Taco Bell has captured the hearts of junk-food fiends and stoners once again by announcing that Cap’n Crunch doughnut holes are now available at locations across the country.

Originally, these gooey, warm, cereal-flecked doughnut holes covered in “milk icing” were only available as a TB test item at locations in Bakersfield, California.

Today, the rest of the nation can enjoy the combination of childhood favorites—doughnuts, cereal, and milk—right in time for Fourth of July weekend.

Taco Bell is writing history by branching out from signature menu items, such as the hardshell taco or the bean-and-cheese burrito, and introducing unique items such as the chicken and biscuit taco, cinnamon dessert nachos, and now Cap’n Crunch doughnut holes. 

Just last month, the chain announced it would begin selling booze at a Chicago Taco Bell location starting this summer.

The brand that pioneered the “Fourth Meal” is clearly leading the fast-food revolution, proving to us all that there are major benefits to being an American living in a world dominated by junk food.

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There are many things we’d love to eat on #NFCD, like Prince’s hot chicken and Fuku’s fried chicken sandwich.

But we’re going to go ahead and pass on this roach-studded chicken po’ boy from Popeyes.

We reached out to @TreLantripm, who is a senior at Castle High School according to his Twitter profile, to find out where and when he bought the cockroach-infested sandwich.

Although he hasn’t hit us back about the details of the accusation, Popeyes did respond to @TreLantrip on Twitter.

Unlike that time a man claimed he was served a deep-fried rat at KFC instead of a chicken tender (it ended up just being a rat-shaped piece of chicken), this Popeyes roach photo looks legit (though still potentially staged), and the company repenting on Twitter at least suggests that getting a bug in your food isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.

Either that or the brand’s social media manager just hasn’t been given deny, deny, deny orders.

While we’re on the topic of disgusting things showing up in food, remember that time a woman found a frog in her Pret A Manger salad? We’d take the below salad over this roach sammie any day.

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Did you grow up eating Filet-O-Fish from McDonald’s?

Here’s something your parents probably didn’t tell you: McDonald’s Seattle-based fishing boats are endangering Native American tribes in Western Alaska, according to a revealing report by Slate. The fishing trawl boats are used to mass capture pollock, the fish that is commonly used for California sushi rolls and McDonald’s own Filet-O-Fish.

The issue lies within mass capturing fish. McDonald’s sustainability label is monitored by the Marine Stewardship Council, who review catching methods and the environmental impact fishing has on the earth. 

 While McDonald’s claims to sell sustainably captured fish, the fishermen are not able to exclusively capture pollock. When the fishermen bring in their harvest, fish other than pollock are accidentally captured inside the trap. Among those accidentally caught fish is halibut, which Native Americans in Western Alaska depend on for financial security.

Alaskan tribes such as the Yup’ik and Aleut rely on halibut as a source of food and profit. But with the dwindling halibut population, many natives are beginning to fear they’ll lose their jobs. Without a diverse market for employment, Alaskans need to find opportunities for jobs elsewhere. Options for these tribal members other than fishing include: a few government jobs, employment from the education system, or jobs with a handful of private employers.

Accidental halibut captures amount to less than one percent of fishing trawl boats’ hauls. But because of the massive size of each fishing haul, the PSC found that boats accidentally harvested 6.2 million pounds of halibut out of their billion-pound catch last year.

To put that in perspective, the pollock industry allows for fishing boats to capture up to 551,000 pounds of halibut annually. But this law is not strictly enforced. For years, the corporate trawls have been allowed to capture more than the allotted amount of halibut, resulting in little to no consequences. 

 The capture of halibut is illegal for the large fishing trawls. So when they capture halibut by accident, they occasionally try to throw the fish back into the ocean. Unfortunately, most of the fish that are placed back in the ocean don’t survive.

But what does this mean for the small Western Alaskan tribes?

According to Slate, a representative from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council stated that their goal is to “safeguard seafood supplies for all communities, including coastal communities that depend on fish for survival, for the future.” The representative continued, “Sustainable management is fundamental to ensuring more resilient livelihoods. By maintaining healthy fish stocks, the MSC is helping to protect jobs for the many who depend on the oceans for a living.” Yet they failed to discuss the issue regarding halibut.

It doesn’t look good for the fish or the Native Alaskans. Phillip Lestenkof, president of the Central Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association, calls the situation in Alaska “grim,” stating “don’t ever believe this process is fair.”

[via Slate]

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Oreo maker Mondelez announced its newest cookie iteration—an Oreo five millimeters skinnier than the O.G. cookie, dubbed “Oreo Thins”—earlier this week.

While everyone was obsessing about the Thins, Mondelez quietly slipped Key Lime Pie Oreos into grocery stores.

Important details: Key Lime Pie-flavored Oreos feature graham cookies and a key-lime-pie creme filling.

Unlike many recent Oreo flavors—looking at you, #Smoreos—word of Key Lime Pie Oreos didn’t leak before they hit store shelves. 

The Impulsive Buy spotted the pie-flavored cookies at an H-E-B grocery store in Texas last week, while Consumerist cornered them in the wild at a Price Chopper in upstate New York over the weekend.

Key Lime Pie Oreos may be only available this summer, but for right now, they’re everywhere.

If you’re thinking about how next level a key lime pie with a Key Lime Pie Oreos crust would be, Instagrammer @jme719 already beat you to it.

Last summer, when Oreo released Limeade Oreos as a limited-edition flavor, people were already suggesting how fire a Key Lime Pie Oreo would be.

Started from the Limeade Oreos, now we’re here.

And the hunger continued on through the Oreo-filled months of Summer 2014…

Mondelez obviously listens to its fans on Twitter. In Summer 2015, Key Lime Pie Oreos finally became reality. 

But what’s the verdict: are the Oreos a respectable tribute to Florida’s iconic dessert? Let’s take a look. 

Some people love key lime pie oreos…

...while others definitely do not

One thing’s for sure: The Key Lime Pie Oreo debate is LIT.

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With 250 menu items spanning from Tex-Mex egg rolls to Kobe beef “Glamburgers,” it’s no surprise that Americans fundamentally love The Cheesecake Factory. 

The insanely popular chain appeals to every type of diner, offering items for the comfort-food junkie, pizzaboi obsessive, and vegan goddess. 

When it comes down to it, studies show that Olive Garden and Red Lobster can’t hold a flame to America’s cheesecake empire.

Home to some of the most caloric dishes in the nation—and also the subject of a few viral videos—TCF is known for much more than its desserts; it has become an American institution, an embodiment of everything we love (and sometimes despise) about modern-day dining.

Here are 10 things you might not know about The Cheesecake Factory.

1. The Cheese Factory started in a Detroit basement kitchen.

Before the Cheesecake Factory became the cult chain that it is today, it was a small Detroit-based operation. Founder Evelyn Overton published her original cheesecake recipe in a 1940s Detroit newspaper. After receiving such a positive response from her friends and family, Overton decided to open up a small cheesecake shop. The shop’s life was cut short after Overton shifted her focus to raising her family, so she moved her operation to a kitchen basement—continuing to provide cheesecakes to her eager audience.

2. Founder David Overton still picks all the music that plays in the restaurant.

 In 1978, Evelyn Overton’s son, David, set out to showcase his mother’s impressive cheesecake skills to the residents of Beverly Hills by opening the first-ever Cheesecake Factory. Overton hand-picked the music selection that plays in Cheesecake Factory locations across the globe. He has music in his blood—not only was David a member of the The Billy Roberts Blues Band before opening his first location, but he and the band also opened for rock ‘n’ roll legend Janis Joplin.

3. TCF servers made the worst  "Fancy" parody ever.

 Who could forget the viral video that convinced us all that Cheesecake Factory servers should never rap, ever. If you thought Iggy Azalea was horrible, this employee will have you begging for Aussie star to drop another verse.

4. James Harden was dining at The Cheesecake Factory when he found out he was being traded to the Houston Rockets.

 Harden received the news that he would be traded to the Houston Rockets whilst dining at an Oklahoma City Cheesecake Factory location with his family. The shooting guard told USA Today he was stunned. Luckily, he had an unlimited basket of breadsticks to soothe his anxieties about making his new home in the Lone Star state.

5. Vince Young used to spend $5k per week at Cheesecake Factory.

 Former American football quarterback, Vince Young, managed to go broke after earning $26 million from his professional NFL career. His guilty pleasure? Spending thousands of dollars per week at chain restaurants. Even during Young’s rookie season at the University of Texas, the legend was known to spend as much as $5,000 per week at the Cheesecake Factory.

