World Cooking

I’ve been so focused on celebrating the publication of my latest book, Eating My Way Through Italy, that I haven’t had a minute to tell you about my other big news. EAT ITALY, my best-selling app is now available for Android!!

I first published my app over 8 years ago. At first there was Eat Rome, which was the first English language guide to eating in Italy. This soon lead to Eat Florence and Eat Venice. In 2016 I relaunched them under the umbrella app EAT ITALY, adding regions and cities like Umbria, Puglia, Torino and Milan. From the very beginning these apps have been a top seller on iTunes, and it’s been a way for me to share my favorite places to eat throughout Italy with all of you. Well. Almost all of you.

From the beginning I have received messages asking me to please, please, please make the app available for Android devices. Since the last update of the iPhone OS meant I had to completely revamp the software anyway (thanks a lot Apple), it made it feasible to finally offer Eat Italy at the google play store.

In case you are curious, the way the app works is that I am ALWAYS updating the content. That part is easy and somewhat painless. But behind the scenes the software needs updating too, and that I leave to trusted professionals (thank you Gokul and James!). And so while this email is mainly about the launch of EAT ITALY for Android, I am also happy to tell you that the software for the iOS version has been completely retooled as well. Better mapping, easier filtering and a lot more nifty tools to make eating your way through your next trip to Italy even easier.

Also? I will be adding 8 new regions and cities in the next several months. While working on my most recent books I traveled all over Italy and the restaurants I discovered in places like Naples, Positano, Sicily, Trieste and more will be making their way into the app. If you already have Eat Italy installed in your phone, the new guides will appear magically.

Did I mention that most of the app is completely free? You can download Eat Italy for free. Then you can decide which cities you would like to download onto your device. Rome, Venice and Florence cost a few dollars each. But the rest of the cities and regions are, and will remain, completely free.

Eat Italy is available on iTunes here.
Eat Italy is available for Android here.

Enjoy!!

This post originally appeared on January 11, 2019, in “Eat, Drink, Watch” — the weekly newsletter for people who want to order takeout and watch TV. Browse the archives and subscribe now.

Welcome back to Friday afternoon, a time to “Marie Kondo” all the work you didn’t finish this week and start planning what you’re going to watch and eat between now and Monday. I’ve got three recommendations for things to stream: an excellent indie feature, and two lively shows about Mexican-American dishes. Here’s what to add to your queue this weekend:

An amazing comedy set in a ‘breastaurant’

If you have a service industry job — whether it’s in a fine dining restaurant, a fast-food place, or anything in between — the best you can hope for is to have a manager like Lisa, the protagonist of the indie dramedy Support the Girls. She’s one of the best fictional characters I’ve seen on screen in ages, in a movie that’s slyly powerful, and entertaining from start to finish.

Lisa, played by Regina Hall, is constantly aware of all the pressure points that her staffers face inside and outside of Double Whammies, the Hooters knock-off where they work. But even as they’re serving “big butt” beers to horny schmucks in the middle of the day, Lisa wants her staffers to feel empowered, and know how to navigate the bizarre situations that arise in their workplace. She understands the importance of making her teammates feel like they’re not just co-workers, but members of a pseudo-family who can reach out for help when they need it. And, on top of it all, Lisa clearly thinks her girls deserve to have fun on the job — on their own terms.

Support the Girls chronicles Lisa’s shift from hell, the messy evening that follows, and an afternoon a week or so later, where justice for her and her teammates seems like a distinct possibility.

All restaurants, even the ones that don’t involve skimpy server uniforms and mandatory flirtation with guests, have echoes of the chaotic workplace depicted in Support the Girls. And while I appreciate the attention to detail paid to the general rhythms of restaurant life, my hunch is that filmmaker Andrew Bujolowski chose the breastaurant setting because it throws one of the film’s central themes — the struggles, big and small, that women face in the workplace — into sharp relief. As my colleague Alissa Wilkinson notes in her Vox review, the film starts as “a workplace comedy“ but “morphs into an affecting, startlingly insightful depiction of the bone-weary work of being a woman in a man’s world.”

