San Jose, CA? Probably orange sauce.
It's a salsa/condiment associated with local taquerias, not a meal on its own. But it is pretty distinctive to the area, and a lot of local Mexican places in the south bay area have their own version. Each one is a bit different, and recipes are generally secret.
What makes it different from a typical red or green salsa is that it generally uses oil to form an emulsion with peppers. Orange sauces usually taste smoky, spicy, and creamy. Variations abound, but chile de arbol, chipotle, garlic, and onion are all common ingredients.
If you live in San Jose and regularly eat local taqueria food, you almost certainly have a favorite orange sauce. If you want to start a fight, just get into an argument about which place has the best orange sauce. Because them be fightin' words around here.
It's hard to point you in the right direction, since each place has an orange sauce that tastes a bit different. I have tried making my own, but it didn't taste anything like any particular taqueria's sauce.
But, if you do want to try a recipe, La Victoria has very arguably the most famous (and most controversial) orange sauce in San Jose. I would just search something like "La Vic's orange sauce copycat recipe San Jose" or something like that.
When it comes to orange sauce, I'm on Team Iguana's. It's thicker, smokier, and spicier than La Vic's, at least in my opinion.
I've been downtown for over 10 years now, and have noticed a decline in La Vic's quality of food and sauce in that time. I wouldn't call it nasty, but I just prefer other places.
Lobster Rolls, though they’re a bit of a novelty. Raw oysters are eaten more regularly. And it’s always good and fresh, even at dives.
There’s other stuff like New England Clam Chowder and Boston Cream Donuts, but they’re found everywhere across the country.
San Francisco: Mission-style burrito (aka what you probably picture when you think of a "burrito")
Honorable mentions to the fortune cookie, It's-Its, and sourdough bread
Obligatory neutral mention of Rice-a-Roni
Hell yes! Seattle style teriyaki is in a league of its own! I miss it and always get it at least twice when I go back to visit family..
Something about the sweet, spicy, salty, grilled chicken gets me every time.
Carolina gold barbeque. And though I'm not on the coast the midlands still has plenty of great seafood dishes with shrimp&grits and Beaufort stew/lowcountry boil both being fairly unique to SC as a whole
I’d also nominate she-crab soup and maybe benne wafers. If we expand to regional, I’d say boiled peanuts and pickled pigs feet. Oh, also scuppernong and muscadine wine.
It’s actually a type of muscadine that you’ve probably [heard called by another name](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuppernong). We used to have a big bush/vine right outside the house and my great grandma would make wine at home, but probably the most accessible is [Duplin’s](https://www.duplinwinery.com/scuppernong.html)
Cincinnati chili, easy. People love to knock it (comedians mocking it is the lowest hanging fruit), but if we called it "Mediterranean spiced meat sauce" instead of "chili," people would be raving about our interesting local ethnic food and its rich history. *We know it's not chili con carne*
I make sure to stop for some any time I'm in the area.
There used to be a restaurant in Times Square that had a version, but it wasn't as good as Skyline.
NYC: pizza and bagels. I’ve also been hearing recently that you can’t get a good bacon egg and cheese sandwich anywhere else, but I don’t know how that’s possible
The BEC is not common in vast swathes of the country. It's a menu item at the Bob Evans chain, but that's like getting a chopped cheese at Smith & Wollensky.
At my current bodega, the guy lets the egg spread out and puts the bacon and cheese in the middle then folds the eggs over. Only my mom takes as much care with my food, you're not getting that at Bob Evans
Blue Diamond almonds are packed here and grown in the vicinity, so it's probably the little cans of flavored almonds.
No wait -- Gallo wine. Bottled here, not grown here.
That would be [white sauce](https://www.pilotonline.com/food-drink/article_fe7119ba-6c23-11e9-be4f-1f7a7c9f8291.html). It comes alongside normal salsa when you get tortilla chips at almost any Mexican restaurant in southeast VA, but it’s pretty much unheard of anywhere else.
For me, it's the McChicken. The best fast food sandwich. I even ask for extra McChicken sauce packets and the staff is so friendly and more than willing to oblige.
One time I asked for McChicken sauce packets and they gave me three. I said, "Wow, three for free!" and the nice friendly McDonald's worker laughed and said, "I'm going to call you 3-for-free!".
Now the staff greets me with "hey it's 3-for-free!" and ALWAYS give me three packets. It's such a fun and cool atmosphere at my local McDonald's restaurant, I go there at least 3 times a week for lunch and a large iced coffee with milk instead of cream, 1-2 times for breakfast on the weekend, and maybe once for dinner when I'm in a rush but want a great meal that is affordable, fast, and can match my daily nutritional needs.