 6. The Cheesecake Factory is home to two of the most caloric dishes in America.

 If you’re looking to get a full American dining experience, look no further than The Cheesecake Factory. The restaurant is home to two of the most caloric dishes in American history, including Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic (2,410 calories, 63 grams of saturated fat) and Bruléed French Toast (2,780 calories, 93 grams of saturated fat). These dishes will give you a week’s worth of saturated fat in one hearty plate of delicious carbs. Be honest: It’s worth it.

7. You can find a Cheesecake Factory at the bottom of an indoor ski slope in Dubai.

 The Dubai Cheesecake Factory is located at the bottom of an indoor ski resort, which means you can warm up with a 400-calorie hot chocolate and a few cocktails after a day on the slopes. The Cheesecake Factory opened international locations in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico, giving people all across the globe the chance to experience its greatness.

8. The Cheesecake Factory makes around $1,000-a-square-foot per year in sales.

The New York Times reports that The Cheesecake Factory is one of best performing restaurant chains of all time, with sales reaching up to $1,000 per square foot. It’s so profitable, in fact, that even smaller locations inside malls have racked up to $350-$500 a square foot of sales.

9. The chain goes through 3.1 million pounds of avocado every year.

 With a 21-page menu, it’s no surprise that this restaurant giant goes through an insane amount of raw ingredients. Dishes like Avocado Egg Roll and the Southwestern Chicken Sandwich fuel the avocado feeding frenzy.

10. The Cheesecake Factory invented carrot-cake cheesecake.

With a 21-page menu, it’s no surprise that this restaurant giant goes through an insane amount of raw ingredients. Dishes like Avocado Egg Roll and the Southwestern Chicken Sandwich fuel the avocado feeding frenzy.

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More so than any other spirit, whiskey inspires the type of cultish reverence that sends price tags soaring. That brown-spirit fever is especially evident with legendary brands like Pappy Van Winkle, whose 23-year-old Family Reserve has long been a white whale for obsessive collectors. Groups like The Bourbon Mafia and Bourbon Exchange, which track black-market sales and fluctuating prices like traders at the NYSE, have only added fuel to the fire.

A free market, as we know, can be volatile. While some Irish whiskey and bourbon can cost a small fortune, it’s the peaty taste of Scotch that inspires the craziest splurges. A special bottling of Macallan sold at a Hong Kong auction earlier this year for $628,000, shattering the world record for most expensive bottle ever.

From diamond-encrusted bottles in Scotland, to 50-year old Japanese spirits,here are a handful of premium whiskeys made for the one-percenters.

Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 23 Year

Price: ~$2,200 per bottle
From: Kentucky, USA
Why is it so expensive?: Over the past decade, Pappy Van Winkle gained cult status among bourbon fiends, and drinkers clamor to get their hands on a bottle like hypebeasts lining up at the Supreme store. (How many other liquors are coveted enough to inspire a complicated heist?) The 23-year-old version—a 96.5 proof spirit pulled from barrels in the center of the warehouse—is the grandaddy of them all. Cop one and you’ll be sure to make your bourbon-worshiping pals supremely jealous

Suntory Hibiki 30 Year Blended 

Price: ~$2,500 per bottle
From: Japan
Why is it so expensive?: Japanese whiskey’s popularity exploded in recent years as consumers realized that Japanese distilleries are churning out juice that’s every bit as complex as the great Scotches. The Hibiki is oaky with notes of honey, and it continues to grab top prizes at international competitions year after year—it was awarded the trophy at the International Spirits Challenge in 2004, 2006, and 2008, as well as the coveted title “World’s Best Blended Whisky” at the World Whiskey Awards in 2007 and 2008. 

Isabella's Islay

Price: $6.2 Million
From: Scotland
Why is it so expensive?: If you don’t necessarily care as much about what your liquor tastes like as what the bottle looks like, this is the over-the-top Scotch for you. Created in 2010, the white-gold bottle is covered with 8,500 diamonds and 300 rubies. Bonus: You can personalize the bottle with your name!

Dalmore 64 Trinitas

Price: $164,100
From: Scotland
Why is it so expensive?: Rare stocks from 1868, 1878, 1926, and 1939 were combined to make this bottle, of which there are only (you guessed it) three in the entire world. The bottle’s decorations are sterling silver to reflect the drink’s “inner strength and outer sparkle.”  

Michter's Celebration Sour Mash Whiskey 

Price: ~$4,000
From: Kentucky, USA
Why is it so expensive?: Michter’s released 273 bottles of this limited-edition whiskey, with full bottles going for upwards of $4,000 and shots hovering around the $200 mark. Just for good measure, the label is made out of 18-karat gold.

Macallan 64 Year in Lalique

The making of the Macallan 64 years old in Lalique Cire Perdu decanter from Edrington on Vimeo. 

Price: $460,000
From: Scotland
Why is it so expensive?: Until recently, this bottle, auctioned off at Sotheby’s for $460,000, was the most expensive to ever hit the market. According toThe Examiner, the Scotch was “…vatted together from three casks, all built from sherry seasoned Spanish oak. The first was filled in 1942, the second in 1945 and the third in January 1946, from which the age of [the] Macallan was taken.”

The Dalmore 50 Crystal Decanter

Price: ~$20,000
From: Scotland
Why is it so expensive?: A favorite of well-heeled imbibers around the world, this Scotch comes bottled in a crystal decanter, and there are only 60 of them floating around in the universe. It’s widely considered to be among the best 50-year Scotches available, and it’s one of the few Scotches bottled at cask strength. The drink is so revered it inspired an entire YouTube seriesthat focuses on sipping the liquor for the first time.

Yamazaki 50 Year Single Malt

Price: ~$12,000
From: Japan
Why is it so expensive?: Suntory released this 50-year-old single malt cask from the location where the company first started its distillery back in 1924. With a limited run of 150 bottles, the 2013 release has a striking burnt amber color and a full, fruity bloom. It’s the ultimate long-game whiskey

Boundary Oak Distillery, First Bottle

Price: $25,500
From: Kentucky, USA
Why is it so expensive?: Perhaps the most exclusive of all the whiskeys on the list, the first bottle (literally: batch #1, bottle #1) of bourbon produced in Hardin County, Kentucky in more than 100 years fetched a whopping sum in an online auction in 2014. Distiller and owner Brent Goodwin told The Spirits Business, “Kentucky Distillers’ Association informed him their records suggest the highest price paid for a bottle of American whiskey at auction was $25,000,” making Boundary Oak the most expensive American whiskey sale of all time.

Nun's Island Distillery Pure Pot Still Whiskey

Price: ~$140,000
From: Galway, Ireland
Why is it so expensive?: In 2002, a liquor store in Wiltshire, England was given a bottle of Pure Pot Still Whiskey dating back to the 1800s from Nun’s Island Distillery, an Irish outfit that shuttered more than 100 years ago. It was placed on the market for well over a hundred thousand dollars, stirring up a media frenzy and ensuring that a few other bottles of the stuff were pulled down from shelves and attics. The bottle has not been sold, so it’s still fair game if you have the cash to spend.

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Elk Grove Village, Illinois resident Debbie Wirth went through the McDonald’s drive thru with her husband on Wednesday night.

They ordered a McDouble cheeseburger, but when they got home, they claim they found a rag in their to-go bag instead of a burger.

Describing his reaction, husband Hans Wirth says, "What the heck is this? It’s a rag, man."

The couple called the McDonald’s and demanded an apology from the owner. According to Debbie, "He just says, 'Come in and I’ll give you another McDouble.' Well, no, that’s not the point." Hans adds, "I want more than that, I want an apology."

The manager proceeded to apologize numerous times, and told the Wirths, "I took this matter seriously and we are currently looking into this claim."

Hans and Debbie are back to eating McDonald’s, but Hans says he now frequents a different Elk Grove location when he’s craving a McDouble (and not a dish towel).

[via ABC 7]

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Peak grill season may be winding down, but barbecue’s popularity remains eternal.

Which reminds us: despite the all-American portrait of meat on a grill in someone’s backyard, it’s not just in the United States where people bow down at the altar of meat and fire.

The irresistible, umami-packed combination of meat and heat is one of the oldest, and most diverse, forms of food in the world—whether that means whole-hog barbecue in the south, or chicken skewers from a street vendor in Japan.

