PROVIDENCE – Although New York and New Orleans are the “usual suspects” for the nation’s top “foodie” cities, if you really crunch the numbers Providence is one of the Top Ten, according to a CNBC presentation of data from Sperling’s Best Places.
“A city’s food appeal is not just measured by fine dining or Michelin stars; you have to also consider the everyday eating experiences. Is there a unique regional cuisine? Have ethnic enclaves left edible legacies on the area’s tables? The availability of fresh local produce, meats and seafood are other major considerations,” said CNBC about its “America’s Top Foodie Cities” list published Jan. 28.
Rhode Island's Market Has Changed. Developers, Builders, Investors and Sellers Must Change With It.
By Emilio DiSpirito IV License Partner | Engel & Völkers Oceanside Leader | The DiSpirito…
Learn More
In order to find these lesser-known gastronomical hot spots, Sperlings looked at the ratio of local restaurants to chain restaurants; number of Whole Foods and cooking stores; number of wine shops, wine bars, craft breweries and brew pubs; number of community supported agriculture farms and local farmers’ markets.
Providence, with a local restaurant percentage at 83.7 percent and community-supported agriculture farms at 27, earned a place alongside Santa Rosa, Calif., Portland, Ore., Burlington, Vt., Portland, Maine, San Francisco, Calif., Boston-Cambridge, Mass., Seattle, Wash., Santa Fe, N.M., and Santa Barbara, Calif.
“Newcomers to Providence should be prepared to pick up some giggle-inspiring new terms: ‘stuffies’ are hard shell quahog clams, and New York System Wieners, also known as ‘gaggers,’ are thin veal and pork franks topped with spicy sauce,” it said.
“With a food culture this unique, no wonder they have the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales,” the publication said highlighting local havens Al Forno, Siena and Madeira.
The nearby Boston-Cambridge area boasted a local restaurant percentage of 84.4, earning recognition for its local fish markets – Alive and Kicking, and Fresh Pond Seafood – and Cambridge’s “worldly” cuisine, like Brazilian spot Muqueca, Afghan eatery The Helmand and the Turkish restaurant Oleana.