The most powerful moment in that regard is a scene between Lisa and her boss, Cubby, in the car on the way to the bank. She basically runs his entire business from head-to-toe, approaching her employees and regulars with a level of grace that is perhaps uncommon for a shabby neighborhood sports bar. But Cubby can’t looks past a few mistakes — decisions she made while trying to help one of her employees out of a bind — despite the fact that Lisa goes above and beyond the call of duty in every other way. The message, it seems, is that Lisa can’t under- or over-perform at her job without catching flack from her boss. It’s a completely toxic relationship, one of several that the manager and her staff have to navigate in the Double Whammies universe.

Bujolowski balances heavy scenes like this with moments of surprising levity (a particularly hilarious/cathartic plot twist notably punctuates the end of Lisa and Cubby’s ride in the car that afternoon). The filmmaker, who first earned acclaim as one of the pioneers of the “Mumblecore” movement, has taken the best traits of that genre — an emphasis on the emotional lives of seemingly ordinary people; an ear for naturalistic dialogue — and applied them to a story with much broader appeal than any of his previous works. His next project is, somewhat surprisingly, an adaptation of Lady and the Tramp for Disney. After seeing the skilful way he juggles the lives of all of the characters in Support the Girls, I look forward to watching what he does with a star-crossed mutt and Cocker Spaniel.

But the main reason to watch Support the Girls is Hall’s masterful performance as Lisa, and particularly her scenes with co-stars Shayna McHayle and Haley Lu Richardson. The movie is now streaming for free on Hulu, but you can also watch it on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, and YouTube.

Streaming recommendations du jour

Tacos of Texas, “El Paso”

Watch it on: YouTube, PBS

The gist: The final episode of this new PBS digital series focuses on the carnitas culture in the border city of El Paso, right across the bridge from Juarez, Mexico. Co-host Mando Rayo grew up here, and knows the area’s deep connection to the braised pork dish that is traditionally cooked outdoors in a giant cauldron called a cazo. After hitting up two casual taquerias, Rayo and co-host Jarod Neece head to the home of Rulis Gonzalez, the chef/owner of Rulis’ International Kitchen, to prepare a big batch of carnitas in his backyard, in a sequence that feels like a celebration.

In a nod to the conversations about Trump’s proposed border wall that’s still raging two months after this episode aired, Rayo drops a few powerful observations about his hometown and its relationship with the city right across the bridge. “People from Juarez actually come and do their shopping here as well, and vice versa,” the host remarks midway through this episode. “Just because there’s a border wall, there’s a bridge, doesn’t mean that people’s connections to each other stops.”

Adam Ruins Everything, “Adam Ruins a Plate of Nachos”

Watch it on: Amazon, YouTube, TruTv, iTunes, Google Play

The gist: Continuing on the Mexican-American food kick, this episode of TruTV’s explainer series features know-it-all comic Adam Conover breaking down the problematic histories of three main ingredients in game-day nachos: avocados, corn chips, and bacon bits. Each segment involves cartoonish comedy sketches about these foods, with context about the surprising business deals that made them popular in America. While I didn’t find these sketches to be particularly funny, I think there’s valuable info scattered throughout, especially in the part about the violent cartels that control the Mexican avocado trade. The conversation between Conover and Yale professor Rodrigo Canales that ends the episode presents a persuasive argument against buying avocados imported from Mexico, even when American-grown versions of the fruit are out of season.

In other entertainment news…

• Although she didn’t take home a statuette on Sunday, Melissa McCarthy was the real winner at the Golden Globes, because she handed out tiny ham sandwiches to all of her celebrity colleagues.
• Mayukh Sen’s great profile of Samin Nosrat includes some fun shots of the Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat star climbing through a Chuck-e-Cheese’s play structure.
• The trailer for Jordan Peele’s new sci-fi comedy series Weird Citybegins with a rich gourmand saying, “I’m so tired of truffles.” His lover replies, “Me too — I hear they have great food vehicles below the line, but I’m too scared to go down there.”
• The latest episode of Top Chef features a surprising blast from the past.
• And speaking of Top Chef, fans of the show were livid over an Amazon Prime snafu that prevented the second half of Restaurant Wars from being available to stream last weekend.
• Stephen Colbert explained the government shutdown using beer bottles this week.
• Martin Scorsese’s stealth exit from a film event this week was derailed by an ill-timed dumpling order.
• And finally, it appears that Last Days of Disco auteur Whit Stillman loves 7-Eleven breakfast sandwiches.