In the interests of inclusion, we’ve defined “barbecue” in the broader sense, combining both “low and slow” cuts cooked for long hours with more straightforward techniques involving just meat and open flame. From goat cooked in pits to lamb seared on skewers, here’s a look at how barbecue is interpreted across the world.

Yakitori

Place of origin: Japan

What it is: Americans might think of yakitori as an appetizer at their local sushi joint, but in Japan it’s a popular street food. The bamboo skewers are loaded up with chicken, grilled over white charcoal (which burns longer, at a lower temperature, and doesn’t produce smoke), and often served with alcohol. Yakitori also serves as a general term for grilled, skewered meat, but typically refers to either chicken meat or chicken innards.

Bulgogi

Place of origin: Korea

What it is: If there’s any country more closely associated with the word “barbecue” than the United States, it’s Korea, and there’s no Korean barbecue dish better known than bulgogi. Consisting of thinly sliced beef marinated with sesame, scallions, soy sauce, and occasionally natural tenderizers like pear, bulgogi is served alongside fresh vegetables and herbs.

Braai

Place of origin: South Africa

What it is:“Braai” refers as much to an event as a specific dish. Originating with South Africa’s Afrikaans-speaking white settlers, the braai centers on cooking meat, contributed potluck-style, with a wood-burning braaistand, or grill. Popular components include skewered lamb, sosatie, and boerewors, a South African sausage. A popular, non-grilled component to the meal is pap, a corn-based porridge similar to polenta or grits.

Barbacoa

Place of origin: Mexico

What it is: Besides being the most underrated meat option at Chipotle,barbacoa refers to meat, typically beef or goat, wrapped in maguey leaves and slow-cooked in an underground pit. (Though less hardcore recipes—i.e., Chipotle’s—opt for stewing or steaming the meat). Fun fact to bust out on your next burrito bowl run: originating in the Caribbean before migrating to Mexico, “barbacoa” is actually the origin of the term “barbecue.”

Char Siu

Place of origin: China

What it is: A mainstay of Cantonese cuisine, char siu’s name—which literally translates to “fork roast”—derives from its cooking technique: spearing pork seasoned with five-spice powder, honey, fermented bean curd, and other seasonings on long forks, then cooking them over a fire or in a covered oven. Other additions frequently include maltose, to give the sauce a thick, sticky texture, and food coloring (no, that firetruck-red hue isn’t natural).

Charrasco

Place of origin: Brazil

What it is:Churrasco is probably best known for its quantity rather than its quality; churrascarias are infamous for unloading skewer after skewer of meat onto patrons’ plates until they just can’t handle any more. Like asado in other parts of Latin America, churrasco refers to various kinds of meat, but typically beef, skewered and cooked at high heat over either a grill or an open flame; depending on the country, it’s frequently served with chimichurri, French fries, salad, or egg.

Lechón

Place of origin: Philippines

What it is: Though it originated in Spain, lechón is now most popular in the Philippines and Latin America. The premise is pretty straightforward: a whole pig, sans innards, is skewered on a wooden stick and spit-roasted over charcoal for several hours, with occasional basting. The result is extra-flavorful and extra-crispy, though the showy, heavily involved cooking process means it’s generally for special occasions.

Tandoor

Place of origin: India

What it is: Among the many uses of Indian cuisine’s signature clay oven is cooking skewered, marinated meat at extremely high temperatures. Tandoori chicken, for example, involves seasoning the chicken with yogurt, garam masala, and other spices before cooking. It’s now a staple in American Indian spots—and yes, the signature red color sometimes comes from food coloring.

Shish Kebab

Place of origin: Turkey

What it is:Şiş kebap, if we’re being technical about it, is the Turkish version of kebab, a dish that’s nearly ubiquitous in Middle Eastern cuisine. Like all kebabs, the concept is as simple as it gets: chunks of meat on a skewer, grilled. It’s distinguished from similar foods, like churrasco, which uses beef, or even doner kebab, which is closer to a gyro, by its use of lamb as a base and the frequent addition of vegetables to the skewer.

Kālua

Place of origin: Hawaii

What it is: Like braai, “luau” generally describes a social gathering rather than any particular food served at said gathering. But long before luau came to mean “that thing the ‘all-inclusive’ resort charges way too much money for where the MC hands out more leis than anyone knows what to do with,” it referred to a celebration often featuring a whole pig cooked inside a mesquite-fueled underground oven called an imu. Called kālua, the meat is stuffed with hot rocks (which also line the imu), wrapped in banana or ti leaves, and covered in wet burlap and sand before cooking for a total of six to seven hours.

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Arguably one of the biggest draws of becoming a professional athlete is the seemingly limitless amount of food one can consume after finishing a day’s worth of strenuous workouts. When your job relies on your physical strength, every calorie counts.

While it’s undeniable that professional athletes are at their peak fitness levels, not every player achieves this status by heeding a diet of kale and kombucha. Some have chosen looser regimens, making things like McNuggets the center of their post-workout meals.

But either way, the sheer volume of food intake truly blows us away. Here are 10 of the most insane athlete diets.

MATT KALIL

Sport: Football

Average calorie count: 7,000 calories

Despite losing twenty pounds after coming down with pneumonia, the Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle maintains his 315-pound frame by indulging in a diet rich in junk foods. Back in 2012, his meal plan included a breakfast consisting of bacon, eggs, fruit, cottage cheese, toast, and sausage. Sounds harmless enough, but come lunchtime Kalil would indulge in pizza, burgers, and sloppy Joes. In more recent years, his 7,000-calorie NFL diet includes high-calorie protein shakes, pasta, and plenty of snacks.

MICHAEL ARNSTEIN

Sport: Marathon runner

Average calorie count: 4,000-6,000 calories

Long-distance runner Michael Arnstein, who has nicknamed himself the Fruitarian, lives off the 80/10/10 diet, consisting of mostly raw foods. Arnstein has competed in over 50 marathons and attributes his successes to his 6,000-calorie raw vegan diet. The switch helped him shave 17 minutes off his race time. Every ten days, Arnstein purchases 500 pounds of fruit to feed not only himself, but also his four other family members.

MICHAEL PHELPS

Sport: Swimming

Average calorie count: 12,000 calories

The most decorated Olympian of all time has a diet nothing short of impressive. The swimming superstar pounds a whopping 12,000 calories per day, most notably while training for the 2008 Olympics. His diet consists of a pound of pasta, an entire pizza, three fried egg sandwiches, grits, and French toast, to name a few. After going viral, the Michael Phelps diet sparked the “Michael Phelps Challenge” where people attempt eat for an entire day like the swimmer.

NICK HARDWICK

Sport: Football

Average calorie count: ~5,000 calories

After retiring from the San Diego Chargers, the ex-lineman transformed his NFL diet and dropped 85 pounds in five months. Prior to retirement, the previously 300-pound player consumed nightly pints of Ben and Jerry’s before bed, and 700-calorie protein shakes. Today, Hardwick sticks to a Paleo diet consisting mostly of whole foods.

THE ROCK

Sport: WWE Wrestling

Average calorie count: 5,000 calories

Can you smell what The Rock is cooking? Turns out it’s lots of brown rice and fish. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson consumes a diet so dense in seafood that his yearly intake of cod amounts to 821 pounds of the fish per year. Understandably, a diet so routine can easily become monotonous. That’s why Johnson indulges in legendary cheat days. If you feel like you might like to take on The Rock’s diet for yourself, watch Complex very own Sean Evans attempt a day in the life of The Rock and fail miserably.

JON CALL

Sport: Acrobolix

Average calorie count: 3,400 to 4,500 calories

The inventor of “Acrobolix” — the cross between anabolic (tissue-building) and acrobatics — gets his jacked figure from consuming over 100 pounds of chicken per week. Once a week, Call will prep his meals, which includes 15 pounds of potatoes and 12 cups of rice. Call’s “Deep End Omelettes” are the stuff of legend.

JJ WATT

Sport: Football

Average calorie count: 9,000 calories

The Houston Texans defensive lead started “crushing avocados” after he learned his body was in need of some extra fuel. To increase his body fat, the player upped his daily intake of sweet potatoes and fell in love with brunch. A typical JJ Watt brunch meal includes stuffed French toast and a potato-pancake omelette.

