Philly Cheesesteak
Philadelphia
When a food item is named after a particular city, that destination is sure to be the best place in the country to experience the dish. So if you enjoy a good cheesesteak, you simply must travel to Philadelphia to try this classic sandwich in the place it was invented.
“The Philadelphia cheesesteak is definitely an iconic representation of our city,” said Khaila Burke-Green, communications manager at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It made its debut here in 1930. Pat Olivieri was a hot dog vendor at the time, and he decided to try something new with fried beef. It caught on.”
Today, the most typical version of a cheesesteak is a fresh, soft 12-inch Italian roll filled with melted cheese — or occasionally, Cheez Whiz — fried strips of beef and raw onion.
Olivieri’s cheesesteak empire grew in South Philadelphia, where visitors can see the family’s restaurant, Pat’s, and competing establishment, Geno’s Steaks, located right across the street.
“There is a cheesesteak tour offered by Philly Tour Hub,” Burke-Green said. “It’s a two-hour tour that you take by Segway. You can sample five different cheesesteaks so that you can make your own comparison.”
Visitors don’t have to go to the south side to get a good sandwich, though. Many travelers stop in for a bite at Sonny’s Famous Steaks in the historic district, just a few blocks away from the Liberty Bell. In 2014, GQ named its cheesesteaks the best in Philadelphia.
Groups can find numerous variations on the classic dish, as well. Continental Martini Bar features cheesesteak egg rolls with sriracha ketchup, and Barclay Prime is known for its decadent cheesesteak sandwich, made with wagyu beef and shaved truffles.
Crab Cakes
Baltimore
Situated squarely on the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore has, arguably, the country’s best access to fresh crabs. So when your group travels to the Charm City, it’s imperative they get to taste proper crab cakes.
“The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the world, and there is a lot of blue crab in there,” said Tom Noonan, CEO and president of Visit Baltimore. “The crab cake has been the signature food item in Baltimore since Colonial times. Everyone has their mother’s and grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s recipe.”
The abundance of recipes means that there are myriad variations on the Maryland crab cake. Some include Old Bay spice, and others employ Phillip’s Seafood seasoning or a black-pepper mixture. But regardless of the details, Noonan said all of the best crab cakes have a couple of things in common: “You have to have jumbo lump crab, and you better not put too much bread in it.”
Groups can get their fill of crab cakes at Baltimore institutions such as Faidley’s Seafood in Lexington Market or Rusty Scupper on the inner harbor. Noonan also recommends the crab cake at Gertrude’s, the fine-dining seafood restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Crab comes in a number of other forms in restaurants throughout the city. Visitors can have a crab Benedict and a crab-infused bloody mary at breakfast, enjoy a crab Caesar salad for lunch and then have a celebratory crab feast for dinner.
“We have some fantastic chefs in this town,” Noonan said. “If you give them crab, they’re going to do something amazing with it.”
Bison Burgers and Beyond
Rapid City, South Dakota
Though beef tops the menu at many restaurants around the country, in South Dakota another red meat is the protein of choice in many establishments.
“Bison have a great significance to the area with our Native American culture and history,” said Julie Jones Whitcher, director of tourism at the Rapid City Convention and Visitors Bureau. “That’s a huge part of why buffalo dishes are so significant here.”
Like beef, bison is a flavorful red meat. But it is much lower in fat content than beef, which makes it a popular, healthful alternative. And because there are several local ranches around Rapid City that raise bison, diners who choose buffalo dishes are likely to have a farm-to-table experience.
“You can pretty much get a buffalo burger at any local restaurant,” Whitcher said. “It’s not just the upscale restaurants — even casual ones have buffalo dishes. Here in Rapid City you can get a buffalo sirloin or rib eye, and buffalo short ribs are also popular.”
For groups, Dakota Steakhouse is a great destination for an upscale dinner. The restaurant focuses on native Dakota cuisine. So, in addition to braised buffalo ribs and buffalo skewers, guests can sample game meats such as elk, walleye and pheasant. Another high-end restaurant, Delmonico Grill, offers numerous buffalo dishes and is a good choice for groups of 25 or fewer travelers.
For simpler options, Whitcher recommends buffalo steak and burger dishes in the restaurants at nearby Custer State Park.