Have a great weekend, and if you’re looking for something hearty to cook that will make your house smell amazing, consider Ina Garten’s brisket with onions and leeks.

My mom grew up in Louisiana and learned how to cook all of the Southern and Cajun classics, so dishes like Crawfish Etouffee, Gumbo, Jambalaya and Shrimp and Grits were served up often. I’m so thankful she taught me how to make all of the classics so I can now pass those recipes on to my daughters. 

Shrimp and Grits has always been a favorite of mine, and I’ve really missed it since I still avoid corn. So, I decided to get in the kitchen and cook up my version of Grain-Free Shrimp and Grits. 

I first tried simmering the cauliflower, but the grits came out way too watery. So, that’s why in this recipe we start with sautéed “riced” cauliflower and then add the liquid afterwards. While it’s still not a corn-based grits dish, it comes pretty darn close!

Believe it or not, 2-ingredient pumpkin donuts really are that easy to make. And they are so delicious with the flavors of fall.

pumpkin donuts

I call these “pumpkin donuts” instead of doughnuts, because there really is no need for dough. All you have to do to make the best baked pumpkin donuts ever is combine TWO INGREDIENTS: A box of cake mix and a can of pumpkin puree. That’s it! You have a near-instant fall dessert idea.

more pumpkin recipes

If pumpkin and fall are your jam, check out these:

tips for making 2-ingredient donuts

• I combine a box of French Vanilla cake mix and a can of pumpkin puree. You can use any cake mix flavor you like, such as spice cake or yellow cake.
• I use my handy, dandy donut baking tray, but you may also use this recipe in the BabyCakes Donut Maker. (If you love your donut maker, check out these recipes for awesome baked donuts or pancake mix donuts.)
• To pipe the donut batter into the tray, I find it easiest to fill a disposable decorating bag and snip an inch off of the tip.

donut toppings

Here are some ideas to top your pumpkin donuts, which are optional.

• To make an easy maple glaze, whisk together 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 1 tablespoon milk. Add more powdered sugar for thicker glaze.
• Spoon some store-bought vanilla frosting into a bowl, sprinkle pumpkin pie spice liberally over the frosting and stir well. Scoop into a decorating bag and pipe on the donuts.
• Brush the donuts with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

watch this short video on how to make pumpkin donuts

how to make 2-ingredient pumpkin donuts

you will need:

• 1 box cake mix (French Vanilla used here)
• 1 can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

optional:

• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• glaze or topping of your choice

what to do:

Lightly spray a donut baking pan with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the cake mix and pumpkin puree. Blend very well. If desired, stir in the pumpkin pie spice.

Scoop some of the batter into a disposable decorating bag. Snip an inch off of the tip and pipe the batter to fill the donut baking pan.

Bake until donuts start to brown and the donuts spring back when gently pressed, 15 to 18 minutes. When cool, add toppings, if desired. (See blog post above for donut topping ideas.)

2-ingredient pumpkin donuts

Ingredients

• 1 box cake mix (French Vanilla used here)
• 1 can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• optional:
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• glaze or topping of your choice 

Instructions

1. what to do:
2. Lightly spray a donut baking pan with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the cake mix and pumpkin puree. Blend very well. If desired, stir in the pumpkin pie spice. 
4. Scoop some of the batter into a disposable decorating bag. Snip an inch off of the tip and pipe the batter to fill the donut baking pan. 
5. Bake until donuts start to brown and the donuts spring back when gently pressed, 15 to 18 minutes. When cool, add toppings, if desired. (See blog post for donut topping ideas.) 