DAVID CARTER

Sport: Football

Average calorie count: 10,000 calories

Despite being a 300-pound football player, David Carter has been able to maintain his size while simultaneously eating a strict vegan diet. The 300-pound defensive lineman consumes 10,000 calories per day consisting of greens, rice, quinoa, nuts, and beans. According to GQ, Carter is “eating every two hours, and eating hard. He starts each morning with a huge batch of the bean smoothies in his Vitamix blender (enough to total 100 grams of protein) which he divvies up for the course of the day.”

RIFF RAFF

Sport: WWE Wrestling

Average calorie count: ~4,000 calories

Although Riff Raff may be first and foremost a musician, his transition into a 240-pound neon animal proves that Jody High Roller is a serious athlete. With the help of Hulk Hogan, Riff Raff consumed late night pizzas, burgers, shrimp, and plenty of barbecue in order to reach his Versace goal weight and join the WWE. This is one of the craziest diets we’ve ever seen.

USAIN BOLT

Sport: Track and Field

Average calorie count: 5,500 calories

While most people would advise against daily trips to McDonald’s, Usain Bolt thrived on it. The Olympic medalist consumed over 47,000 calories worth of Chicken McNuggets at the 2008 Beijing Olympics — and has the medals to prove they did him some good. According to The Huffington Post, Bolt consumed nuggets and fries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with an apple pie for a snack.

SEE ALSO: Serena Williams crashes out of US Open in one of the most stunning upsets in tennis history

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As a documentarian of Latin American food for the past 15 years, I can say this with the utmost confidence: If Southern California is the most important hub for Mexican cuisine in the United States, then Los Angeles is its crown jewel.

Geographical proximity to Mexico, climate differences, and access to ingredients are some of the chief advantages L.A. has over many cities, but it would also be remiss of me not to mention one other factor: diversity.

While statistics regarding its regional representation have been exaggerated grossly over the years, there is still a lot to admire. In addition to a few odd dishes from a handful of states and a modest scene from Michoacan, Colima, and Zacatecas, the majority of L.A.’s Mexican gastronomy hails from Jalisco, Sinaloa, Nayarit, D.F., and Oaxaca.

Those five states, however, give L.A. an unrivaled, broad range of Mexican cuisines from pre-Hispanic southern cooking, to Chilango (from D.F.) street food, to traditional Jalisco specialities.

These communities have the sheer numbers to ensure that many of our Mexican restaurants have kitchen professionals, artisans, seasoned taqueros, and even franchises of fondas (traditional eateries) from Mexico like Gish Bac, Flor del Rio, or Burritos La Palma. L.A. stalwarts like Leo’s Taco Truck and Los Güichos both hire taqueros from Mexico City with years of experience; we’ve got a carnitas artisan that’s been preparing porcine goodness for 54 years; and we have a third-generation Oaxacan goat-barbacoa vendor. These are just a fraction of the experienced, highly-skilled cooks making our Mexican cuisine here in L.A.

Crucially, L.A.’s only a two-hour drive from Tijuana, which means produce, seafood, and a range of specialty products are picked up each week by Mexican restaurateurs. Flour tortillas from Mexicali; shrimp, fish, and blood clams from the Pacific Coast; quesillo (Oaxacan string cheese) and chapulines(crickets) from Puebla.

And talent pool of Mexican chefs cannot be ignored either: Rocio Camacho (Rocio’s Mexican Kitchen), Jimmy Shaw (Loteria Grill), the father and son team of Gilberto Cetina and Gilberto Cetina Jr. (Chichen Itza), and the Spanish-language television superstar chefs, Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin del Campo (La Casita Mexicana). This is the kind of elevated traditional cooking that’s done best here in Los Angeles.

But really—what else would you expect from the second most populous Mexican city in the world? Here we break down the regional styles of Mexican cuisine available in Los Angeles.

1. Northern Mexico

Target states: Baja California, Coahuila, Zacatecas

Styles and traditions: This is the least represented part of Mexico in the U.S., and while Arizona and Texas have some Sonoran and Nuevo Leonan spots, their restaurants don’t represent those states with strong traditions. This region has the finest products in Mexico, both seafood and beef. Therefore, much of the cooking is minimal in terms of spices—there’s no need for a bunch of powerful herbs when you have steaks from Nuevo Leon or Sonora, chocolate clams in Baja California Sur, or sashimi-grade sea urchin in Baja.

The great carne asada states still are out of reach, but L.A. has the best fish tacos in the U.S. and plenty of flour gorditas. A real northern-style burrito vendor recently arrived, making one of the many flour tortilla varieties found in the north with guisados (stews) like beef birria, deshebrada (shredded beef), and chile colorado (red chili stew). Many delicious northern dishes likecarnecon chile, caldillo de carne seca (beef jerky stew), machacado con huevo, montados, tortas de la barda (Mexican sandwich with vegetables, cold cuts, and pork rinds stewed in green salsa), and real carne asada haven’t made it to L.A., and neither have the great Mennonite cheeses of Chihuahua. But blood clams and chocolate clams from Baja are popping up all over the finest seafood spots.

WHERE TO GET IT 

The reigning king of Baja fish and shrimp tacos is local food-truck hero and native Ensenadan Ricky Piña of Ricky’s Fish Tacos (1400 N Virgil Ave, 323-906-7290)—no trip to L.A. is complete without a stop here. Birrieria Flor del Rio (3201 E 4th St, 323-268-0319) is the best place for traditional goat birria from Nochistlan, Zacatecas. Also from Zacatecas, the northern burritos at Burritos La Palma (5120 N Peck Rd, 626-350-8286) are what dreams are made of, if your dreams include handmade flour tortillas filled with flavorful stews. The flour gorditas and northern lentil soup at Guiños Homemade Gorditas and Soups have introduced the flavors of Coahuila for the very first time to Los Angeles.

2. North Pacific Coast

Target states: Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima

Styles and traditions: This is one of the handful of regions that puts L.A. miles ahead of everyone else. We have strong representation here with our local Mexican seafood restaurants sourcing products fresher than you can get at the Water Grill, Trois Mec, or Providence. The beach cuisines of Nayarit and Sinaloa are all over South Central L.A. serving aguachiles (raw shrimp cooked in lime and chili), shrimp ceviche, callo de hacha (pen-shell clams), and cooked shrimp dishes like camarones a la diabla and camarones culichis(jalapeno cream sauce). Pescado zarandeado with imported snook and sea bream is plentiful, and there are Sinaloan fondas serving chilorio (spicy pork stew), white menudo, and enchiladas del suelo.

From Jalisco there’s goat birria, tortas ahogadas (sandwich rolled in fiery salsa), shrimp tacos, tacos de canasta, tacos dorados (fried shell tacos), andflautas, tacos de fritanga, and there are even places to get Colima-style fish ceviche and pescado a la talla (whole barbecued fish). From Escuinapa Sinaloa, we’ve got shrimp tamales, tixithuil (shrimp mole), and it’s as easy finding pirate DVDs at a tianguis (open air market) to come across pen-shell clams, which are among the best seafood products in Mexico.

WHERE TO GET IT 

The Cosio’s family recipes and superior seafood products make Coni’Seafood (3544 W Imperial Hwy, 310-672-2339) a top Nayarit-style seafood restaurant for pristine aguachiles verdes, shrimp ceviches, cooked dishes like camarones a la diabla, andpescado zarandeadofrom the grill. From the nearby state of Sinaloa,Mariscos El Cristalazo (1665 N Hacienda Blvd, 626-918-086) delivers the very specific cuisine of Escuinapa like shrimp tamales and tixtihuil. The world-famous Mariscos Jalisco (3040 E Olympic Blvd, 323-528-6701)truck serves amazing shrimp tacos and ceviches from owner Raul Ortega’s home town of San Juan de Los Lagos. Huntington Park’s Tortas AhogadasGuadalajara (6042 Santa Fe Ave, 323-587-3115)serves the best tortas ahogadas in L.A., and also showcases a full menu of Jaliscan beef barbacoa tacos, carne en su jugo, and pig-foot tostadas.

3. The Banjio

Target states: Michoacán, Guanajuato

Styles and traditions: While Michoacan is best known for its carnitas, the moles, atoles antojitos, and pre-Hispanic foods are just as delicious. The absence of San Luis Potosi cuisine and Queretaro (there’s one place in the OC, but it’s not quite the real deal) cuisine is a huge loss, but one man, Romulo “Momo” Acosta, makes up for it with his Salamanca, Guanajuato-style carnitas. Romulo, “El Momo” Acosta is a national treasure—a 54-year artisanal carnitas master—and should be mentioned every time there’s an article on Mexican cuisine in the U.S. Michoacan cuisine has picked up here, and in addition to carnitas, you can get dishes like morisqueta, aporreadillo, mole, corundas (pure corn tamales), goat birria, and chavindecas (taco sandwich).

