“It might sound odd to name Los Angeles as up-and-coming, but Chinatown is rapidly emerging as a new food destination,” says Andy Ricker, owner of the Pok Pok empire, with outposts in Portland, New York City, and, yes, L.A. “I will recuse myself and my restaurants from that list, but am happy to call out places like Ramen Champ (pictured), Scoops Ice Cream, Cognescenti Coffee, and Qin Western Chinese, all in the far east plaza near the entrance to Chinatown on North Broadway.

Also there is Little Jewel, a New Orleans po' boy and gumbo spot in an old market on Ord Street, along with some select quality old timers like Pho 87 and the legendary Philippe's French Dip. You have a tiny city within a city that has become an exciting culinary destination after years of decline.”

"I am in love with Savigno, Emilia-Romagna,” says Anita Lo, owner of NYC’s Annisa and author of Cooking Without Borders. “It is one of those cities in Italy that has remained relatively untapped by the throngs of tourists you see in Rome or Florence. It is a gorgeous, small town in the bread basket of Italy.

Everyone goes to Tuscany and Sicily and while there's great food there too, Emilia Romagna is for the Italians, the culinary capital where the almighty Parmigiano is made, balsamic, proscuitto etc. And everyone thinks of Alba as the center for truffles, but very few truffles are actually from there, while much more come from the hills of Savigno."

THE CITY: Buenos Aires. THE CHEF: Jose Garces

"What is interesting and unique about Buenos Aires is how they are incorporating the techniques and traditions of their ancestors, but implementing them in a completely fresh and modern way,” says Jose Garces, a prolific restaurateur (Rural Society, Amada, Rosa Blanca) and Iron Chef.

“We had some incredible meals while we there at restaurants such as Sucre, which has an open kitchen with a rotisserie and a parrilla where they use eucalyptus and red oak woods. We also visited a restaurant called Chila which had such a high-level of hospitality and amazing attention to detail. Buenos Aires is truly a cosmopolitan city—the feel is so sophisticated, warm, inviting, and a touch sultry—and I think people here in the U.S are just beginning to realize the exciting things they are doing down there in the culinary arena."

THE CITY: Cartagena, Colombia. THE CHEF: Michael Ferraro

“As Colombia is still an upcoming modern food destination in South America, Cartagena’s food scene has a mixture of both new world and old world,” says Michael Ferraro, chef at NYC’s Delicatessen.

“As a tourist there, I recommend staying within the walls of one of the old cities and walking the streets of the old cities. It’s like stepping back in time. Be sure to stop along one of the many fresh tropical fruit stands along the sides of the road. Stopping in one of the old mom & pop restaurants is the best way to experience their local dishes, which have been prepared the same way for years. As many young chefs in Colombia continue to refine their skills of modern cooking I think within years to come Cartagena will be a destination spot for its architectural beauty and beaches as well as its cuisine.”

THE CITY: Richmond. THE CHEF: Matt McClure

"I am dying to get to Richmond, Virginia,” enthuses Matt McClure, chef-owner at The Hive in Bentonville, Arkansas.

“I know that the coastal area of Virginia produces some of the finest raw ingredients, and I'm excited about what chefs like Lee Gregory of The Roosevelt (pictured) is doing with them.At The Hive, we celebrate the local ingredients of northwest Arkansas and the culinary landscape of the High South, and Gregory is showcasing an untraditional and unique take on Southern cuisine utilizing these coastal ingredients."

THE CITY: Hong Kong. THE CHEF: Jamie Bissonnette

"I love Hong Kong. It's ever-evolving,” says Boston chef Jamie Bissonnette, whose restaurants include Coppa, Toro, and, Toro NYC.“Yardbird landed with an amazing splash a few years ago, and it seems with them, and the growing [brands] like Linguini Fini (pictured) that the city is new every time I go.

Last visit, in November of 2014, there were a few new speakeasy cocktail bars, and Tin Ho Wan has expanded all over the city. It’s great to see that not just traditional Cantonese [restaurants] can become the new hotspots. Hong Kong has neighborhoods that make it fun for me to discover new places, all the time.”

THE CITY: Los Angeles. THE CHEF: Wylie Dufresne

“I was just in Los Angeles for the All-Star Chef Classic and it's such an exciting food town now,” says Wylie Dufresne, the pioneering chef at Alder and WD~50 (RIP).“Even that one area in West Hollywood that has Trois Mec, Petite Trois (pictured), and chi SPACCA is great; you can eat around in just that one little section and have some incredible meals.

You can feel the diversity in the culinary landscape, and equally, the enthusiasm and support from the diners. A great example of that is Grand Central Market in Downtown L.A., where you have amazing street food brought indoors, artisanal butchers like Bel Campo, greasy spoon diner food, cool market stalls and so much more all under one roof.”

THE CITY: Manila, The Philippines. THE CHEF: Ilan Hall

"I went to Manila a little while back for cooking demonstrations with my fellow Top Chef contestant Dale Talde,” says onetime Top Chef contestant Ilan Hall, who owns Brooklyn restaurant The Gorbals.“The first night we got there we went to a few outdoor areas, where they have bars and food stands. We had skewers of the tail pieces of the chicken, and dried fish that was deep fried—it was so crispy it tasted like potato chips.

We also went out late night and had "balut," which are traditional duck eggs that each have the fully formed duck inside, served with spicy vinegar. People were walking around everywhere with just baskets of these.The Philippines is such melting pot of so many different cultures, which translates into the weirdest but most interesting street food. I get inspired by their use of aggressive, bold flavors and the juxtaposition of fresh fruit and pork fat in their cuisine."

THE CITIES: London and Sydney. THE CHEF: Jonathan Waxman

“London may be the best city in Europe for dining out,” says chef Jonathan Waxman, owner of NYC’s Barbuto and Nashville’s Adeles.“The venerable Wolseley (pictured), Scott's, River Cafe, Sheekey's, and St. John are now flanked by Hix, Dabbous, The Ledbury, Gymkhana Lyle's, and now many great ethnic places. You have the great Spanish, French, Italian, Ramen, etc.

A pleasure dome of good eating. Sydney has grown up. It nows has fabulous, well heeled joints like Aria, The Quay, Rockpool, and the like, plus Sean's and all the other locals that make Sydney great. There are fun Chinese and seafood places, hole-in-the-wall neighborhood unpretentious places, and then the elegant places like Chiswick, the amazing Sepia, of course Tetsuya'sPei Modern in the Four Seasons.”

THE CITY: Houston. THE CHEF: Jesse Schenker

"Houston has this awesomely dynamic, varied dining scene,” explains chef Jesse Schenker of New York’s The Gander and Recette.“It has always had a vibrant food scene, but it's only recently that the city has begun to receive the attention it deserves. There's some renaissance that's going on there, and I think the leaders right now are Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner when they opened The Pass & Provisions.

The dual concept restaurant was a game changer for Houston. The Pass is a fine dining concept featuring eight-course tasting menus that offer both omnivore and vegan options, while Provisions is a casual, convivial restaurant with a focus on pizzas, pastas, seafood, and freshly baked breads. Some other great Houston restaurant are Justin Yu's Oxheart, Hugo's Underbelly, and Uchi."

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