What's your favorite local/regional dish?

[Qhrumphf]

The locals I can think of off the top of my head, I'm not wild about crab so I don't bother with Chesapeake blue crab cakes, but people love em. Half smokes are tasty, but again I can live without them. Baltimore pit beef is damned tasty though.

For me, it's Toad in the Hole (banger surrounded by Yorkshire pudding usually with onion gravy). Ate it all the time as a boy, and have only ever seen it served one place outside of the UK (and they tried to upscale it, and it wasn't what I was served in school). I've thought about making it myself, but it's absolutely terrible for you.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Disco Fries, basically cheese fries with gravy on top.

That sounds not unlike poutine. I didn't think poutine would be even edible until I tried it, and it was delicious. So I can see that being awesome.

 

[CGVT]

I was stationed in Cape May New Jersey and was able to get fresh, fresh, right off the boat sea scallops. Amazing.

Now, they can take that damn pork roll and bury it under a big rock.

Fresh Copper River Red Salmon in Cordova, Alaska

Gulf Coast Shrimp and Oysters in Lower Alabama

 

[Natdavis777]

Breaded pork tenderloin.... If you ever make it to Indy, go to Shallos in Greenwood and get the breaded tenderloin with some swamp sauce. You're welcome.

 

[cyanmonkey]

Eastern-NC style pulled pork BBQ. Really, whole-hog pulled pork, but those are rarer & rarer these days...

Is it NC or SC that does mustard bbq? Cuz' that mess it goooood.

 

[cyanmonkey]

Cheesy beef or Chicago style hot dogs fo sho.

 

[Yooper]

Pierogi.

My family had them often, for celebration type of things, along with golabki.

Labor intensive, and probably not a big thrill for people who didn't grow up with them, but Polish comfort food is the best comfort food around.

The church (near Youngstown Ohio) where I grew up had a pierogi kitchen and every Friday you could pick up a few dozen. They were ubiquitous, and still are in NE Ohio.

After talking about it, I just had to make some! So, for Christmas Eve I made two dozen and then pan fried them and served them with parmesan encrusted walleye:

 

[Curtis2010]

Conch Fritters done right. Mmm.

Proper Bahamian Conch Fritters can be quite tasty, but I hate to hide that beautiful meat in all that batter...love me a good conch steak, or shashimi...sliced paper thin and fresh. Yum.

 

[Yooper]

Proper Bahamian Conch Fritters can be quite tasty, but I hate to hide that beautiful meat in all that batter...love me a good conch steak, or shashimi...sliced paper thin and fresh. Yum.

Better yet- conch salad.

One time on the bight side of Eleuthera, I stopped at a road side stand and ordered some, and the lady hiked up her skirt and went into the sea. She reached into her little "conch keeper" and came out of the ocean and made it up for me. Parts of the conch were still wiggling, and it grossed out my kids and husband. It was good, and well worth the $6. That was the freshest conch I ever had, I must say.

 

[Curtis2010]

Topado. A Garifuna (of African decent) dish found in the W Carib. It is like seafood bisque with the stock made from plantains. Very rich and chock with a variety of seafood. My home base is about 10 miles from Livingston, Guatemala, a mostly Garifuna community...several places with really yummy topado there.

https://londonfoodieny.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/topado/

Garifuna play some great music too.

 

[harleybug88]

After talking about it, I just had to make some! So, for Christmas Eve I made two dozen and then pan fried them and served them with parmesan encrusted walleye:

View attachment 325493

View attachment 325494

That looks so good! If I were your dinner guest. I would secretly hope for a bigger plate.

 

[imasickboy]

Though I'm not originally from here, I've been here long enough to appreciate some of the things that hail from this area.

Lancaster County, PA

Whoopie Pies
Chicken Corn Soup
Chicken Pot Pie (Not the crusted, actual-pie-looking stuff, but the stew-like stuff, with the noodles in it)
Chicken and Waffles (not the yummy southern version, here it's stewed chicken and gravy)
Lebanon Bologna
Apple Butter
Potato Rolls

 

[Curtis2010]

My coonass half says gumbo.

Yum, Im originally from S Mississippi and luv coonass food. My favorite area is Barataria...deep in coonass country. Gumbo y Zydeco! Atchfalaya basin has some great options too.

 

[Stillraining]

5 pages and no two choices are the same.....We no longer have to wonder how all the different restaurants make it.

Alaska Halibut, Steamed Clams and a good Porter

Carry on

 

[Firewalker11]

Lutefisk with a white sauce, pickled herring and lefse.

 

[Stillraining]

Lutefisk with a white sauce, pickled herring and lefse.

This totally explains your Avatar.