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https://thedecoratedcookie.com/2-ingredient-pumpkin-donuts/

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This post has been sponsored by Frito-Lay. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Everyone needs a good jalapeno popper recipe. I’m sharing mine today, because it has two secret ingredients that takes the classic jalapeno popper from good to great!

Are you ready? Here you go: (1) onion jam in filling because you need something sweet to offset all that creamy filling and (2) Crushed Ruffles® Jalapeno Ranch Flavored Potato Chips  on top for some added texture and crunch. Two simple things that will level up your popper game.I made these over the weekend for a little get together, and they disappeared in seconds. Which got me thinking about how popular jalapeno poppers are. I had no idea. I grew up in a pretty traditional Vietnamese home which translated to – traditional Vietnamese meals. Any “American” meals we had were always thoroughly botched, but back then I didn’t know better.

I mean who knew, that dishes like spaghetti was meant to be eaten as one—as in sauce on noodles—not as noodles on a plate and the sauce in a side bowl. I ate it the way it was served. That is until I had it otherwise. Back then I thought my mom had it all wrong.

And maybe she did, but what it taught me was how to play with my food. And I’ve been doing it ever since- dressing things up, switching things out, morphing one thing into another. Like how I’m going to morph these poppers into a jalapeno popper dip with a crunchy topping of those Ruffles potato chips for next week’s gathering.

Until then, enjoy these poppers as is, then stay tune because I’ll be sharing my jalapeno popper dip shortly.

A few notes:

• If you don’t have a grill you can roast these jalapeno poppers in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until the bacon becomes crispy.
• You can also swap out the jalapeno for something a little milder like baby bell peppers if heat is an issue.

Print
this recipe

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup crushed Ruffles® Jalapeno Ranch Flavored Potato Chips, divided use
• 2 tablespoons onion jam
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 scallions, minced
• 1 large egg yolk
• 6 oz. cheddar cheese
• 12 large jalapeños—halved lengthwise and seeded, stems left intact
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 6-inch slices of bacon
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Directions:

Preparation: Heat grill to 450 degrees F.

In a large bowl add the cream cheese, ¼ cup Ruffles® Jalapeno Ranch Flavored Potato Chips, onion jam, kosher salt, scallions, egg yolk and cheddar cheese; stir until well combined.

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the jalapeños with the olive oil. Arrange them cut side up and fill it with 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons cream cheese mixture. Wrap each stuffed jalapeño with a slice of bacon. Arrange bacon-wrapped jalapeños on the grill. Grill with the lid closed for 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove jalapeños from grill and sprinkle with remaining crushed Ruffles® Jalapeno Ranch Flavored Potato Chips and chives. Serve immediately.

With tomato season nearing it’s end, I know quite a few of us are overwhelmed by the number of fruits we have on hand! This Instant Pot tomato bisque is a great way to use up a few pound of tomatoes to make a rich and delicious dinner.

Jump to Recipe

One of my favorite, comforting soups in anything of the tomato variety. So, when I brought back a LOT of “Gardener’s Delight” tomatoes from the garden at my folk’s house, I had I feeling I’d be pureeing them. These tomatoes are small, sweet, and great raw, but still very good for cooking.

But, since it’s still quite warm here in Vegas, I didn’t want to roast them for hours in the oven, or have a slow cooker warming up my kitchen. I just got a new Instant Pot a couple of weeks ago – I gave my mom my other one – and knew it was time to bust it out! While I have nothing against using canned tomato sauce, paste, etc. to make your own soups, it’s pretty great to make this instant pot tomato bisque from whole tomatoes.

In this case, all you have to do is pressure cook tomatoes with garlic, herbs, and water, strain out the seeds, then blend with cashews! You can simmer again in the instant pot if you want to serve it on the hotter side. Also, check out my tip for straining out the seeds so that it’s not such a headache! I figured out the strainer/whisk combo last year, when I had done a tomato sauce in my slow cooker.

