32(和去吃的地方) in 2019

Take it from a bunch of people whoyabo电竞投注this country for a living—there is never enough time in a year to see all of the things that you need to see, here inAmerica, in order to truly grasp just what is happening. (And that's just the亚搏电竞.)

From coast to coast, from the far North to the sunny South, everything’s changing, there are so many cities that just won’t stop growing, so many old familiars that suddenly look different, feel different. Just when you think you’ve got a handle—finally!—on one corner of the fifty states, you realize that in the six months since your last visit, everything got blown up, it's all new again, no notice, no apologies.

This is a thrilling space in which to work, because who could ever be bored when there's so much to learn, even if this also means you're never not slightly anxious. The work is never done, it may never be done—thank goodness, then, that it is always engaging, typically entertaining, and often downright inspiring.

At the end of the year, here we are, catching our breath, taking an ever-so-brief look back, appreciating each and every moment of the ride, just before it all starts up again. We've put forward a sampling of what we've learned, of the places we loved, as well as some thoughts on what we’re looking forward to, in 2019. Hang out with us, just for a few minutes. It'll be fun.

RELATED:The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2019

Where to eat right now

1. Los Angeles

If you don’t know, then ask somebody who does—is there another city in the United States that feels quite so switched on, just now? Sometimes, it feels as if everyone’s moving here—for goodness' sake,even José Andrés is thinking about it.What they’ll find: Los Angeles is one of those places that you never hope to understand completely, that’s the whole point of living there, you’re never finished, and there’s no point even pretending. Bite off whatever you can chew, quite literally, and enjoy, from the proliferation ofexciting Filipino cooking,rise ofmodern Korean,vast ocean of possibilities in theSan Gabriel Valley, plus every kind of regional Mexican and Central American cooking you’ve got your eye on, and some more you never even knew to look for. Then there arethe chefseveryone’stalking about, too many to mention here, from promising young things like乔纳森Yaoat Kato, to Brian Dunsmoor, whoseseasonal Fuss & Feathers dinnersat Hatchet Hall pay tribute to the past, in a most modern way, toCasey Lane, whose Viale dei Romani is perhaps the best restaurant in town right now, and of course we can't forget pastry queen Nicole Rucker, and hernew pie shop, Fiona. What really gives Los Angeles its edge as one of the country’s greatest food cities is just how much there remains to be discovered, in the places most of us aren't even looking—inneighborhoodafterneighborhood, from the unapologetically classic to the wonderfully specific, the mind-bogglingly obscure to thealmost accidentally au courant, there’s so much, too much, to eat. Better get started.

2. Houston

Here’s the thing, Los Angeles—Houston is coming for you.Maybe not today, but soon. You can see it all going down; the cooking here comes from everywhere, and in many cases has been here for the longest time—Houstonians of all kinds grow up eating each other’s food, and it feels like everything is so close to hand, unlike in too many other American cities, where you’re often too far from the food we want to eat now. In Houston, the whole world is next door, fromHugo Ortegaworking high-end Oaxacan magic at a Marriott, to the affordable bowls of goodness at Pho Binh, just blocks from the gloss of the Galleria. There are weekday Indian brunches at Pondicheri in trendy Montrose, business lunches of Banh Cuon and duck salad at standby Huynh, in the shadow of the downtown skyline, fast-casual joints selling artisanal banh mi (Roostar) and gorgeous bowls of char kway teow (Sing). There are so many names to know, now—talented Nick Wong at the delightful littleUB Preserv, one part ofChris Shepherd’s quickly-evolving empire, where pastry chef Victoria Dearmond brings joy to table after table on a nightly basis. There’s Ryan Lachaine at Riel, and of course Justin Yu (Theodore Rex), who with local bar macher Bobby Heugel gave the city one of its best new hangsBetter Luck Tomorrow. In 2019, word is they’re going to do it all over again. (We’ll be there.) Ditto formaster sommelier David Keck, too, whose popular honky tonk Goodnight Charlie's is apparently the first step toward taking over a small stretch of Westheimer Road. Then there areall those new food halls, there is hometown gal Beyonce’sfavorite restaurant, andone of America’s finest classic cafeterias, now better than ever—seriously, we’d look away, but we’re afraid we’re going to miss something.

