Jennifer

What's your favorite regional food that you discovered on your travels that you can't find at home?
I was in Clearwater, Florida and had a Greek salad that was served with potato salad on the bottom. It was delish but I can't find this anywhere else.
What's your pick? Thanks.

sss

Philly cheese steaks! And I'm not talking about the kind in the food court at any mall, USA.

Bill

Nut Goodie candy bars in Minnesota!

Laura

Not a food, but I just love the fresh brewed sweet ice tea that you get in US restaurants. I'm Canadian and they don't make it right here.

a

Not quite the same, but I am amazed that in the mid-west there is no ginger ale.

Yum

In my opinion, the bagels really are tastier in NYC than anywhere else.

suzanne

Snow crab legs at the Jersey Shore - YUM! I can't find any in NYC.

Dana

I truly miss the ribs & Saratoga chips at Montgomery Inn in Cincinnati! I also love the blueberry pancakes at Bob Evans, but there aren't any in San Diego. I always go to these 2 places when I visit family at home.

Martine

I am Belgian. 22years ago I was invited in a US family in New York and they made sweet potatoes. The American family said it was something exquis, butI found it was disgusting. A lot of years later I still talked about that ugly sweet poptatoe.Last July I came for the second time to the US (with my family) to Florida and went shopping in the Publix. There I saw a tuberous plant wich seemed to be a sweet potatoe.
I showed it to my husband and children who knew my story and I bought one. I did not kwow how to prepare it, but I peeled it, cut it in pieces and baked it in olive oil. It was delicious...
Now I am back in Belgium, I search everywhere but they don't sell it here.

Sara

a: There is ginger-ale in the Midwest, at least there is in Mich. It is called Vernor's. I dont like ginger-ale personally, but my dad thinks it is the best.

CC

Fried clams and peppermint stick ice cream (not togethre, of course) the way you get 'em in Maine and some parts of Mass. Everywhere else the clams are rubber-bands dipped in cornflour and fried in 3-day old fat. And IF you can find it anywhere else, the peppermint ice cream is a gluey pink mess. I like the fresh-shucked whole clam in flour batter and fried in fresh oil (I'm afraid lard in the oil makes it taste even better, if you don't mind a 300 cholesterol level), and the peppermint stick ice cream should be white with bits of actual peppermint stick swirled into it.

Mrs. O'L.

Vernor's ginger-ale is bitter. I miss Cliquot Club but will take Canada Dry or, in a pinch, Schweppes (also a little bitter).

Anyone for birch beer?

southerngal

Martine, the first sweet potatoes you tried were probably "candied". Some people make them like that for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Lots of sugar. You are right about them tasting better just baked with a little olive oil. You can grow them if you have a long enough summer, about 100 days. You can mail order the plants if they will ship to you.

myst

Martine probably had canned sweet potato (yuck). The baked ones are delicious.

I love the doughnuts made in NYC at the Doughnut Plant. Doughnuts do not travel well and it is a small operation.

Susan

My son loved the poutine he had in Canada. I try to recreate it with french fries, gravy, and mozarella but he says its still not the same.

e

Mofongo(seasoned mashed plaintains w/seafood) from Puerto Rico. Incredible dish.

Lisa

There is Ginger ale in Minnesota...Canada Dry and Schwepps.

Hummm, I didn't know Nut Goodies weren't everywhere....very tasty!

Ginger

I live in Nebraska and have not had problems finding giner ale either...I love the stuff!

Howitzer

New Orleans' delicious donut confection....beignets.
Southern California's super yummy fast food chain, Yoshinoya beef bowl..thankfully, they opened one in New York City!!!
My late grandmas tuna salad, sliced apple sandwiches. Its the first thing I want when I travel to heaven.

Marsha

Take-out sushi. In our small midwestern city, none of the stores have California rolls or other types. (We do have one Japanese restaurant in town.) When I am in Chicago or Minneapolis, that is the first thing I look for in the supermarket. And Hawaii was heaven for my husband and me - we could get sushi at just about every supermarket or fish market!