Lastly, I finished my bisque with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of coarse herb salt, pepper, and a sprig of rosemary for looks. � While I enjoyed this instant pot tomato bisque with crackers, making vegan grilled cheese for my tomato soups is my absolute favorite!

Stay tuned via my newsletter, because next week I’m sharing an awesome appetizer platter recipe. And remember, if you make one of my recipes, make sure to tag me @veganyackattack, #veganyackattack, or comment below! <3

1 year: Apple Apricot Quinoa Cookies // 2 years: Farro-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Tahini Dressing // 4 years: Return of the Mac MoFo! // 5 years: Smoky Mac-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes // 6 years: Labor Day Eats: Sloppy Joes!

This post includes affiliate links.

Related Posts

Source: https://veganyackattack.com/2018/09/07/instant-pot-tomato-bisque/

Dairy is a pretty contentious topic in the Paleo world – some people love it; some people hate it; some people will eat only butter but not cheese or yogurt; some people eat only goat or sheep but not cow…

But for low-carb or keto dieters specifically, there are some extra considerations. On the one hand, the carbs in cheese and heavy cream do suddenly become significant if you’re running up against a hard limit of 20 grams net carbs per day. But on the other hand, dairy foods provide critical nutrients to supplement an otherwise extremely limited low-carb diet – and they’re just plain delicious. Here’s a look at the pros and cons to help you decide if dairy is really right for you.

Benefits of dairy for Low-Carb Diets

Nutritional variety

How do you make sure you’re getting enough nutrients in your diet? A few people can keep up with meticulously tracking and micromanaging everything, but most people can’t stick with that for long – and they shouldn’t have to, because it’s incredibly tedious and we all have more important things to do than stress about dietary phosphorus.

The typical Paleo approach is much simpler: eat a wide variety of nutrient-dense plant and animal foods, and your RDAs will take care of themselves. Needless to say, this becomes a lot more complicated when your carb count is so limited that many vegetables and all fruits are off the table! You might not feel psychologically deprived on keto, and that’s great, but the fact is that you’re cutting a lot of foods out of your diet.

Including dairy foods gives you one more type of food to work with and increases your nutritional range. For example, you can get plenty of calcium without dairy, but dairy is one great source – even if you’re faithfully chewing through piles of turnip greens and collards, it’s always nice to have a backup.

Healthy fat

Dairy fat is also really good for you – in fact, high-fat dairy is actually associated with better health in several studies. In particular, dairy fat from pasture-raised animals is a great source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is very hard to find from any other food. CLA has a bunch of health benefits – including possible perks for weight loss. The more of that, the better!

Getting enough food

Dairy can also help you eat enough, which, believe it or not, can be an issue on keto. Butter, cheese, and heavy whipping cream are pretty darn calorie-dense – if you’re struggling to get enough food in (or feeling like everything you eat is disgustingly greasy), some hard sharp cheddar or a dollop of whipped cream on your favorite keto dessert could be the perfect way to add some extra nutrition.

Then there’s the taste factor – and don’t discount that! There’s a reason why butter and cheese feature so heavily in comfort-food cooking. The tastier your diet is (and the more options you have for making different low-carb foods delicious) the easier it will be to stick with it. And there are even a lot of fun crunchy low-carb crackers and cracker-like snacks that are made out of cheese

(Potential) drawbacks of dairy

Milk/dairy sensitivities

With all that said, there are some people who just don’t do well with dairy, keto or no keto. Dairy allergies (aka allergies to the proteins in milk) obviously take dairy foods off the table right away. Lactose intolerance (which is different from a dairy allergy because it’s a reaction to the sugars in milk, not the proteins), might restrict you to only butter and ghee. Some folks can only manage sheep and goat dairy, but not cow. Either way, some people just can’t tolerate dairy, or they’re very restricted in the type of dairy they can handle.