3. Oakland

If the future is female, it’s already happening here, in this sunny, invigorating jumble of a city that spent too damn long in the shadow of San Francisco, but that’s ancient history, now. While there have been restaurants to get excited for, here inOakland, for quite some time now, there’s been this wave ofentrepreneurial women, recently, making everything even more interesting, and you need to know about all of them. There's坦尼娅荷兰at Brown Sugar Kitchen, there's Nite Yun atNyum Bai, Janice and Brandi Dulce atFOB Kitchen, a Filipino pop-up that’s found a permanent home in Preeti Mistry’s old Juhu Beach Club space. Of course, there'sReem Assil, too, one of 2018’s all-aroundstandouts; most recently, Assil partnered with Daniel Patterson to open the sit-downDyafa, a follow-up to her bright and beautifulbakeryin Fruitvale. Speaking of men, they’re allowed—from James Woodard at Smokin’ Woods BBQ,one of California’s best, to Keba Konte, founder of the one-to-watch Red Bay Coffee, there are so many people to know now, joining now nearly old-timers likeJames Syhabout(Commis, Hawking Bird, CDP), and the gang at Ramen Shop, where the Japanese staple gets the Chez Panisse treatment, to beautiful effect. All in all, it’s a beautiful moment, here in Oakland, and make sure you don't miss out—the same pressures that have made San Francisco such a challenge for restaurateurs are now being felt in the East Bay, too. Who knows what the next few years will bring.

4. San Antonio

Yes, we’re back in Texas again, because that is where so much of America’s future is unfolding, and so quickly, too—always treasured for its love of heritage, San Antonio is on a growth tear like you wouldn’t believe, and of course that means new food, new makers,new restaurants, and plenty of them. From that long list, the ones you need in your life the most urgently are the ones with the most pronounced sense of place, because that is what San Antonio is all about; at2M Smokehouse,在城市的东南边缘,土著Esaul Ramos brought what he’d learned in nearby Austin back home, creating—quite organically—one of the most forward-looking barbecue joints in a state that's never short on the stuff. Alex Paredes worked in one of the city’s finer kitchens before opening Carnitas Lonja, a Michoacan-style carnitas spot operating out of a postage stamp space down along the way to the historic Missions, across from a Whataburger. These two talents alone could lure us back to San Antonio, any day of the week, and you should go, too—while there, make sure to stop byLa Panaderia, the new-wave bakery from two entrepreneurial Mexico City expats, where we are reminded that there’s nothing quite so irresistible, baked goods-wise, as a proper concha. As Austin continues to see astounding growth, becoming an increasingly scrubbed-up version of its weird old self,San Antoniooffers an excellent reminder, at least for now—you can grow, and you can grow a great deal, without wiping out what was there before. Let's hope that holds.

5. St. Louis

There is so much that feels new, there are so many places bursting with promise—it becomes awfully easy to forget the tried and true, the old standbys, the cities that in the popular imagination, are too often perceived as being on the way out, rather than the next big thing. One the oldest of those standbys, St. Louis never gets enough credit for the things that it does well, and one of those things is food, from the nearly-ancient Italian culture on The Hill to so much here-and-now excitement. Recent years have seen immense growth in the local restaurant scene—frominnovative Bosnian cookingtophoso dangerously delicious it landed onFood & Wine’s February cover, there are no rules now, anything goes, and that’s just the way we like it. If you are here, make sure to look in on Blue Hill-alumMichael Gallina的新鲜,兴奋的野豌豆属餐饮为主scene in 2018; also dig into Logan Ely’s small plates Savage, inside an old liquor store, and make sure to stop by Gerard Craft’s glam new Cinder House, at the Four Seasons Hotel. In 2019, all eyes are on Rob Connoley, one of the city’s brightest sparks; the JBF-nominated chef has finally landed a home for Bulrush, promised to be a bold tribute to the foodways of the Ozarks. (There will be foraging. Lots of it.)

