https://dailyhive.com/toronto/eddie-huang-best-food-city-2018
Old news but I thought it was so great he said this.
When I bring it up to my NYC / Chicago family they laugh and tell me I’m wrong.
I think Eddie has a good point?
Especially in terms of pure affordability.
Anyone else agree?
Important to point out for Eddie Huang it might not literally mean best tasting food, though I’m sure he likes that too.
His books talk about:
1. Food “Purity” – authenticity and purity of food. Not necessarily super original recipes passed down by generations. But, staying true to the meaning of the dish. Toronto’s diverse culture of immigrants makes this a reality.
2. Affordability
3. “Vibe” – He goes on about food being more than just how it tastes and the vibe. In his restaurant he wanted a real scene full of employees who knew their hip hop.
by FriedGreenPotados
13 Comments
NYC is on a different stratosphere, but I think we compare quite well with other large N.American cities.
Have to agree with Eddie 100%. Went to Spain/Portugal last year, ate at both popular local spots and Michelin restaurants. Recently went to LA and just got back from a NYC trip. Toronto can outshine any of these cities for food if you know where to look (especially in terms of diverse cultural cuisine).
I think the idea of NYC and all these other major cities having better food than Toronto is an outdated idea. Last 5-6 years Toronto food game has really stepped up to compete on a global level.
Probably the only thing I wish Toronto had that LA/NY has is KazuNori (why don’t we have a dedicated affordable hand roll restaurant?!).
I haven’t really messed with the high end food scene too much but when it comes to homestyle or comfort food I don’t think Toronto can be beat for options with quality and authenticity
Bar none. David Chang agreed with him IIRC, or put it Top 3.
The argument changes slightly if you adopt the position of fine dining or Michelin rated restaurants being the pinnacle, but with the guide being in Toronto, there’s clearly more $$$ interest, so we’ll see where things we go
The combination of the breadth of food and the quality you can get in Toronto is absolutely insane.
The things that make Toronto *seem* to not fare well are:
* We have a finite capacity for food. It’s hard for an individual to accurately assess a food scene, without immersing yourself. If you travel, your time and style of eating out will skew your perception of a city.
* Toronto’s best food is in the ‘burbs and even with Suresh, the best food is still an “IYKYK” sorta thing. While you can find the diverse food in the city, it’s a little harder to get a feel for the food culture if you’re downtown biased.
* Size and cultural influence. Cities like New York are cultural and commercial hubs. You’re just going to get more people and more coverage. My (sort of biased) assumption is that Toronto actually has a wider diversity of well-executed food, But New York restaurants will have a higher chance of getting covered and so it’s easier to find pretty decent food.
* Bias towards commercial definitions of culture and what’s defined as the ‘best’. The fact is, Michelin star level restaurants have to be supported by money. So you’ll get their convergence around commercial destinations.
* Torontonians *love* to compare themselves with other cities. Just because you can find better ______ in another city like Mexican in LA or NYC Pizza, Toronto isn’t disqualified from this discussion. The average quality of food or the ‘floor’ for a culture’s cuisine is much more indicative I’d say.
Definitely affordability. I was chatting with someone on another forum, and they preferred Toronto to NYC as a food city (a tourist, not a resident of either), because in Toronto, they found the quality of the food is outstanding at any price point.
Link to the episode Eddie is recalling
[https://www.vicetv.com/en_us/video/huangs-world-toronto/595687d73b4f7d7c4e1448f9](https://www.vicetv.com/en_us/video/huangs-world-toronto/595687d73b4f7d7c4e1448f9)
ps; I hated this day so much.
Unfortunately you have to dig deep to find the decent spots, like digging for treasure because in toronto there’s too many crappy chains and miscellaneous bad restaurants littered throughout.
Every single time I’ve had friends or family who are fellow foodies visit Toronto they leave enthusiastically agreeing that the food here is top notch. Every city has strengths and weaknesses of course but I think the pure diversity of options is really unparalleled.
Bull shit. Basically grew up in this city and visited NYC multiple times a year for work. NYC way way above Toronto. Toronto can’t outshine NYC whatsoever. If you think so you haven’t spent enough time in NYC.
We cannot be best until we bring in more cheap and authentic Mexican food.
He is absolutely correct. I’ve been all over the states and I’ve been in Europe for two months (Italy, Spain, the Balkans) and nowhere except for LA and NYC can even compare to Toronto.
Sugo beats out 90% of Italian restaurants in Italy and it’s not even good by Toronto standards. And ALL you can find in Italy are Italian restaurants. I don’t know how people can stand eating the same things over and over again.
Don’t even get me started on Balkan “food.” God I can’t wait to EAT when I’m back.
The delusion in this thread is wild. 😭
Notice the year when he said that. I think the value proposition in Toronto is gone. Dining out is expensive now and I don’t think the quality is there compared to other cities to justify the price.