Carbs

There’s also the carb count of various dairy foods, but this is mostly a non-issue if you stick to high-fat dairy. Check it out (data from the USDA nutrition database):

• Butter: 0.01 grams net carbs per tablespoon
• Brie cheese: about 0.1 grams net carbs per cubic inch – which isn’t to say that you should measure out your brie in cubic-inch servings; it’s just to give you an idea of the carb count. An average slice will be 1-2 cubic inches, so 0.1-0.2 grams net carbs.
• Mozzarella cheese (full-fat, made with whole milk): about 0.3 grams per ½ cup of shredded cheese
• Cheddar cheese: about 0.4 grams net carbs per slice
• Whipping cream: 0.85 grams of net carbs per 2 tbsp.
• “American slices/American singles” (aka that fake plastic orange “cheese”): really, just don’t eat this ever, but if you’re going to eat it for some reason, two of those little processed slices have 1 gram of net carbs. Even the most totally over-processed type of cheese in the store doesn’t have a huge net carb count.
• Half and half: about 1.3 grams of net carbs per 2 tbsp.
• Full-fat yogurt: about 11 grams net carbs per cup (low-fat and reduced-fat yogurt have even more, and besides, “low-fat” shouldn’t even be in your vocabulary if you’re eating keto).

Many other types of cheese are also very low in carbs – the ones on this list are representative examples, not the only keto-friendly choices.

Except for the yogurt, these could all fit pretty easily into a keto diet, and even the yogurt could be fine for general low-carb eaters. If you start getting into milk or low-fat dairy, the carb counts ramp up pretty fast, but there are plenty of options with quite a low carb count.

Skin Issues

Dairy is one of those foods where there really is evidence that it makes some people break out. If you’re hoping that keto will be your magic bullet for acne, and if keto + dairy isn’t doing the trick, it might be worth a trial run to see whether cutting out the cheese and cream makes the magic happen. (If you try it for a month with no results, no harm done: you can just add it back in!)

Summing it up

Dairy isn’t necessary at all – you can get plenty of calcium without it, and lots and lots of people eat perfectly healthy dairy-free diets. Cheese and butter certainly aren’t required for keto or low-carb diets!

But with that said, butter and cheese are perfectly nutritious whole foods that can add a lot of value to your diet, in the form of healthy fat, protein, calcium, and other nutrients. And dairy is pretty darn tasty, which is particularly key for diets like keto that restrict a lot of tasty things. Just make sure to go for full-fat if you’re going to go for it – never the low-fat versions and definitely nothing with added sugar (check the ingredients list and carb counts).

P.S. Have a look at Paleo Restart, our 30-day program. It has the tools to let you reset your body, lose weight and start feeling great.

+ The Paleo Leap Meal Planner is now also available. Put your meal planning on autopilot!

If you are snack-motivated, dips are more than just a party food—dips are a lifestyle. Dipping something salty and crunchy into something creamy is a sensory experience so delightful, I have been known to eat an entire dinner of chips and dip. Onion dip is a favorite, but it takes a bit of time to do it properly, so I like to have a few other “recipes” I can whip up to satisfy my dip craving.

Honestly, there is nothing wrong with dipping a flavored potato chip into plain sour cream—kind of like a reverse dip—but there are a few pantry items you can use to make flavorful, easy, two-ingredient dips.

Kimchi Dip

This fermented, spicy, cabbage provides so much flavor, there’s no reason to add any additional seasoning. This dip requires the most “work,” meaning you have to break out some sort of food-processing device, but the resulting snack is worth cleaning the food processor for. For every half cup of sour cream, add three ounces of your favorite kimchi. Pulse to your desired level of smoothness, and pop it in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes.

Miso Dip

The darker the miso, the better your dip will be. I like this dark aged miso, which has an aggressive amount of umami, so you don’t need a ton of it. One and a half teaspoons is plenty for a half cup of sour cream, but you may need a little more if you’re using a milder miso. Just add a little bit at a time, stir it with a spoon, taste with a tester chip, and add more if needed.

Curry Dip

Curry paste is another taste-packed pantry item that does well swirled into a creamy flavor carrier. I’m a big fan of this lemongrass, ginger, and chili-packed red curry paste, but feel free to branch out into other styles and flavors. One tablespoon stirred into half a cup of sour cream makes for an aromatic chip dipper.