WHERE TO GET IT 

The one and only Carnitas El Momo (6015 S Avalon, 323-627-8540) is the top spot for carnitas in L.A. Hold the onions and cilantro, though—all you need are a couple of pickled jalapeños on top, and just wait a moment for the brine to trickle-down between sweet, sticky layers of pork confit. Carnitas Don Cuco (10979 Glenoaks Blvd, 818-714-5624) has a weekend special plate, morisqueta, which is a pile of rice beans topped with a rich, pork rib stew. Newcomer Las Michoacanas has brought rare delights from the tierra caliente like Michoacan-style mole with corundas.

4. The South Pacific Coast

Target states: Oaxaca

Styles and traditions: Oaxacan cuisine is one of the most world-renowned traditions from Mexico, and Los Angeles absolutely dominates this category. Take, for example, the nickname Oaxacalifornia, a huge Oaxacan population centered in Koreatown and West L.A. From the Valles Centrales region of Oaxaca you can celebrate many of the principal moles: rojo, negro, amarillo,verde, coloradito, and estofado. During our annual Feria de Los Moles, you can sample others like mancha manteles, pipianes, and chichilo.

WHERE TO GET IT 

If you want to get a taste of the Sunday market in Tlacolula, Oaxaca, just head to Gish Bac (4163 W Washington Blvd, 323-737-5050) for a plate of goat barbacoa enchiladas from third-generation barbacoa master, Maria Ramos. For all things mole, Las 7 Regiones de Oaxaca (2648 W Pico Blvd, 213-385-7458) is a favorite for their mole negro,mole amarillo, and mole coloraditoGuelaguetza (3014 W Olympic Blvd, 213-427-0608), a James Beard America’s Classics award winner, is the best place for Oaxacan cuisine on a date. With a handful of Oaxacan restaurants, cafes, and markets, Expresión Oaxacais one of the big players in Oaxacalifornia, known for its Oaxacan-style tacos and antojitos.

5. Southern Mexico

Target states: Yucatan

Styles and traditions: Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula comes with hellfire that’s released from tiny orange grenades known as habanero peppers. This is where some of Mexico’s most iconic dishes originate, and there’s a high place reserved in Mexican gastronomy for this cuisine.

L.A. only has four restaurants from this region, all from the state of Yucatan, and that’s all we need to enjoy a variety of tamales, salbutes (turkey tacos),cochinita pibil (pit-roasted pork in achiote and banana leaves), poc chuc (pork in adobo), pulpo en su tinta (octopus in ink), and much more. Some of these restaurants go to great lengths to make their own recaudos (achiote paste), sourcing their own agricole oranges (just drive around L.A. and you can pick them off neighborhood yards in exchange for a few bucks) and chaya leaves for various dishes. Recuados make up the base for the cuisine of the Yucatan peninsula, and these recipes and techniques are passed from generation to generation.

WHERE TO GET IT 

Chichen Itza (3655 S Grand Ave, 213-741-1075) is a Mayan temple to the cooking of the Yucatan peninsula. The huevos motuleños,panuchos, and papadzules are to die for, as is the weekend special, mondongo a la andaluza, a regional menudo. Chichen Itza is simply one of the best Mexican restaurants in the U.S. Since 1971, La Flor de Yucatan Bakery (1800 S Hoover St, 213-748-6090) has been the place to go for its daily specials like frijol con puerco, chirmole, and lomitos (pork loin), and on the weekends you can sample regional tamales like the giant mukbil-pollo. You can get a playful version of pulpo en su tinta plated like a happy face, at Mariscos Yucatan. And El Faisan y El Venado in Highland Park is another solid fonda offering dishes like brazo de reina (hard-boiled egg, chaya herb, pumpkin seed tamal), escabeche oriental, and excellent kibis.

6. Central Mexico

Target states: Puebla, Morelos, Hidalgo, Distrito Federal (Federal District / Mexico City)

Styles and traditions: In terms of Mexican street food, Los Angeles is in a class by itself. L.A. has antojitos like Babyface has gold records: quesadillas, gorditas, and sopes galore, and huaraches filled with huitlacoche, squash blossoms, tinga, mushrooms, blood sausage, and other traditional stews. Whittier Boulevard has more than a dozen cemitas poblanas, as well as many places to explore the moles and pipianes of Puebla. Evenings in Los Angeles mean that pork in adobo is flying off of vertical spits at one of the busiest al pastor spectacles north of the Bajio. Other Mexico City-style tacos includetacos de guisado and carnitas, and from Morelos and Chalmita we have tacos de cecina, quelites (foraged greens), and adobo. And where else can you get solid pit-roasted lamb barbacoa?

WHERE TO GET IT 

Los Güichos works in double time when it comes to Chilango street food, with amazing carnitas and exotic pork cuts like snout, ear, and heart on weekend mornings, then switching up in the evenings to one of the top al pastor vendors. You could spend every weekend at the Mercado Olympic and not get tired of antojitos, artisanal Tolucan chorizo, chicharrones to-go barbacoa, tacos de guisado,filetes de pescado, and evenpulque (fermented agave sap). Mad Max, the man behind Tacos Quetzalcoatl,makes good barbacoa, but his tacos of adobo, quelites(called the Omega-2), cecina, and chicharron prensado (pressed pork in adobo) are life-changing. (He also has the best condiment bar in town.)

7. Alta California

Target area: Los Angeles, CA (only exists in Southern California)

Styles and rituals: Something amazing is happening in L.A. At a time when we’ve suffered through decades of TV chef-driven restaurants serving uninteresting versions of enchiladas, Mexican-American chefs in L.A have done something new. Rather than go to Mexico for a week and open a restaurant, they’ve drawn from their Mexican-American roots and experience in California’s top kitchens to embrace a spectrum of local products and cultures, forming what is called Alta California cuisine.

New traditions have developed: chili-braised meats topped with fried eggs, Yucatan-inspired squid-ink tacos with peanuts and raw purslane, sea-urchin tortas, wild-boar enchiladas, mole-verde fries. These restaurants are chef-driven, and they represent part of the most important movement happening in Modern Mexican cuisine in the U.S. After years of frustration with lukewarm traditional restaurants, Alta California cuisine has pumped new life into Modern Mexican in the U.S., and it’s only here in L.A.

WHERE TO GET IT 

Chef Wes Avila’s Guerrilla Tacos (826 E 3rd St) has redefined the taco with his brand ofpocho (Mexican-American) fine dining at a food truck, where you can find tacos with foie gras and celery root. A man on a mission, chef Carlos Salgado is out to save the tortilla one artisanal Mexican corn kernel at a time. His very serious Modern Mexican restaurant, Taco Maria(3313 Hyland Ave, 714-538-8444) is a place where you can taste a sophisticated aguachileand a hearty molletewith a spread of huitlacochebutter. Brand new and making a big splash already is Broken Spanish (1050 S Flower St, 213-749-1460)by chef Ray Garcia, where oven-bag mixiotes, beet tortas, and inspired takes on classics like a chile relleno stuffed with kale and potatoes covered in a soubise are shaping the future of Alta California cuisine. Drawing from a more pan-Latin approach, chef Eduardo Ruiz of Corazon y Miel (6626 Atlantic Ave, 323-560-1776) jumps from Peruvian ceviches and Salvadoran sandwiches to Mexican chilaquiles with layers of flavors and touches that defy all conventions.

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Nachos, the endearing Tex-Mex specialty, has all the tell-tale signs of something belonging in the American food canon, starting with its tangled origin story.

Legend has it that in Mexico, Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya improvised tortilla chips with melted cheese for a group of military housewives.

While it’s still unclear how the dish crossed into Texas territory, we do know that entrepreneur Frank Liberto started selling the dish as a concession item in 1976 at Arlington Stadium after creating the first iteration of “nacho cheese.” The myth continues—Monday Night Football broadcaster Howard Cosell loved the dish so much that he made it a point to mention it as often as possible during his program, further spreading the gospel.

Through its popularity, nachos evolved and absorbed regional traditions—so much so that a taxonomy was needed to categorize their distinctions. Chip architecture and toppings have been remixed endlessly, ushering in strange versions like Irish nachos that replace chips with waffle fries. Top-tier chefs have been drawn to its blank-slate quality as well, eager to experiment with grapefruit crema and truffle “black olives,” thus giving credence to the once-lowly dish.