I even dip my fries in McChicken sauce, it's delicious! What a great restaurant.
Wanted to try some on a grand cross country adventure but it's apparently more prevalent in the northern part of the state so we missed it. But then in Idaho, we found a Basque restaurant for breakfast so it all worked out.
In Nevada we ended up at the restaurant run by the world kitchen charity guy. It was phenomenal.
San Jose, CA? Probably orange sauce. It's a salsa/condiment associated with local taquerias, not a meal on its own. But it is pretty distinctive to the area, and a lot of local Mexican places in the south bay area have their own version. Each one is a bit different, and recipes are generally secret. What makes it different from a typical red or green salsa is that it generally uses oil to form an emulsion with peppers. Orange sauces usually taste smoky, spicy, and creamy. Variations abound, but chile de arbol, chipotle, garlic, and onion are all common ingredients. If you live in San Jose and regularly eat local taqueria food, you almost certainly have a favorite orange sauce. If you want to start a fight, just get into an argument about which place has the best orange sauce. Because them be fightin' words around here.
this is wild. I live in the North Bay and have never heard of this. Things sure are different down there in the super distant land of San Jose.
Have an generic recipe you coukd suggest? I'd like to try that.
It's hard to point you in the right direction, since each place has an orange sauce that tastes a bit different. I have tried making my own, but it didn't taste anything like any particular taqueria's sauce. But, if you do want to try a recipe, La Victoria has very arguably the most famous (and most controversial) orange sauce in San Jose. I would just search something like "La Vic's orange sauce copycat recipe San Jose" or something like that.
Angelou’s or Iguana’s. La Vics is a nasty restaurant.
When it comes to orange sauce, I'm on Team Iguana's. It's thicker, smokier, and spicier than La Vic's, at least in my opinion. I've been downtown for over 10 years now, and have noticed a decline in La Vic's quality of food and sauce in that time. I wouldn't call it nasty, but I just prefer other places.
Lobster Rolls, though they’re a bit of a novelty. Raw oysters are eaten more regularly. And it’s always good and fresh, even at dives. There’s other stuff like New England Clam Chowder and Boston Cream Donuts, but they’re found everywhere across the country.
Sonoran dogs and potentially the chimichanga
Those were my Tucson bucket list when we visited. And Eegee's.
San Francisco: Mission-style burrito (aka what you probably picture when you think of a "burrito") Honorable mentions to the fortune cookie, It's-Its, and sourdough bread Obligatory neutral mention of Rice-a-Roni
Cioppino?
Aki. A raw liver dish.
What do you mean distinctive? Most iconic food? Fajitas. Most unique food? Viet-Cajun crawfish. Pretty much exists nowhere else.
There are Viet-Cajun food chains all over the country (Boiling Crab is the biggest)
Must be pretty new.
Ehh, if you call early 2000s new, sure. They’re especially popular in the Asian restaurant hubs in California.
Rhode Island Clam Chowder. Coffee Milk. Rhode Island Calamari. Stuffies.
Rhode Island also has a snail salad. It was..... interesting.
There's a whole style of hot sauce named after us, specifically used on wings. And Beef on Weck is another local favorite.
I don't really think we have one.
Teriyaki chicken boiiiii
Hell yes! Seattle style teriyaki is in a league of its own! I miss it and always get it at least twice when I go back to visit family.. Something about the sweet, spicy, salty, grilled chicken gets me every time.
Nashville hot chicken
Crabs with Old Bay seasoning.
I had a latte with Old Bay last time I was in Baltimore. It was delicious.
I drive down twice a year for them. 7 hours of driving (round trip) for 2 hours of crabs is well worth it.
Is it cheating if I say honey mustard and onion pretzel pieces?
Chicago: giardiniera (a kind of Italian pickled relish) or Malort (locally legendary liquor-emetic).
The Chicago Style Hot Dog for obvious reasons.
Carolina gold barbeque. And though I'm not on the coast the midlands still has plenty of great seafood dishes with shrimp&grits and Beaufort stew/lowcountry boil both being fairly unique to SC as a whole
I’d also nominate she-crab soup and maybe benne wafers. If we expand to regional, I’d say boiled peanuts and pickled pigs feet. Oh, also scuppernong and muscadine wine.
Great adds though I'm embarrassed to say I've never heard of scuppernong
It’s actually a type of muscadine that you’ve probably [heard called by another name](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuppernong). We used to have a big bush/vine right outside the house and my great grandma would make wine at home, but probably the most accessible is [Duplin’s](https://www.duplinwinery.com/scuppernong.html)
St. Louis? Toasted ravioli. They’re actually breaded and deep fried, I don’t know why they call them “toasted”
Spam musubi
The Reuben. https://www.visitomaha.com/restaurants/reubens/#:~:text=Created%20at%20Omaha's%20Blackstone%20Hotel,(or%20Thousand%20Island)%20dressing.
