[rsync]

"... and food is above average for an American city ..."

The food in San Francisco and Marin is the best food in the world, by a fair margin.

In 2018, food, food venues, eating environments and every other aspect of dining, the world over, is being invented and reshaped in San Francisco.

Go anywhere else in the world, at any price point, from the first class lounge at Hong Kong airport to the mall food court in Granada, Spain, and everyone is inspired by, or directly copying, what is being done here.

EDIT: my parent spoke not of a particular restaurant, but the food of the city, generally. That is what I am talking about - not who has the best BBQ joint in your favorite BBQ genre, but which city has the best food (as opposed to "above average for an American city").

I stand by the assertion that food(ie) culture, worldwide, is being driven by SF.

[JPKab]

That's a very bold statement, and frankly demonstrates the insular, self congratulatory circle jerk of the Bay Area. Amazing food, of course, but I've been to an open air Tejano restaurant in a garden outside of San Antonio that beat anything in the Bay, roaming chickens and all.

The proprietors could give a shit about SF. And oh yeah, your BBQ sucks. Sure, I can get decent brisket, but for triple the price and half the portion.

[subway]

Rudy's was hands down the number one thing I missed in moving from SA to SF. Eventually I found solace at Everett and Jones in Berkeley, but even that'll never come close to Texas BBQ.

[tomhoward]

This is unnecessarily inflammatory. Several cities around the world are having an impact. I've spent plenty of time in SF (some of it with my partner who has been a semi-professional food reviewer for 10+ years) and yes, it's great. But Melbourne and Sydney in Australia – which are similarly cosmopolitan to SF – would have to count as rivals and also have a strong influence internationally, as do cities in Asia and Europe. There's no need to argue that one particular city is leading the world "by a fair margin". It's a subjective claim that is impossible to prove and thus only leads to futile arguments.

[rsync]

I didn't mean to be inflammatory.

I am not a CA native and I don't live in SF (although I do live in Marin). I do, however, travel all over the United States and the world and I see that there has been a global, emergent food culture (perhaps a monoculture ?) and it seems clear to me that San Francisco is the root stock - from the ambience and the lighting to the food sourcing and the coffee list.

I'm sure it's a repeat of "American Food" before it and "French Cuisine" before that. It won't last forever.

[etxm]

I can’t tell if your sarcasm is on fleek or if you’re plain batty.

[Fins]

That would be news many people (e.g. El Bulli graduates in Spain) who are really innovating in food.

Sure, Bay Area (although not so much SF itself) has some good, even great, if vastly overpriced, food, but "best, by a fair margin" is a gross exaggeration.

[oculusthrift]

are you joking? tokyo is inspired by marin county? i can name better food cities in the same state (LA) let alone country or world

[quantummkv]

> I stand by the assertion that food(ie) culture, worldwide, is being driven by SF.

Lay off the kool-aid kid, it's bad for you mental health. Who told you that the global foodie culture is driven from SF? Not here in India for sure. And I really doubt it is affecting anywhere else in Asia.

[spacegod]

Uhhh where in Marin? I grew up here.

The average Marin resident doesn't eat at these places.

These are the places for the finance CEOs, high profile landlords, and the tech commuters. There's no post hippie commune or even yuppies here anymore. Just greedy fucks eating overpriced food on undersized plates.

[stephenitis]

sorry but seems like romanticized marketing dribble.

[golfer]

(citation needed)

[wavefunction]

There is so much traditional cuisine out there as to make this post truly ridiculous.