The spectrum continues to expand and tests the very definition of what the dish can be—which is all the more reason why you need some trusted nacho hunters to guide you through slummy bars, high-end kitchens, and everything in between in search of the perfect loaded chip. Here are some of the best nachos from a panel of experts.

Chacho's ​ 

"I remember Chacho’s in San Antonio as a kid and the giant platters of nachos. My brother and I would go to the movies and then eat nachos and get people to buy us beer. At Chacho’s you could get chicken or beef fajita nachos, picadillo nachos, chorizo nachos—all kinds. The restaurant offers them in two categories: single-layer nachos, which is sort of like the individual pan pizza of nachos, and pile-high nachos. These are mountains of nachos covered in a blanket of gooey cheese. The genius part is that they also serve them with a side of queso—even more melted cheese. There’s the Monster Kong nachos, which is every kind of nachos all piled together. Not my thing—I’ll stick with the chorizo." - Josef Centeno, chef-owner at Bar Ama, Baco Mercat, Orsa & Winston, Pete’s.

6757 Poss Rd, San Antonio, TX 78238, 210-520-8717

Acenar

"Usually, I’m a nacho purist, preferring individually assembled, freshly fried tortilla chips topped with melted cheddar and a pickled jalapeño slice. But when I depart from the classic form, I go in a completely different direction: yuca chips topped with fried oysters, diced charred pineapple, and jalapeño-honey mayo. I love how the mayo unites the crunch of the oysters with the crunch of the chip, balancing flavors, textures, and temperatures, and elevating the nacho to a sophisticated appetizer. Traditional? Not a chance. Terrific? Absolutely. It’s a specialty at Ácenar, a modern Tex-Mex restaurant that I always recommend to anybody who wants good Mexican food on the River Walk. On the menu, it’s listed simply as “ostiones/oysters,” but these bites are the next generation of nachos. Pair the oysters with a traditional or prickly-pear margarita, or a refreshing michelada, follow it up with some duck chalupas, and enjoy the view along the river. Even tradition-bound San Antonio holds a few surprises." - Edmund Tijerina, restaurant critic at the San Antonino Express-News.

146 E Houston St, San Antonio, TX 78205, 210-222-2362

Farenheit

"Totally non-traditional and awesome are Rocco Whalen’s Cleveland Nacho’s at Fahrenheit—crispy potato, Parmesan fondue, and Romano cheese, topped with scallions and bacon. Totally killer. But to be honest, home-made nachos are my favorite and make for great family time. My tips: It’s all about keeping the cold ingredients—scallion, cilantro, lime zest, pico de gallo, and guacamole—on the side, and using the broiler to get that cheese hot and the chips crisp. Never use an oven or microwave!" - Jonathon Sawyer, chef-owner at Noodlecat, Trentina, and The Greenhouse Tavern.

2417 Professor Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113, 216-781-8858

Bullitt

"Nachos are my wingmen and my drinking buddies at bars. To me, they are members of the pantheon of bar foods whose primary purpose is to soak up alcohol and become even more delicious after a drink or two. Unlike fine dining cuisine—where the dishes are a chef’s calibrated effort manifested into clever expressions of their philosophy or culture as plated performances—drinking foods work the fryer station making lots of bad decisions, and they are quite comfortable with that.

That cocky swagger is part of what makes the Totchos (tater tot nachos) at Bullitt bar in San Francisco so brilliant. A fat pile of non-homemade, nor local, tater tots are fried until they develop a craggy exterior that the stadium-style nacho cheese sauce clings to, and are stacked loose enough to allow the sauce to pool downwards, forming cheesy aquifers. Sliced black olives, jalapeño rings, and a scattering of pico de gallo salsa add enough briny, tart, and salty contrast to the grease and another round of whatever you may be drinking." - Lou Bustamante, Bay Area-based spirits writer.

2209 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA, 94109, 415-268-0140 

Mercado

#Best #carnitas #nachos ever!!👍🏼 So #good! #Mexican #food #lunch @Mercado 먹어본 #나초 중 젤 #짱짱! #카니타스 안좋아하는데..진심 #맛있다! #조만간 또 올께🙋🏻 #까르니따스 #멕시코 #음식

A photo posted by rara_oh (@rara_oh) on Jul 5, 2015 at 4:37pm PDT on Jul 5, 2015 at 4:37pm PDT

"The quintessential Tex-Mex food is the nacho, and though we see it everywhere, few really get it right. At Mercado in L.A., they respect the dish by making it all from scratch. The foundations of great nachos are the chips and the cheese. Here they make the queso in house, and they don’t skimp on it either. Healthy amounts of the unctuous, creamy queso coat almost every chip; as we all know, that ratio is crucial. The other key elements to amazing nachos are the meat and the pickled jalapeños and vegetables. At Mercado, they make them with some pretty amazing carnitas, and the combination with pickled jalapeños to counter the saltiness of the dish is just perfect." - Danny Mena, chef at Hecho en Dumbo

7910 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048, 323-944-0947

Sunset Grill & Tap

"Nachos NEED to be layered. When a pile is dropped on the bar—bad sign. Sunset Grill & Tap nachos are layered, seasoned, and stay hot and crispy until the last bite—so much so that I am embarrassed to say I mostly eat them solo. The Jack cheese is tangy but not greasy; the jalapeños are pickled and plump; canned black olives add umami; and they’re topped with huge dollops of guacamole and sour cream. This makes them fun to eat around and build bites." - Jamie Bissonnette, chef and co-owner at Toro NYC & Boston, Coppa.

130 Brighton Ave, Allston, MA 02134, 617-254-1331 

Freestones City Grill 

lunchin hard core

A photo posted by Hailey Mota (@haileymota) on Apr 4, 2015 at 11:33am PDT on Apr 4, 2015 at 11:33am PDT

"Unquestionably, the Syrian nachos at Freestones City Grill stretch definition of the dish. None of the traditional elements are at play—chips, salsa, etc.—and in substitution the New Bedford, MA institution bases its hallmark appetizer on a baked, seasoned pita bread, which is then topped with cheddar cheese, stuck under a salamander, and served with sour cream and a harissa-like red paste. The look and feel of the thing is akin to an after-school, pita-pizza snack. But when reduced to the three Cs of nachos—cheesy, crispy, and communal—Syrian nachos remind all that there are items outside of the normal taxonomy of a dish that force contemplation and re-evaluation of the need to install strict terminology in the first place." - Nick Schonberger, founding editor at First We Feast.

41 William St, New Bedford, MA 02740, 508-993-7477

El Coraloense

"The truth is, as a pocho looking for really amazing Latin-American food, whether traditional, modern, or with American influences, nachos are not really something I get too excited about. But I can’t help but appreciate the dedication and enthusiasm people in the U.S. have for nachos. For me, the lobster nachos at El Coralense are just the right mix of lowbrow and fancy to toss aside my snobby view of nachos. They are, quite simply, f*cking awesome.

El Coralense is a traditional Mexican seafood restaurant from the Pacific Coast with contemporary touches from the younger Curiel siblings, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu. The Curiels take their homemade chips and cover them in a creamy cheese and alfredo-like sauce with lobster sautéed in garlic butter. Then an ample amount of pico de gallo is applied with sliced avocado. Seafood nachos are much more interesting than the usual seven-layer-dip style you see everywhere else, with those ice cream scoops of guacamole and sour cream, or the pumped cheese and pickled jalapeños you get at the movies. El Coralense’s lobster nachos simply say, it’s Friday night, and I’m going to put lobster on these damn nachos, and no one’s going to stop me from this deliciousness." - Bill Esparza, founder of Street Gourmet LA

6600 Florence Ave, Bell Gardens, CA 90201, 562-776-8800

Stadiums

"Yes, I am well aware that stadium nachos are not authentic and are covered in goopy faux-cheese that is nothing like real cheese. Blah, blah, blah—I don’t care. Stadium nachos are all about three things: saltiness, savoriness, and texture. The warm chips pulled out of those popcorn warming boxes are as salty as they come (and have you ever noticed that one side is saltier than the other? Lick ’em and see). The cheese sauce is one dimensional, but if you’re going to pick a dimension, salty and savory is a good one to go for. And besides, we all know that the point of cheese sauce is its gooeyness—a gooeyness that lingers long after your nachos have cooled to room temperature. Pickled jalapeños (and they *must* come with pickled jalapeños) add that needed jolt of heat and acidity. It’s the perfect food to go with ice cold, watered-down, overpriced beer. For the record, you don’t have to buy yourself tickets to a sporting event or concert to enjoy stadium-style nachos. Movie theater nachos, or better yet, their close cousins the midnight 7-Eleven nachos, are widely available and hit the spot. The latter even lets you add as much or as little ‘cheese’ as you’d like. That’s a big win in my nacho book." - J. Kenji Lopez-Alt., managing culinary director at Serious Eats and creator of The Food Lab.