Just when we thought we’d seen it all.

Related:Best Places to Travel in 2019

6.费城

Here’s the way it works now, when it comes to food in Philadelphia—anything can happen, anywhere, at any time, and it does. There is the Lebanese cooking at sparkling Suraya, which drew crowds to rugged (and very trendy) Fishtown; you have some of the East Coast’s best tacos at South Philly Barbacoa, which began life as a food cart, now in its new home in the Italian Market, while proper South Philly Italian—something increasingly hard to find, even in its natural habitat—landed in Center City, to the delight of everyone. Did we mention some of the best barbecue in the Northeast, quietly being served out of an old technical high school, far off the beaten path? (It’s called South Philly Smokhaus, and you have to try the pork.) Coming soon,Michael Solomonov’s empire expandeth, this time into a new Rittenhouse apartment building, and we're excited; while you wait, let Zahav’s pastry chefCamille Cogswellguide you to her favorite Philadelphia desserts. Finally, if you make it to town, do the decent thing and pay tribute to theReading Terminal Market, which turned 125 this year. Just you try living that long.

7. Seattle

Temporarily ceding the Northwest culture limelight to Portland, Seattle would like it back now, please, and we’re cheering the Northwest’s big—and getting bigger—city on from the sidelines. If you haven't heard, a lot of people are moving here, and they’re showing up hungry; you’ve heard of Eduardo Jordan, ofJunebaby(and before that, Salare, and most recently, Lucinda), and you’ve heard that Japanese is trending, at places like Kamonegi andAdana, and you likely know that a youngBrady Williamsis upping the ante at Canlis, that classic stunner, but there’s so much else now, and more coming soon, often in some surprising (and delightfully so) places. Look for Filipino-Northwest tasting menus at the brand-new Archipelago in Hillman City, for the lovely, Mediterranean-inspired, local-centric Homer, high atop Beacon Hill, and don't forget those delicate cakes, deep down in anything but delicate Georgetown, at the surprising Deep Sea Sugar & Salt. But first, as ever,咖啡.

8. New Orleans

Just this once, put your nostalgia on a shelf and let New Orleans be New Orleans, the city it is today, a place where past and present coexist nearly peacefully, and the food is so much better (and more diverse) than you can imagine. From Leighann Smith and Daniel Jackson’svery fine butcher shop and restaurantto Nina Compton’ssophomore effort—in fact, why not let Compton tell you all abouther favorite New Orleans hangs—to a whole new crop of the casually great, from Longway Tavern in the French Quarter to the Molly’s Rise & Shine on Magazine Street, the latest fromMason Hereford(Turkey and the Wolf), it’s all go around here, to the point where you might get swept up in the new, and that’s great, but don’t forget the classics, both recent (dinners atMarjie’s Grill, still got it) and not (Galatoire’s, which recently installed Phillip Lopez, of the city’s most incorrigible visionaries, in its hallowed kitchens).

9. Washington, DC

If you are not taking the food here seriously, let's get you caught up, because so much has gone down, in the last few years—let's meet by by the fire atMaydan, or squeeze our way into凯文天山’s cozy Himitsu (and soon,Emilie!), or belly up to the standing-room-only Spoken English, stuck back in the kitchens at the Line Hotel—winter is a great time to be here, at least for anyone currently coping with the frozen further-north. Speaking of warming up, don’t miss thoseEthiopian hot chicken sandwichesat Kith & Kin, or the good barbecue in the smoke-filled room they call the Federalist Pig, too; for mornings and afternoons when indoors is the best idea, there is (of course there is) something new and very good from Aaron Silverman, just for the occasion—retreat to the striking Little Pearl, a smart coffee and wine bar, steps from the metro at Eastern Market.

Surprising things, in unexpected places—that's the rule now. Here are three cities to have your eye on.

