We're of the not-so-secret opinion that Los Angeles has really tasty food. So when someone important and educated agrees with us, we're going to brag about it.
Today we can, thanks to Washington Post restaurant critic Tom Sietsema, who released his list of Best Food Cities in America after conducting a grand tour of the country. In all, he visited 271 restaurants, bars, food stores and farmers markets.
The critic ranked us third (only behind Portland and San Francisco) and, most notably, above our friends in Chicago and New York (which ranked seventh and eighth, respectively).
Over the course of his cross-country tour, Sietsema has tracked his progress by mapping out where he ate in each city—with the help of the Washington Post graphics department. In LA, he ventured as far east as Chengdu Taste in Alhambra and Din Tai Fung in Arcadia, and west to Santa Monica's Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen and Cassia. He also stopped by some of our other favorite spots including Guelaguetza, Guisados and Sqirl (he went to a total of 30 locations in LA). In the end, he writes that his defining moment in LA was at the "glorious Hollywood Farmers Market."
If you're interested in seeing where he visited in New York and Chicago, be our guest. But just know that he liked us better. We hope this helps the inevitable defense of LA you'll have to give your East Coast or Midwest family members over the holidays.
Here are the top 10 cities:
1. Portland
2. San Francisco
3. Los Angeles
4. New Orleans
5. Houston
6. Philadelphia
7. Chicago
8. New York
9. Washington D.C.
10. Charleston