roflgoat

roflgoat t1_jadpz7e wrote

I'd definitely share your cynicism on DCs high end scene. I stopped even bothering with it after a while. The customer base skews towards people who are fine throwing money away as long as they're at a hyped place or trying to impress their Hinge date and that leads to some totally worthless places with way too much concept. Hope you enjoy Menya Hosaki, it's legit.

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roflgoat t1_jad6gtm wrote

Certainly DC doesn't have the options you could get in NYC, SF, or LA for Asian food. I'm not being unrealistic here. Just the original point that DC can't match the overall culinary scenes of Philly, Austin, or Atlanta feels a bit pessimistic to me. I'd say you can have opinions within that tier, but I really feel that DC's grown into that tier in the last decade.

Edit: Just to clarify where I'm coming from, I think DC punches above its size for the balance of variety and quality. You can get solid Vietnamese, Korean, Yemeni, Afghan, Thai, South Indian, Jamaican, Szechuan, Ethiopian, Salvadorian, and so on all within a pretty achievable distance in DC, as well as a handful of good fine dining options. So they don't have the best of everything and there's a nascently Miami-esque hype chef scene that falls flat and the bakeries and pizzarias are lacking, but it feels pretty on par to cities like Atlanta and Austin and Philly for the overall accessibility of good eats in a way most people would live. Plus Menya Hosaki is the best ramen on the east coast.

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roflgoat t1_jacxfbb wrote

So your gauge on a city's dining scene is restaurants in the tier of Le Bernadin? Very relatable. I don't think about Little Inn or any of the overpriced chef-of-the-moment spots. I just noticed you called out the Asian food scenes in DC and it seemed like maybe you hadn't explored the suburbs much — for me, the close suburbs may as well be in the city since DC will never be able to expand its borders like other cities.

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