Food Guides

[chowser]

I'm addicted to all those travel food shows like No Reservations, mostly because they have the locals who know good food to show them around. How do you find yourself a good food guide? I love CH but if you travel to a large place, eg. NYC, it's overwhelming on where to begin searching. "I'm looking for good food" isn't a good start. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent searching, only to get completely overwhelmed. If you were going to a new place on vacation, how would you go about finding the small unique places? Has anyone ever used a food guide? Any success with organized tour groups and how did you find a good one? I'd love to hear about your experiences. Thanks.

[chowser]

For example, we're planning a trip to Puerto Rico. I found this tour:

http://www.sanjuanfoodtours.com/food-...

And, they do private tours. How would you know if it's worth doing? I have found some good posts on where/what to eat on SJ, PR here on CH. But, it would be interesting to get the background view on history, etc. along with the food. Would you do a tour like this, or would you think it's geared towards the touristy crowd who don't want to venture off the beaten path? Regardless of the tour, we'd still do our own adventurous experimenting.

[chowser]

Thanks for suggestions, everyone. I do love adventure eating and nosing around neighborhoods. I don't think the two need to be mutually exclusive. There are food tours which are rated and that's helpful but I'd love a more personalized experience. I guess I'd love to be able to post on the local boards and say, "Looking for food guide, will pay" and see if I get responses (I know it's not allowed).

[linguafood]

Maybe if you didn't offer any payment (on the boards >wink, wink<), it would be allowed?

I think many of us have visited cities after getting recs from local folks on the boards here, and maybe even met up with them. I personally wouldn't take cash for my services, but a paid meal would be awesome :-)

[chowser]

This is an interesting question-I wonder if a "Chowdown for one" would be okay to post on the boards. A paid meal to eat w/ my family isn't really enough compensation...

[MGZ]

Another way to use this Site as a resource is to begin "following" the local board for your destination for a while before your trip. I have found that it allows a bit of a feel for the local food culture at a given moment in time. Moreover, it helps avoid the "getting overwhelmed" by researching which can seem more like cramming for a test. Sometimes, the small passing comments in one thread shine light upon helpful, somewhat unrelated topics that can beneficial (it's that offhand mention of the "fantastic sausages across the street" in a thread about an Indian restaurant that might otherwise be missed).

[Rodzilla]

I don't see the predicament, I would use chowhound above all else. Given the size of NY and the options you're never going to narrow it down to everyone's "best of" but you can at least be ready with a ton of options, and then plan according to what you will be near, ease of access, etc.

[greygarious]

This won't generally work for fancy restaurants or for cuisines that are very unusual for the area they are in, but I learned from a friend to look for places with tradespeoples' trucks/vans parked in the lot, and to ask patrolmen and other municipal workers. My most memorable meal ferreted out this way was in Nashville, where two police officers recommended a barbecue joint in an industrial area. We took a cab there and had burnt ends I still long for 20 yrs later.

[pdxgastro]

That would make a great band name: Burnt Ends.

[ipsedixit]

This is what I do.

Assuming it's an English speaking city, I start by perusing the local newspapers (esp. the local free ones) as well as college newspapers, if there is one. I look for their dining reviews just to get a sense of the local landscape and dining scene.

(Of course, I'll probably do a quick search on Chowhound, Yelp, roadfood.com, etc.)

Then when I get there, I try to talk to the locals to figure out where to eat. People like cab drivers, convenience store owners, and restaurant owners/staff are always good resources. Sometimes you get good info, sometimes not.

And that's all I do. Why? Because I believe part of the fun of eating at a local gem or mom 'n pop place is the journey in finding it -- and that journey is all the more memorable when you discover it organically.

Cheers!

[chowser]

Thanks, I have gotten some REALLY bad advice asking locals, even worst than my odds of just popping in. I don't mind being adventurous but when I watch these shows and see locals who really know the food scene and can bring them places and tell them what to order, it looks so good. I also get the feeling locally that restaurants that need to advertise in papers aren't that good for the most part. I want to hire a food guide like Anthony Bourdain and the other TV travelers do. Plus, it's knowing where to go, off the beaten path, when you're in a big city.

[linguafood]

Local food blogs might also be helpful. I suppose once you've read some of the reviews, you might get an idea of the person's "voice/tastes", and see if they gel with your own.

[chowser]

That's a good idea. I love some of the shots people take, too.

[ipsedixit]

I don't mind being adventurous but when I watch these shows and see locals who really know the food scene and can bring them places and tell them what to order, it looks so good.
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chowser,

You do realize that shows like No Reservation and Layover are TV shows, right? They probably do many many takes, and ask many many locals, bloggers, etc. before the final cuts and edits are made and the show makes it to Travel Channel.

It would be sort of like watching The Avengers and wondering why you can't fly around in an red and yellow iron suit ...

[chowser]

I'm still working on the flying thing, though using a trapeze does help. At some point, though, they've narrowed down to the best food person(s) to show them around and I want that person. I guess on CH, there are ones I'd ask in certain areas and even pay for them to take me around (if I were in LA, I'd pay for your services, though you'd make much more in your day job). What I wish is that there were a tripadvisor for sorting out food guides.

[melpy]

I agree that askIng the locals is dangerous business. In my current town most families go to Applebee's for special occasion dinners. I have found CH to NE my best net for accurate info.

[MGZ]

"I believe part of the fun of eating at a local gem or mom 'n pop place is the journey in finding it -- and that journey is all the more memorable when you discover it organically."

I completely agree.