Of course, you could add more ingredients if you want to, but I have never found that to be needed. If you need a garnish, a sprinkling of chives or green onion can elevate the plate, but considering how quickly I shovel these dips into my mouth, I’ve never been particularly concerned with presentation.

Some people travel to new places strictly for the scenery, while others set their sights on excellent eats. If you are part of the latter group, you’ll be elated to know that Yelp has curated a list of top destinations in the U.S. for food lovers, and the results prove that the West Coast is the best coast.

35 Iconic Street Foods Every World Traveler Must Try

San Francisco, California, nabbed the No. 1 spot as the best destination for foodies. According to the site, the city’s highest-rated restaurants are Michelin-starred restaurants Liholiho Yacht Club and Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, which has also been consistently ranked as one of our 101 best pizzerias in America. The City by the Bay also received accolades for diverse cuisine — a big factor taken into consideration by the data team that put this list together.

Seperately, San Francisco nabbed 13 spots on The Daily Meal’s 101 best restaurants in America. State Bird Provisions, Mission Chinese, Nopa, Delfina, Zuni Cafe, Cotogna, Angler, Gary Danko, Coi, Saison, Benu, Quince and Atelier Crenn all received the honor.

When Yelp created its list for 2019, researchers compared new restaurants, ratings, reviews, percentage of food photos and cuisine diversity (as previously mentioned) to figure out where Yelpers love eating right now, and the results are pretty surprising.

Second place went to St. Louis, Missouri, for its “to-die-for eateries” including the s’mores French toast at Half and Half and the gaucho steak at Olive + Oak. Honolulu, Hawaii, took third place because, being a tropical location and all, it’s the best place in the country for fresh fruits and seafood. Yelpers love TsuruTonTan Udon Noodle Brasserie, Odori-ko and Ka’llkena.

In fourth place is Plano, Texas, followed by San Diego, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Richmond, Virginia; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; and Austin, Texas. This ranking of metro areas is great and all, but where is New York City? Chicago? In our opinion, this seems like a major oversight. That’s why we put together a list of the 50 best foodie towns in America.

Here’s what this past week looked like – My Everyday Life Week 8:

Adventure up in Sebastapol with my friend Emma!

We went to a private event at Fern Bar. The cocktails were amazing!

And lunch at Handline!

The fries were amazing.

Thrifting adventures!

So many treasures.

All the keys.

Beautiful light in the backroom of Fern Bar.

The restaurant is so well curated.

Emma doing her thing!

Girls with glasses.

Thank you for the picture of me shooting, Emma!!!!!!

I gotta thing for hands.

Yes.

No.

Just Be.

Making a simple arrangement on our table.

The light is so nice right now.

Ella is curious.

More thrifting!

My babies.

My gallery wall in progress.

An altar in my house.

My maple olive oil banana bread turns into great muffins!

My Dad came over for dinner and we had a polenta dinner on my grandmother’s polenta board. For those of you who are wondering, it’s a giant board she had made that we spoon out polenta on and eat from!

Continuing my food journal practice!  You can get one here!

Favorite snack— apples and peanut butter with granola.

LOVE.

Mornings around here. I drink coffee while he runs around before school.

Blossoms are blossoming.

Making eye contact with art.

Visiting Lisa & Charlie.

Saturday morning hike with Caley.

Giving new life to old dish towels.

Up in Petaluma on a day date with my husbean.

I can’t wait to play with this painting.

Dinner at Hana. 

Week 8 in 2018

Week 8 in 2017

Week 8 in 2016

Week 8 in 2015

Week 8 in 2014

Week 8 in 2013

Week 8 in 2012

Week 8 in 2011

Thanks for reading Shutterbean!  If you’d like to check out more of my everyday life, follow me on Instagram and be sure keep in touch via Facebook, Twitter,  Bloglovin,  Pinterest, or subscribe via email to get new posts delivered to your inbox.