I like Italian food. Like I get in Italy. Which is better at Italian restaurants I’ve been to in Italy and Germany than the Italian restaurants I’ve been to in the US.
In your opinion, yes. Since this is not a truly scientific review and is subjective. Not trying to pick a fight at all, but I find the notion of ‘best’ tends to be debatable.
I always feel that is the shortcoming of many Italian restaurants in Germany that they just rely way too much on imported stuff instead of making it in-house, e.g. pasta, charcuterie etc. Which makes also flavors in many Italian restaurants in Germany too similar as they getbit from the same source
I said better. And I would assume most people would agree that Italy’s Italian food is better than Italian food elsewhere. Terroir, highly regional products & produce that don’t travel far… it seems rather obvious why that would be the case.
But now I feel like I am all out of words to explain something that seemed pretty basic to me.
Ciao, ragazzi!
That has also not been my experience with the Italian restaurants I frequent. There are usually sections for dried & fresh pasta made in house on the menu 
I’m not huge on charcuterie cuz I can buy very good imported salumi at the aforementioned markets, and save those for a cheap Abendbrot at home.
No need to go out for that and pay double.
Much of this is making me wonder where the six colleagues are coming from!
Clearly there are HO’s who are unimpressed with Italian or Mexican food in New York, but fortunately most people can find exceptional food of some kind in NYC, even for $50!
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I thought that was what you were saying and it is as preposterous as I thought. Thanks for clarifying.
I’m very doubtful this particular HO has sufficient experience with food in NYC to make a judgment of it.
You’re most welcome. I hope you get to visit the many regions of Italy some time so you can form your own opinion, which no doubt will not be preposterous at all, but instead well-informed & you well-sated.
Buon appetito, ragazzo!
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But Italian food doesn’t have to use Italian ingredients to be outstanding. You can get Italian food in Italian restaurants in the US with ingredients from the US which is on the same level as food in restaurants in Italy. (and same for any other cuisine). It is more important to capture the mindset of a cuisine than just using their ingredients. And ingredients in Italy aren’t automatically better than from other parts of the world
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Agree with this 100%. The are a couple of places in Portland Or that do this with the excellent produce and proteins available in the PNW. They can sometimes produce dishes at the same level as those I’ve had in Italy.
And certainly it’s the same for many restaurants I’ve been to in bigger cities.
I’m sure you can. I’ve just not had it, save for very few exceptions, one notable I mentioned further upthread. Whereas the opposite has generally been true for me in Berlin. Cheaper, too
Fun fact: I’ve had plenty of mediocre food in Italy. Food “just like in Italy” doesn’t mean much outside of a romantic notion of nonna toiling away using fresh tomatoes harvested directly from the soil of Mount Vesuvius.
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Yes, you can find mediocre food almost anywhere in the world. The trick is to find the good stuff.
I guess I’ve just been naturally lucky in my choices.
I’m still super-curious to hear about how Italian food can be adjusted for German tastebuds. Would you have an example by any chance?
Italians were a majority of the first wave immigrants to our country, so I would think our palates have evolved since the 1950s to not just be able to handle it, but genuinely embrace it.
That might be more a reflection that you live in a relatively small town where there is little “need/competition” for restaurants to cook on a high level. In larger cities there are often many great Italian places which cook on the same level as in Italy
I was quite surprised at the variability of quality in Italy. Spain, Japan and Thailand are much more consistent but I’ve visited those countries more often than Italy and perhaps in just need to spend more time there.
Are you suggesting that I base my opinion on the Italian food available to me where I currently live? There is no good Italian food where I live, which is why I make my own.
Have you read any of my previous comments? I mentioned NYC and Philly and Boston, too.
Erbaluce was one notable exception, but I am repeating myself with seemingly zero progress in comprehension on several ends, and frankly all this talk about Italy and GOOD Italian food is making me crave a steaming bowl of fresh spaghetti made with local shrimp and zukes in Palermo for 7 Euro…
That “all Italian grandmas are great cooks” trope is one of my least favorites.
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You tend to write quite detailed about your food journeys on HO and based on that data you provided I would argue you haven’t even remotely scratched just the surface of good Italian restaurants in these cities and so your conclusion that it is hard to find Italian restaurants in NYC or Philly or Boston which are as good as in Germany is “interesting “
I wonder if your party can get into Kafana?
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