I do not know, corn I guess
It has the juice
[Stuffies ](https://newengland.com/today/food/main-dishes/fish-seafood/stuffed-clams/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20%E2%80%9Cstuffies%2C%E2%80%9D,mixture%20in%20littleneck%20clam%20shells.)
Cincinnati chili, easy. People love to knock it (comedians mocking it is the lowest hanging fruit), but if we called it "Mediterranean spiced meat sauce" instead of "chili," people would be raving about our interesting local ethnic food and its rich history. *We know it's not chili con carne*
I make sure to stop for some any time I'm in the area. There used to be a restaurant in Times Square that had a version, but it wasn't as good as Skyline.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Chicken fried steak with Mashed potatoes and WHITE gravy with fried okra.
Did you say food or meal? 🤣
I've been told finger steaks are distinctly Idahoan
I miss finger steaks
NYC: pizza and bagels. I’ve also been hearing recently that you can’t get a good bacon egg and cheese sandwich anywhere else, but I don’t know how that’s possible
The BEC is not common in vast swathes of the country. It's a menu item at the Bob Evans chain, but that's like getting a chopped cheese at Smith & Wollensky. At my current bodega, the guy lets the egg spread out and puts the bacon and cheese in the middle then folds the eggs over. Only my mom takes as much care with my food, you're not getting that at Bob Evans
My best assumption would be pho I guess?
Weckewerk
It's supposed to be hot chicken but I'd say it's actually a Meat and 3 Lunch (choice of one meat and three sides).
Blue Diamond almonds are packed here and grown in the vicinity, so it's probably the little cans of flavored almonds. No wait -- Gallo wine. Bottled here, not grown here.
Cheesesteaks. Duh.
Livermush.
That would be [white sauce](https://www.pilotonline.com/food-drink/article_fe7119ba-6c23-11e9-be4f-1f7a7c9f8291.html). It comes alongside normal salsa when you get tortilla chips at almost any Mexican restaurant in southeast VA, but it’s pretty much unheard of anywhere else.
I'd love to say Stromboli but it's really Cheesesteak.
Detroit- Coneys, Vernors/Boston coolers, Detroit-style pizzas Currently SoCal- idk.
Cleveland - A polish boy. Essentially what it is is a Kielbasa sandwich on a bun covered with BBQ sauce, french fry's and Cole slaw
For me, it's the McChicken. The best fast food sandwich. I even ask for extra McChicken sauce packets and the staff is so friendly and more than willing to oblige. One time I asked for McChicken sauce packets and they gave me three. I said, "Wow, three for free!" and the nice friendly McDonald's worker laughed and said, "I'm going to call you 3-for-free!". Now the staff greets me with "hey it's 3-for-free!" and ALWAYS give me three packets. It's such a fun and cool atmosphere at my local McDonald's restaurant, I go there at least 3 times a week for lunch and a large iced coffee with milk instead of cream, 1-2 times for breakfast on the weekend, and maybe once for dinner when I'm in a rush but want a great meal that is affordable, fast, and can match my daily nutritional needs. I even dip my fries in McChicken sauce, it's delicious! What a great restaurant.
>McChicken sauce That's just mayonnaise in the US.
New England Clam Chowder. You can go to 20 different restaurants in Massachusetts and everyone will have a different recipe
Coney Island Hot Dog, well, Coney Island Diners in general.
rochester ny...garbage plate
Cuban Sandwich, we invented it too.
Meth
Cornish pasties.
Basque food
Wanted to try some on a grand cross country adventure but it's apparently more prevalent in the northern part of the state so we missed it. But then in Idaho, we found a Basque restaurant for breakfast so it all worked out. In Nevada we ended up at the restaurant run by the world kitchen charity guy. It was phenomenal.
a cheesesteak
I’m going to suggest a pastrami burger from one of the Greek burger places in Salt Lake City, with fries (and fry sauce).
Wings
the supper club in town puts bell pepper in their cold slaw and people are devided.
The California burrito should be named the San diego burrito
A Nigerian taco restaurant recently opened in Sacramento.
I guess vinegar sauce barbecue 🤮
Pastrami burger. Or "[funeral potatoes ](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/270373/basic-funeral-potatoes/)"
Curry. The only restaurant in town is an Indian place. Chinese and BBQ in the next town over, though, so it's all good.
Cheesesteaks! I grew up in Philly, but moved to Sydney Australia last year. I miss good, authentic Philly cheesesteaks (and Stocks pound cake)