Mike Ditka's Restaurant

"Former Chicago Bears coach and NFL player Mike Ditka is associated with a few things—his mustache, Bill Swerski’s superfans, and, in Chicago, Mike Ditka’s Restaurant, which serves the best nachos in the city. Coach’s Pot Roast Nachos begin with a few layers of chips, which are smothered with such a massive amount of tender, shredded pot roast, melted cheddar Jack cheese, diced tomatoes, sour cream, scallions, and jalapeño slices that there’s nary a naked chip on the plate. You’re pretty much required to share them, but you can always ask Da Coach for help—you’ll probably see him having dinner at the next table over. The nachos come spread across a large plate in just a few layers—they’re not what you’d find in a baseball helmet with molten cheese, but they’re not Texas-style, single-chip nachos either. They’re the kind of nachos you’d throw together at home during the Super Bowl, by piling ingredients and chips in layers and melting them in the oven—just a whole lot better." - Amy Cavanaugh, restuarant editor/critic at Time Out Chicago

100 E Chestnut St, Chicago, IL 60611, 312-587-8989

El Fenix 

#photoadayaug #dayfour #SomewhereYouSat ... I sat in front of this food. 😍 #crazynachos THANK GOD FOR MEXICANS 🙏

A photo posted by @immy.chiu on Aug 4, 2012 at 5:18pm PDT on Aug 4, 2012 at 5:18pm PDT

"Tex-Mex cuisine has always held a special place in both my stomach and my heart. Since growing up in Dallas, I’ve lived all over the world, but it’s always been a challenge to find great Tex-Mex. So every time I fly back home, I always stop at El Fenix so I can order queso, chips and salsa, and importantly, steak-fajita nachos. El Fenix is an institution. It’s been serving Tex-Mex to Dallasites for nearly a century. It’s also the first restaurant I ever ate at as a child. El Fenix doesn’t make fancy nachos, and I doubt they’ve changed at all over these past few decades. Each nacho is individually constructed, topped with fajita steak and a generous portion of cheese. There are pickled jalapeños on the side (a must), and the nachos also come with the Tex-Mex holy trinity of accompaniments—guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo. Nothing else is needed or necessary. One bite of their fajita nachos transports me back to my childhood, and for me, nothing tastes better than that." - Matt Post, owner of Javelina.

1601 McKinney Ave, Dallas, TX 75202, 214-747-1121 

Corky's BBQ

"I want to plug the cheese-and-pork–smothered tortilla rounds at Corky’s in Memphis. The premise alone should be enough to sell you: chips, stadium-style cheese sauce, and fatty mounds of saucy Tennessee barbecue. Memphis-style nachos are delicious, and Corky’s offers a paradigm of the form." - Nick Schonberger, editor-in-chief First We Feast.

5259 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38119, 901-685-9744

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Eating is often a ritualized activity.

From keeping halal to staging a seder, what one eats frequently takes on more significance than simply nutrition — so it’s little wonder that we often attach meaning to what we eat and how we eat it that may not make sense, but sticks around nonetheless.

While some superstitions are so ingrained we don’t even think about them (salt, shoulder, etc.), others still stand out as unusual, counterintuitive, or straight-up odd. Some come from customs or belief systems that have since gone out of fashion; some don’t have any explanation at all. Each of them has managed to survive, though whether they actually work is another story. Better safe than sorry though, right?

Here are 10 food-related superstitions from countries all over the world. And trust us—you’ll never look at a tortilla the same way again.

FRANCE: Always put bread on the table right side up

Origin: During the Middle Ages, bakers would designate loaves meant for the local executioner by placing it upside down so other customers would know it wasn’t for sale. While the days of ordering a government employee to decapitate people are long gone, the superstition—and its eerie undertone—remains.

ITALY: Wear a chili pepper for good luck

Origin: While “cornicello” actually translates to “little horn,” it’s a common belief in Italy’s Calabria region (think the tip of the boot) that the old-school good luck charm, meant to ward off the evil eye, are actually modeled off chili peppers native to the region. The fact that the pendants typically come in red helps their case.

MEXICO: Handle tortillas with caution

Origin: Folk wisdom holds that a tortilla dropped on the floor will lead to either unexpected or unwanted company, depending on who you ask—five second rule be damned. There’s no clear origin story for this particular superstition, but introverts ought to keep an eye out the next time they’re making some homemade nachos.

UNITED STATES: Save your wedding cake

Origin: It’s tradition to stow the top layer of a wedding cake in the freezer and eat a slice on a couple’s one-year anniversary. While it’s doubtful that freezer-burned carbs are anyone’s first dessert of choice no matter how good they were to begin with, the ritual is supposed to guarantee a happy, long-lasting union—though no one would blame you for breaking out the Ben & Jerry’s instead.

UNITED KINGDOM: Hold on to hot cross buns

Origin: As befits a pastry traditionally prepared on Good Friday, there are a whole bunch of superstitions surrounding the frosted, raisin-studded treats. Some, like the belief that they won’t go stale for a full year, are easily debunked; others, like the idea that hanging them in your kitchen wards off fires and even shipwrecks, are easier to buy into.

CHINA: Slurp those noodles

Origin: Because it’s better than the alternative: Long noodles symbolize long life, so cutting them into pieces translates into some nasty symbolism. Think of it as yet another reason to master chopsticks; and never, ever ask for a knife and fork at the local takeout place.

TURKEY: Put the gum away after sunset

Origin: Tradition holds that chewing gum after dark is the same as chewing on the flesh of a dead body. It may defy the laws of science, but if you could do something to avoid accidentally eating dead people, why shouldn’t you?

SPAIN: Break out the grapes on New Year's

Origin: And wine, too, but also grapes. Where Americans celebrate the New Year by popping champagne, kissing, and/or making Times Square a living hell for 48 hours before and after, the Spanish attempt to eat 12 grapes in 12 seconds. Gross, sure, but worth it for the 12 months of luck that are supposed to follow.​

JAPAN: Never pass chopstick to chopstick

Origin: It’s the same ritual used to handle bones—post-cremation—during Buddhist burials, and carries all the bad associations that come with it. Put food on a plate before passing it instead.

SAUDI ARABIA: Don't cry over spilt coffee

Origin: This one is pretty straightforward: in most Arab countries, spilled coffee means good luck. While the superstition’s origins remain obscure, some chalk it up to a feeble excuse. One saying holds that “the clumsy [people] spill coffee and claim it’s a sign of good luck.” Harsh, but good luck definitely takes the edge off cleaning up a bunch of piping hot liquid, especially since it’s a lot harder to throw some coffee over one’s shoulder than, say, salt.

SEE ALSO: 8 taboos you should never break in Japan

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If there’s a de facto mecca for Chinese food in this country, it’s surely located in the greater Los Angeles area—more specifically, the suburban enclaves of the San Gabriel Valley, whose satellite communities have earned SoCal elite status as a destination for Sichuan specialties and grapefruit-sized dumplings.

The New York metropolitan area boasts a larger Chinese-American population than metro Los Angeles, so how did this shift in power take place?

From 2009 through 2013, more Chinese immigrants came to Los Angeles County than any other U.S. county. Eight of the ten suburbs with the highest percentage of Chinese population reside in the San Gabriel Valley. China, meanwhile, is made up of 22 provinces, four autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two special administrative regions. Currently, 25 of those 32 cuisines are represented in the SGV.

In the 1980s, one of those suburbs, Monterey Park, was billed as the ‘Chinese Beverly Hills,’ ushering in a population comprised of professional, technical, and upper middle-class Chinese with legit spending power. That type of clientele attracted not only serious international investment, but also classically trained chefs with impressive pedigrees from places like Sichuan.

When chef Tony Xu opened Chengdu Taste in Alhambra in 2013, it proved a game-changer—hour-long waits made folks perk up and take notice. Sichuan restaurants had long been part of the area, so what made Chengdu Taste different? It was Xu’s creative use of Weibo, the Chinese version of Facebook, and his higher-quality ingredients that set a higher standard for the cuisine—and spawned a series of copycats in its wake.