 

[milldoggy]

Bulgarian feta cheese, awesome

 

[Firewalker11]

This explains your Avatar.

Indeed!

 

[banesong]

Better yet- conch salad.

One time on the bight side of Eleuthera, I stopped at a road side stand and ordered some, and the lady hiked up her skirt and went into the sea. She reached into her little "conch keeper" and came out of the ocean and made it up for me. Parts of the conch were still wiggling, and it grossed out my kids and husband. It was good, and well worth the $6. That was the freshest conch I ever had, I must say.

Um... Okay, I have added a new experience to my bucket list now, and a destination.

Wiggly stuff does not bother me.

Topado. A Garifuna (of African decent) dish found in the W Carib. It is like seafood bisque with the stock made from plantains. Very rich and chock with a variety of seafood. My home base is about 10 miles from Livingston, Guatemala, a mostly Garifuna community...several places with really yummy topado there.

https://londonfoodieny.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/topado/

Garifuna play some great music too.

Once again, I need to hook up next time I am down there! and a new dish to lust after.

This totally explains your Avatar.

Nice.

For SWMBO, it would be Mofongo in PR. Mashed plantains stuffed with a variety of things, then deep fried. Or, in the area of @Curtis2010 - Carimanolas - mashed Yuca deep fried. ooooh the absolute deliciousness.

For both of us, ceviche, specifically Peruvian. In NYC, a place called Riko across the street from Penn Station has a great example. Almost makes up for Penn Station.

For me, I am divided between tacos lengua/tacos cabeza from Tacos Gordo in San Diego and a whole host of Korean food from a variety of places. Bulogogi, Korean short ribs, or even just fresh made kimchi.

 

[Yooper]

Topado. A Garifuna (of African decent) dish found in the W Carib. It is like seafood bisque with the stock made from plantains. Very rich and chock with a variety of seafood. My home base is about 10 miles from Livingston, Guatemala, a mostly Garifuna community...several places with really yummy topado there.

https://londonfoodieny.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/topado/

Garifuna play some great music too.

Lots of Garifuna on the coast of Belize, and while I LOVED the drumming, I didn't find the food all that great- but then I'm not a huge fan of plantains and it seemed that lots of the food had plantains. There were some other things I loved, mostly seafood that was fried or grilled, and of course the world's best ceviche comes from the area.

Also, spiny lobster of course. Like a Belizean woman told me about lobster, "You aint gotta cook dem dose long, as dey's already ben swimmin' in de warm wadder". Like 5 minutes on the grill- done!

 

[Curtis2010]

Lots of Garifuna on the coast of Belize, and while I LOVED the drumming, I didn't find the food all that great- but then I'm not a huge fan of plantains and it seemed that lots of the food had plantains. There were some other things I loved, mostly seafood that was fried or grilled, and of course the world's best ceviche comes from the area.

Also, spiny lobster of course. Like a Belizean woman told me about lobster, "You aint gotta cook dem dose long, as dey's already ben swimmin' in de warm wadder". Like 5 minutes on the grill- done!

Yes, the drumming is cool. If you liked the music then check out Andy Palacio. A more polished version of Garifuna music, but still very authentic.

 

[Yooper]

Oh, and as far as regional food in my current home (where I've lived for 32+ years):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasty



It's got to have rutabagas, or it doesn't count as a pasty.

 

[imasickboy]

Thanks for sharing Yooper. A pasty looks like a fantastic winter comfort food. I'll be making some in the near future.

 

[slym2none]

Cornish pastys are known to be really good. As the legend goes, the Devil himself won't go into Cornwall as he is afraid he'd get chopped up & cooked into a pasty.

Damn you, Alton Brown, for filling my head with such knowledge!

 

[SupervisingChildren]

We have our buffalo wings, beef on weck, and Sahlen's hot dogs. As a kid, I always liked eating knishes (sp?) in NYC from food carts.

 

[Qhrumphf]

We have our buffalo wings, beef on weck, and Sahlen's hot dogs. As a kid, I always liked eating knishes (sp?) in NYC from food carts.

Mmmmmm....Knishes and Bialys need to go on the list.

 

[banesong]

Never understood bialys.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Never understood bialys.

You sir, are wrong.

I wish it weren't so hard to find a good one (or even find one at all) outside of NYC.

 

[beergolf]

Oh, and as far as regional food in my current home (where I've lived for 32+ years):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasty

View attachment 325535

It's got to have rutabagas, or it doesn't count as a pasty.

MMMMMMM. Been a while since I had one, but I do agree that it has to have rutabagas. Love them.

 

[banesong]

You sir, are wrong.

I wish it weren't so hard to find a good one (or even find one at all) outside of NYC.

Urr.... Didn't say they were bad, just didn't get them.