Louisville makes "seven most underrated food cities" list

[Robin Garr]

Louisville (with a little boost from your humble scribe0 makes another national media good eats list!

These are 7 of the most underrated food cities in America

What makes a great food city isn't necessarily Michelin stars or food trucks per capita. While NYC, LA, and Chicago have always shined brightest, and upstarts like Austin and Portland might be the kings of meals on wheels, there are a ton of cities out there where tradition and innovation mix into unique melting pots... full of melting food.

So, to shine light on some of our country's more shrouded food scenes, we asked seven experts to give us the deets on why their cities are considered underrated, and what spots you should be sure to try when you visit.

(Clink link above to see the full list and details)

Nice article, o expert!

Interesting. Having lived in three of those cities (Louisville, Minneapolis and Cleveland) and as a frequent visitor to a fourth (Asheville) I would have to nod in agreement with their selections. Asheville is a city that put the "local" in locavore...that and it's beer/brewing scene is second to none. Minneapolis and Cleveland have always been two of my favorite cities for dining...I wouldn't put either one of them at the top of the heap when it comes to being all in with this frou-frou cutting edge fusion crap but they both have some awesome dining choices.

...this frou-frou cutting edge fusion crap...

Define??

...this frou-frou cutting edge fusion crap...

Define??

Tune in to reruns for "Iron Chef America"....three or four episodes and you'll get my drift.

More to the point, I simply enjoy food with good ol' "Midwestern sensibilities" (I suppose I'll be asked to define that now) and I happen to think places (like) The Twin Cities and Cleveland (and to a large degree Louisville) have an abundance of establishments that fill that bill.

"Midwestern sensibilities"

aka meat 'n potatoes

"Midwestern sensibilities"

aka meat 'n potatoes

A drastic oversimplification....but yes, meat and potatoes would be among the choices.

Steve, I'd be interested to see what you feel about The Place Downstairs! There are definite slabs of various forms of "meat," and different types of "potatoes," but I have a feeling the campfire jar (which releases a puff of smoke when you open it), the octopus terrine (with 18 different food items on the plate) or some of the sides might be a tad much for you . . .

Coming from Cleveland, I do understand where you're coming from. I may not agree, but I was reared in that environment and understand.

Two of my most memorable meals were in Cleveland and they were pretty frou-frou.

Greenhouse Tavern
Lolita

[Robin Garr]

"Midwestern sensibilities"

aka meat 'n potatoes

This? We've got it here, too.

My goal is NOT to speak for Steve . . . I think we'd all agree he can speak for himself!

But . . .

Growing up in Cleveland, we'd go to ethnic restaurants all the time. Cleveland is the home for Eastern European immigrants; there were more Poles than in Krakow, more Hungarians than in Budapest, etc. In fact, one Italian chef in Cleveland was so popular (and popularized this new thing called "pasta" in the heart of the Midwest) that General Foods bought his name to use in canned goods (Chef Henri Boiardi; they changed the spelling - and his recipes - to make them "less ethnic"). While today it is much more cosmopolitan, you can still go to the Hungarian area and for around $15 get a huge plate of spectacular goulash, or go to a tony restaurant and spend $35 for a dab of Goulasch de boeuf dans une assiette.

While there are other cities where you can find this, the ethnic backgrounds make it ubiquitous in Cleveland!

How are we still "underrated?" All of the buzz the past five years has been about Louisville as a culinary destination. What do you have to do to get "rated" these days?

[Robin Garr]

How are we still "underrated?" All of the buzz the past five years has been about Louisville as a culinary destination. What do you have to do to get "rated" these days?

Don't knock it. We're not "Southern," either, but as long as the national media thinks we're "southern" and "a discovery," we get lots of ink.