Food Traps - We've all fallen for them; the guidebooks say you must try food places when visiting a particular city. So we join all the other tourists who've read the same guides and wait in long lines for what turns out to be overrated, mediocre, and often overpriced food.
Listed below are the top ten food tourist traps we've come across in our travels:
1) Peter Luger Steak House, Brooklyn
We love traveling to off-the-beaten-path locations for great food. Too bad that was not the case at this Brooklyn institution, where we were served a rather pedestrian steak. Afterward, we asked the waiter which was his favorite, and he replied that he was a vegetarian. Maybe we should have followed his example and stuck with the salad.
2) Berthillon Ice Cream, Paris
Located on the chic Ile Saint Louis in the heart of Paris, this establishment isn't terrible, but it does nothing to justify its consistently long lines. Paris doesn't offer many ice cream places, so in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. In any other town, Berthillon would not stand out.
3) The "Original" Starbucks, Seattle
Located in the Pike Place Market, it's actually the second Starbucks but the oldest remaining. Passengers disgorge from the nearby cruise ship terminal and create lines that stretch up the street for the same beverage that can be had around the block without waiting.
4) Pat's/Geno's Cheesesteaks, Philadelphia
These two cheesesteak vendors in our home city can survive by selling less-than-mediocre cheesesteaks to out-of-town visitors and post-game Flyers fans. This is where a tourist is better off asking a local where to get the best cheesesteak. Be prepared; ask ten Philadelphians which is their favorite, and you might get ten different answers. We're partial to John's Roast Pork and the Fire Steak at Jake's Sandwich Board.
5) Singapore Sling, Singapore
This drink was invented at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. They charge $20 for the concoction, which isn't even made by hand anymore. Tourists pack the place by the busload to fork over their money, down the drink in about five minutes, and leave. To show how marked up the price is, the Raffles in Siem Reap, Cambodia charges $9 for the same beverage.
6) Pink's Famous Hot Dogs, Los Angeles
Catering to hungry Los Angelenos since 1939, its street cred has kicked up a notch with its appearance in the opening credits of Entourage. We waited in line for 45 minutes before even getting to order. The hot dog was good but not worth the time spent.
7) Ted Drewes Custard, Missouri
Famous among food writers who recommend the "concrete," a thick shake handed to you upside down to show it is so thick that it won't fall out of the cup. The only thing they forgot to pack into it was flavor.
8) Any Chicago-style pizza, Chicago
It's not pizza. Change the name to Chicago-style casserole, and we'll give it a second try.
9) Skyline Chili, Cincinnati
This one pains us because we have family we love very much in Cincinnati who always eat this stuff, and we hope they'll still talk to us. For a better example of this regional favorite, head on to the original Camp Washington Chili.
10) Beer, Berlin
Maybe we're not partial to Pilsners, but drinking beer in Berlin was a letdown. However, we did like currywurst, the local street food.
