky reading this thread, because the Pacific Northwest doesn’t really have a signature food of its own, but we’re great at reproducing other places’ signature dishes. Want some amazing crabcakes or New England clam chowder? Head to the waterfront. Want Mexican food exactly like you can get in San Diego? We’ve got at least two 'Berto’s-style chains run by SoCal expats. Want a cheesesteak? I know a place in Pioneer Square that East Coast Dopers have testified easily gives Philly a run for its money. Asian food? We’ve got authentic teriyaki, pho, and banh mi out the ying-yang, a number of Korean restaurants with grills built into the cooktop, hibachi places, Filipino and Hawaiian spots, and Seattle’s International District has plenty of Chinese restaurants that serve the kind of Chinese food you won’t find at Panda Express, and sushi restaurants run by renowned chefs that wouldn’t be out of place in Tokyo. There’s a place not far from my house that serves NY-style pizza slices that AFAICT wouldn’t be out of place in a mob-owned Brooklyn pizza joint, and you can find some pretty good deep dish in Seattle if you know where to look. We’ve got Indian places that serve both British-style curries and authentic dishes from India. There’s a surprising number of Ethiopian restaurants in Seattle, which up until a few years ago I never even considered the possibility of ever experiencing. Just about the only regional specialty I’ve tried in Seattle that I found lacking was BBQ, but then again our climate isn’t exactly conducive to barbequing most of the year. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/116 "2023-09-24T22:24:49Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > > [@racer72](#): > > > > Ordered salmon at the Bubba Gump’s in San Francisco. > > There’s your mistake. Literally any of the other seafood options on that street, even the ones catering to the tourists, would have been better. Assuming this was at Pier 39 in Fishermen’s Wharf, that was literally the biggest tourist trap in a neighborhood full of them. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/117 "2023-09-24T23:59:59Z")
I can’t vouch for any, but there are several Latin American bakeries there. A Yelp search of “guava pastry” and Wheaton turned up several possibilities. Chicago Bakery and Carmelo Bakery are right across the street from each other on Georgia Avenue, and El Sabor Latino Bakery is around the corner from both. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/118 "2023-09-25T00:51:34Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > > [@snowthx](#): > > > > We went to Pat’s or Geno’s as tourists (I can’t remember, they are across the street from one another) and it was good, but I wish I knew of the places Philadephians preferred. > > Dalessandro’s in the Roxborough section. Give yourself plenty of time, the line is usually out the door. Chubby’s is right across the street, and they’re good, too. That would be my pick as well. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/119 "2023-09-25T01:01:38Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > (On the east coast i like Maine lobster. Neither crab nor lobster travel well, though, so best to eat them close to where they are caught.) A hefty fraction of all the live lobster sold in the USA is farmed in Louisville KY. By a division of UPS. These critters hatch & are grown in tanks in big warehouses near the airport which is the main hub of UPS’s worldwide jet distribution system. They spend zero seconds of their life in any ocean, much less one near a particular restaurant. It’s all about them being quick to pull from the water, stuff in a box, load on a UPS jet, haul to whichever city on Earth, and get them to a store or restaurant still sorta bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Others get slaughtered, disassembled, & flash-frozen as parts right there in Louisville before being shipped off to wherever. We live in a very wacky and unexpected world. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503/120 "2023-09-25T01:16:50Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > Still better than academic salmon. OK, you get a cookie for that one! 😁 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappointment-in-ordering-a-local-regional-specialty-outside-of-that-locale/990503.md?page=7)