Family visiting from London - what food is better here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would also focus on chefs more than cuisine. It might be nice to go to one of Jose Andres' restaurants, for example.

THIS!

Also, breakfast at a diner or basic restaurant.

Oyamel is great for haut cuisine Mexican.

China Chilcano also would be quite different than what they could find there.

Perhaps not Jaleo or Zatinya as they are so close to Spain and Greece, but if they don't travel there than perhaps those.

A really good local coffee shop would be better here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pizza? If they’ve ever been to Italy, I’d skip pizza here.
But second Tex/mex or Mexican.
Barbecue

American pizza>Italian pizza

Some of the worst pizza I've ever eaten was in Italy. Particularly if olive oil was used in the topping process.

I even had some great thin crust pizza in Tallinn, Estonia once.

It's good to be open-minded about what countries can do with imported cuisines.
Japan mid-grade restaurants do Italian pasta very nicely compared to US mid-grade restaurants.

I stick by my suggestion. U.S. pizza chains are global. I worked for one once.

[Anonymous]

Lots of Brits, even Londoners, think that American cheese is all... American cheese. So please, as a diplomatic gesture, have a cheese tray for them with the amazing cheeses we make here. Let them go home raving about Tilamook extra sharp or Humbolt fog, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of Brits, even Londoners, think that American cheese is all... American cheese. So please, as a diplomatic gesture, have a cheese tray for them with the amazing cheeses we make here. Let them go home raving about Tilamook extra sharp or Humbolt fog, etc.

Yeah, I guess if diplomacy is the goal just try to knock their socks off. Avoid any place you could also go to in Texas, for example. Thus not affirming stereotypes about our gun toting idiocy being pervasive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the tips! I should have mentioned that they will go to both NY and Chicago (but not west coast), so I will skip the pizza here.

I was thinking there may be good Ethiopian in England but maybe not?

There probably is, but there are 350K Ethopians and people of Ethopian descent in the DMV and 90K in all of the UK, so there's a better chance of getting good Ethopian here than there is in London. (I know this info isn't particularly useful but I found it interesting!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of Brits, even Londoners, think that American cheese is all... American cheese. So please, as a diplomatic gesture, have a cheese tray for them with the amazing cheeses we make here. Let them go home raving about Tilamook extra sharp or Humbolt fog, etc.

And be sure to tell them about the cheese caves! A national treasure IMO.

[Anonymous]

Get tea sandwiches from an Argentinian restaurant in Rockville. I’m sure your fam will also like empanadas, milanesas (breaded chicken breast or thin sliced sirloin). The tea sandwiches are to he best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get tea sandwiches from an Argentinian restaurant in Rockville. I’m sure your fam will also like empanadas, milanesas (breaded chicken breast or thin sliced sirloin). The tea sandwiches are to he best.

^the best

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would also focus on chefs more than cuisine. It might be nice to go to one of Jose Andres' restaurants, for example.

THIS!

Also, breakfast at a diner or basic restaurant.

Oyamel is great for haut cuisine Mexican.

China Chilcano also would be quite different than what they could find there.

Perhaps not Jaleo or Zatinya as they are so close to Spain and Greece, but if they don't travel there than perhaps those.

A really good local coffee shop would be better here.

Much better coffee shops in London so don't go out of your way. Of course they may want coffee anyway. Good quality American cheese is fine but I wouldn't get too excited.

Definitely Mexican, Southern, BBQ, other Latin American and maybe Korean. Steakhouse or burger place good. Pancake place. Not Thai, Chinese or Japanese unless they particularly want to. Bagels better here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would also focus on chefs more than cuisine. It might be nice to go to one of Jose Andres' restaurants, for example.

THIS!

Also, breakfast at a diner or basic restaurant.

Oyamel is great for haut cuisine Mexican.

China Chilcano also would be quite different than what they could find there.

Perhaps not Jaleo or Zatinya as they are so close to Spain and Greece, but if they don't travel there than perhaps those.

A really good local coffee shop would be better here.

Much better coffee shops in London so don't go out of your way. Of course they may want coffee anyway. Good quality American cheese is fine but I wouldn't get too excited.

Definitely Mexican, Southern, BBQ, other Latin American and maybe Korean. Steakhouse or burger place good. Pancake place. Not Thai, Chinese or Japanese unless they particularly want to. Bagels better here.

What's funny about the coffee comments is that both of you are wrong. The best spots in DC and London are very comparable nowadays. Not at all the case 10-15 years ago, when London was on the leading edge of specialty coffee, and there were only a few good spots in DC. But since then really good places have become common in DC and every big US city. And I don't mean Starbucks or Peet's or Compass Coffee. Places like The Coffee Bar and Peregrine Espresso.

[Anonymous]

Seafood

[Anonymous]

local seafood -- crabs and oysters, nothing like maryland crab picking -- and also maybe something like Dauphine's for New Orleans. barbecue for sure.

[Anonymous]

Puerto Rican food like La Famosa!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean, they are coming from London not the sticks, and everything is so global nowadays (we can all order kit kats from japan via amazon and giant sells wine gums). I like your tex-mex idea, but otherwise I’d just try to take them to good restaurants!

Aside: H Mart (may vary by location) carries zany KitKat flavors from Japan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Burgers, southern food (either Ruthie’s or even District Biscuit in Del Ray), BBQ, sushi and Mexican.

Burger places are all over the uk. Five guys is all over London.