10. Columbus

If there’s one thing we know about the Midwest now, it’s to stop expecting certain things from the Midwest, and certainly notOhio’s capital city, which has a nearly Sun Belt-esque buoyancy about it these days, as it welcomes all-comers, from all over the world, into the ever-growing fold. From some of thebest momosin the country, to apromising young chefrecreating thefast foodfavorites from childhood, to a raft of makers creating everything fromterrific charcuterietovery fine chocolates, you’re never short on things to eat, and we haven’t even gotten to one ofAmerica’s best Japanese bakeries, hiding out in the suburbs, or thecrazy good banana puddingat the very good hot chicken place, or thetop notch cafes—seriously, don’t sleep on this city. Good things are happening.

11. Tampa

Imbued with a delightful sense of place, the kind you get from having been around for a while, this is one of those Florida burgs that you typically see lumped in with so many brash young upstarts, but if that’s your take, you weren’t super-duper paying attention—with neighborhoods and wonderful food traditions that go back a century or more, traditions brought by Cuban and Italian and Spanish and German immigrants,classic Tampa—who could forget Bern’s Steak House, too—reminds us that everything need not be new, in order to be noteworthy. But wait, there’s more; new food-centric projects likeSparkman Wharfand the Heights Public Market have become legitimate attractions, the Seminole Heights neighborhood has become a magnet for good food and drink—you'll start with dinner at Rooster & The Till, Tampa’s most interesting restaurant, the first of three projects launched byFerrell Alvarezand Ty Rodriguez. There’s more to come, of course—right now, we’re waiting patiently for the genre-busting all-day cafe from local roaster King State Coffee,one of Florida’s finest; they've just launched their own beer, as well.

12. Indianapolis

Dropping by Indianapolisto check up on one of thebiggest restaurant openings of 2018led to a day of exploring ona side of the city we’d never seen before, which began a chain reaction that lead to even more surprises—classic places, new places, and exciting things still to come. Stay tuned—we certainly will.

Behind every very big story, there are so many smaller ones that need to be told. Here, just a sampling of experiences, of the places and people that made 2018 memorable.

13.Stumbling upona new kind ofOmaha, where we also ate somevery good deep-fried sandwiches.

14.That time we fell in love withPennsylvania Dutchcookingall over again. (Andagain.) Also, did you know that one ofAmerica’s best buffets, and one of the biggest, is nowhere near Las Vegas?

15.Flying toPhoenixfor lunch, in July, and loving every minute of the ride.

16.Hanging out withrice farmers, andall the other cool peoplemaking the food scene inJacksonvillemore interesting than ever.

17.EmbracingClaudette Zepeda-Wilkins’unique vision inSan Diego.

18.That time when Ray Isle revealedone of his favorite wine pairings—the barbecue of his home state ofTexas.

19.Spending a week inIowaand findingso muchgood stuffto love, from agrowing scene in Des Moinestothat pizza in the Quad Cities.

20.From very goodcheese in the Finger Lakesto world-classpain au chocolat in Utica, and even thosestrange tacos in Buffalo, exploring limitless possibilities onmanyNew York Stateroad trips.

21.Eating our way through theincreasingly sophisticated neighborhood restaurant sceneinLas Vegas.

22.Hanging out with the Amishin sunnyFlorida, in December.

23.Acheese-fueledride through southernGeorgia. And how about that very goodolive oil?

24.French toast and farmers' markets on a marvelous, lazyweekendin California’s underrated capital,Sacramento.

25.Discoveringall sorts of things to like—old things, and new things—inMemphis.

26.Donuts, new wavedrive-thrusanddamn-fine barbecue cartsinPortland, the one in Oregon.

27.ForaginginCleveland, in November? Oh, most definitely.

28.吃一些America’s most popular fried chicken, which you will find in a tiny town inMichigan.

29.Seeing visions—in the form of those delicious Oklahomaonion burgers—inOklahoma City, where there’sall sorts of cool stuffgoing on.

30. InShreveport, Louisiana,stopping for a sandwichled to a trip back in time.

31.Making a pie pilgrimage toWisconsin’s Door County, only to findeverything’s changing.

32.HorribleHarrisburg? More likeamazing.