USAToday's Top 20 Dishes

Chowhound Dave Feldman shared this with me. I see that I have managed two for myself -- 13 and 18. Number 13 was a couple years ago, on a trip to San Francisco, and number 18 was also a couple years ago, when my friend, Ben, hand-carried it back for me from Las Vegas.

What's with number 1? Anyone?

Regards,
Erik M.

What a strange list. 20 best according to whom? No commentary or discussion about the choices at all...

Also strange: picture of Gary Danko when his restaurant isn't on the list. ??

Amata wrote:What a strange list. 20 best according to whom? No commentary or discussion about the choices at all...

Also strange: picture of Gary Danko when his restaurant isn't on the list. ??

That's USA Today for you.

Regards,
Erik M.

Amata wrote:What a strange list. 20 best according to whom? No commentary or discussion about the choices at all...

Also strange: picture of Gary Danko when his restaurant isn't on the list. ??

Even stranger -- only one of the dishes is from continental europe? Nothing prepared in france, spain, germany is worthy of the top 20? Only one item in italy?

It seems awfully random.

gleam wrote:Even stranger -- only one of the dishes is from continental europe? Nothing prepared in france, spain, germany is worthy of the top 20? Only one item in italy?

Well then, I will say that doesn't bother me nearly as much as the conspicuous absence of anything from the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, South East Asia, China, or Japan. You know, where the vast majority of the world's populace resides, and where--by any account--some of the most sophisticated and rich culinary traditions have root.

Regards,
Erik M.

Oh Erik! Who needs all those places when you have Las Vegas? Heck, it's even got the Eiffel Tower!

Amata wrote:Oh Erik! Who needs all those places when you have Las Vegas? Heck, it's even got the Eiffel Tower!

And we've got The Leaning Tower on Touhy in Niles (although I hear there's a knock-off of it somewhere in Italy).

Imagine my surprise, I have had 1 - number 7. It was not on my list of best dishes of 2004, though the meal was good and interesting enough.

And I think that really is what it is, a list of the bestmost memorable dishes this person had over some period of time. It is an interesting collection of places to eat.

I've had the Memphis items and can vouch for their excellence.

Quite cool indeed that Memphis has more items than any other city on the list except New York--it's probably one of the world's best small food towns.

It's got to be a "Top 20 Dishes I've Had This Year" sort of thing. It's ridiculous to think otherwise. It's ridiculous even to make such a list otherwise. Top 20 restaurants, sure, okay, but dishes??? First of all, it's so arrogant. It's hard enough to go to all the top restaurants, but to eat enough dishes to think you'de be qualified to list the top 20 in the world??? No way.

Even God with His omnipotence would have a hard time deciding whether the sandwich at Payne's in Memphis or the sandwich at LC's in KC should make the list: