re: Houston-The culinary and cultural center of the south

Nashville and Austin are often times compared, but Austin is 10 times better/prettier/better party scene/food. although traffic sucks and the Californians are changing it pretty fast.

Nashville's hypes come from country music and southern girls that want to live in the city, but not too far away from home. I have family there and every time I go think, is this it?

I am sure it is nice to live there and such, but it is still a regional city with regional offerings.

chalk me up as one that does not get it....

H-Town, the home of chopped and screwed and candy-coated slabs

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Yeah, what the hell do they know about New Orleans. If only there were a place for prospective visitors to go, preferably online and created by New Orleans locals, to learn a little about traditional New Orleans food.

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It's a marketing website with SEO based out of Tuscon. First, who knows who is writing their articles. Second, they use certain key "buzz" words for marketing.

You really do not know what you're talking about.

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As a current resident of Houston and former resident (born and raised) of New Orleans, it's so annoying that threads about Houston always devolve into a pissing match between the two cities. Both are great cities with much to offer, and both are uniquely Southern.

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Amen

I love this city (Houston) for all it has to offer but I also love Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and a lot of other cities for many other reasons but they also share some of the same reasons.

I don't know why complimenting a city or acknowledging that a city different than yours has great attributes is so taboo for some.

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Nashville and Austin are often times compared, but Austin is 10 times better/prettier/better party scene/food. although traffic sucks and the Californians are changing it pretty fast.

Nashville's hypes come from country music and southern girls that want to live in the city, but not too far away from home. I have family there and every time I go think, is this it?

I am sure it is nice to live there and such, but it is still a regional city with regional offerings.

chalk me up as one that does not get it....

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Austin was absolutely a regional city 10-15 years ago. Point being, Nashville is presently transitioning from being a mix between a southern cliche tourist center and a boring place to live, to a rapidly expanding metro area that is drawing in residents from all over the country due to jobs and a perception as a fun place to live. Very similar to Austin in that regard.

As far as a direct comparison, I think Nashville is more aesthetically pleasing than Austin. Austin is a pretty city by Texas standards, which is to say, low standards.

I have the same reaction to Austin as you have to Nashville. Both strike me as mid sized "large cities" with reputations that may exceed reality. Austin has a reputation as an outdoor hub of Texas, which it probably is, but comes up somewhat hollow considering it isn't in any sort of outdoor mecca. It's manufactured.

That's not to say I don't like Austin, I do. I just see the similarities.

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btw, how does one compare these culinary capitals?

do we go by food genres and check off the boxes?

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Well considering New Orleans is a culinary capital and Houston isn't, should be pretty easy.

Houston, like any expanding large city, will beat New Orleans on sheer number of top quality dining opportunities and diversity. But it isn't a culinary destination any more than Dallas or Atlanta by most standards, and none of those cities can touch New Orleans' pedigree and influence.

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I have family there and every time I go think, is this it?

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Nashville is also a city vastly undergoing changes and reformation. Personally, t is the anti-Detroit. I have never seen anything quite like it (in a positive sense).

We've worked down here for about 15 years now and it is night and day difference. 15 years ago, you didn't go to Broadway. 21st Ave was "the hip place to be".The Gulch didn't exist. The Convention Center didn't exist. 12 South was a restaurant or two. East Nashville and Germantown were crime ridden hell holes. Now they are thriving and it appears to be just the start. It'll be interesting to see it another 10 or 15 years from now.

It's certainly great for business

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You better learn the diffence.


You should tell the New Orleans Visitors Bureau to learn the difference as well. They seem to think that traditional New Orleans food includes cajun food:

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ANDOUILLE
This spiced, heavily smoked pork sausage is a key flavor in many New Orleans dishes. Originally brought to Louisiana by French colonists, today's Cajun andouille is the best-known variety in the U.S. - and the spiciest. The sausage is seasoned with salt, cracked black pepper and garlic and is smoked over pecan wood and sugar cane for up to eight hours. Andouille can be found in gumbo, jambalaya, on a po boy and served along side red beans and rice.

CRAWFISH ÉTOUFFÉE
A local favorite, crawfish étouffée could be called gumbo's spiced-up cousin. Stemming from the French word for "smothered," this thick Cajun creation employs hot spices including cayenne pepper, a mélange of onion and green pepper and hints of garlic. With loads of fresh crawfish, this tantalizing Southern treat is typically enjoyed over rice.

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wow you are really digging yourself a hole here.

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Your state's crown jewel of a city is listed among cities in 3rd world countries as one of the most dangerous and crime-ridden cities in the world. Sorry I'm not impressed that you have a jazz festival with nice restaurants surrounded by slums.

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well the argument here was about dining not how great each city is in every socioeconomic metric. You revealed you know precisely nothing about New Orleans dining other than having a quick layover on Bourbon before your family went on a fancy Carnival cruise vacation, so no wonder you are deflecting badly with crime, etc.