L.A.’s sheer number of restaurants—and resultant increased competition—didn’t hurt its cause either. Los Angeles attorney David Chan, a keen observer of the Chinese restaurant scene, estimates there are 800 total restaurants, with 200 of those situated along Valley Boulevard (a.k.a., “The Magic Mile”). To parse out the overwhelming amount of options, from lamb meat pies to soup dumplings, here we give you a breakdown of regional Chinese food in the greater Los Angeles area.

North China

Target areas: Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi

Styles and traditions: Wheat is the grain of choice in the north, where it’s primarily used for noodles, buns, and dumpling wrappers. Peking duck might be the best known dish from Beijing, but lamb and pork are the most common meats. Offal dishes are also popular, like the pungent garlic-drenched liver and intestine stew, chao gan. Located not far from Beijing, the seaport city of Tianjin makes use of more seafood and river fish. Both cities are known for use of salt as a seasoning, though Tianjin less so than Beijing. Corn and millet also turn up in Tianjin-style cuisine. Located over the mountains to the west of Beijing, Shaanxi Province has a reputation for its noodles and aged vinegar. It’s said there are 1,000 types of noodles in Shaanxi.

Where to find it: Beijing cuisine is in surprisingly short supply in the SGV, but fortunately there is Beijing Restaurant(250 W. Valley Blvd, #B2, San Gabriel; 626-570-8598). Though run by someone from Tianjin, the restaurant features a large menu of items from the nation’s capital, but you won’t find Peking duck. For that, there are a couple of aptly named duck specialists, most notably Duck House (501 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park; 626-284-3227). Beijing Pie House(846 E Garvey Ave, #3A, Monterey Park; 626-288-3818)serves meat pies to doorknob-sized xian bing, which feature a thin layer of pliable dough and are lightly pan-fried. The lamb pies, however, are the most touted. Tianjin Bistro(534 E Valley Blvd, San Gabriel; 626-288-9966) features a menu filled with dishes from its namesake city, including the bone-filled yellow croaker fish with dense corn cakes, and meat-filled Tianjin-style steamed buns. For Shanxi-style noodles, JTYH(9425 Valley Blvd, Rosemead; 626-442-8999) has been the favorite for dao xiao mian (knife-shaved noodles) and cat’s-ear noodles, so named for their resemblance to feline ears. A fairly recent opening, Lao Xi Noodle House(600 Live Oak Ave, Suite A, Arcadia; 626-348-2290) features those familiar Shanxi items with some obscurer items, such as potato starch noodles and thickly sliced buckwheat noodles. The Lao Xi’er fried mixed vegetables is a Shanxi version of home fries, using shredded potatoes.

Northeast China

Target areas: Lianoning, Jilin, Heliongjiang

Styles and traditions: Collectively known as Dongbei, which literally translates as “east-north,” the three provinces in the heavily industrial region are known for brutally cold winters. As one might expect, hearty food is in order. Meats and starches, and liberal use of vinegar, are common. A Dongbei favorite is pickled cabbage (suan cai), which is remarkably similar to sauerkraut. Pork and cabbage stew and dumplings are signature dishes of the region, which features food quite unlike you’ll see anywhere else around China. With Lianoning bordering the Korean Peninsula, there are some shared influences and commonalities with Korean cuisine. The region also boasts the original sweet and sour pork, guo bao rou (twice cooked pork) that is far superior to the overly sweet, gloppy Americanized version.

Where to find it: More and more Dongbei-style restaurants are opening in the area. Among the dishes at Yao’s Restaurant(1277 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra; 626-281-9261) are breakfast congees (rice porridge) and corn flour noodles in soup. For the widest Dongbei-style menu, check out Shen Yang (137 S San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel; 626-292-5758).

East China

Target areas: Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong

Styles and traditions: Shanghainese food is milder due to a restrained use of chile peppers, and is much sweeter from adding sugar. Xiao long bao (soup dumplings) are among the better-known Shanghainese items. Another favorite is niangao, a stir-fry of glutinous rice, pounded, rolled, sliced, then mixed with Chinese cabbage and either pork or chicken in a brown sauce. Jiangsu and Zhejiang, to the north and south respectively from Shanghai, feature cuisines similar in style to Shanghainese, yet distinctively their own. Further north, Shandong Province is known for its use of onions and soy sauce—particularly in the form of the scallion pancake, cong you bing.

Where to find it:Shanghai Dumpling House(227 W Valley Blvd, San Gabriel; 626-282-1348) features a small menu of classic Shanghainese dishes including xiao long bao Nanxiang-style and rice cakes.  Kang Kang Food Court (multiple locations), might just be a humble Pan-Chinese steam tray place, but it serves the best sheng jian bao, a pork-filled bread that is steamed and then pan-fried on the bottom. Bamboo Creek(331 W Garvey Ave, Monterey Park; 626-569-9919) is the only place you’ll find specific Jiangsu and Zhejiang dishes such as shredded eel, while Wang Xing Ji(140 W Valley Blvd, San Gabriel; 626-307-1188) is a branch of a dumpling house from the Jiangsu city of Wuxi that dates back to 1913. It’s the only place to get the softball-sized juicy pork and crab bun, tang bao, a huge soup dumpling filled with broth sucked through a boba straw, as well as the much sweeter Wuxi-style xiao long bao. One of the few sit down Shandong-style restaurants,Earthen(1639 S Azusa Ave, Hacienda Heights; 626-964-1570) is known for its great rendition of the scallion pancake, a chewy, layered pastry, and its House Chicken, done Shandong-style with garlic, soy sauce, and black vinegar.

South Central China

Target areas: Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong

Styles and traditions: The spiciest and hottest of all Chinese cuisine is that from Hunan, whose dishes often include piles of dried, pickled, and fresh peppers that bring waves of capsaicin. (If it weren’t for the piles of peppers and chile oil, it could pass for Midwestern fare.) Hubei Province is bordered by Hunan and Sichuan, which means its cuisine often skews spicy, though not nearly as much as its neighbors. Guandong, the former Canton, at one time represented what most Americans knew as Chinese food. While Cantonese cuisine has faded somewhat with immigration patterns, there are still Cantonese palaces that serve high-end seafood dinners after dim-sum service ends. The autonomous region of Guangxi is home to the city of Guilin, known for rice noodles in a heavily vinegared broth, while the island of Hainan specializes in Hainan chicken, a dish that spread around southeast Asia to be considered a national dish in both Singapore and Malaysia. Hong Kong’s specialty, of course, is dim sum.

Where to find it: The area has several good choices for dim sum, and everyone has his or her favorite. Elite (700 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park; 626-282-9998) is always mentioned in discussions on the subject, but most acknowledge Sea Harbour (3939 Rosemead Blvd, Rosemead; 626-288-3939) as the mantle-holder for its range and innovative items. Hunan Mao(8728 Valley Blvd, #101, Rosemead; 626-280-0588) is the standout for steamed fish head with chiles, and Gui Lin Cuisine(138 E Garvey Ave, Monterey Park; 626-280-9818) has the widest selection of Guilin-style noodle soups. While there aren’t any specifically Hainanese places, Savoy Kitchen(138 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra; 626-308-9535) is perpetually crowded with folks ordering the signature chicken dish. Food from Hubei’s capital city of Wuhan is better represented around L.A. than anywhere else in the U.S., with four restaurants featuring the lesser-known cuisine. Tasty Dining(301 W Valley Blvd, San Gabriel; 626-570-1234) and Happy Tasty(140 W Valley Blvd, No. 209, San Gabriel; 626-348-3885) have Wuhan specialties such as dry pots, dou pi (shrimp and pork bits with mushroom wrapped in a pan-fried tofu skin), and mian wo (savory doughnuts made from soy milk and rice flour). Premier Dessert Art (four locations) is a fairly recent arrival featuring a mix of modern Hong Kong-style and traditional Cantonese.

Southwest China

Target areas: Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan

Styles and traditions: Sichuan is regarded for its fiery, chili pepper-laden dishes as well as its Sichuan peppercorns, which provide numbing relief from the heat. This varies within Sichuan, as food from the city of Chongqing, formerly Sichuan’s capital, is generally much hotter and spicier than that from the city of Chengdu. Guizhou Province combines the spiciness of neighboring Sichuan with the sourness from vinegar, while Yunnan is known for its rice noodles and cured ham.

Where to find it: The most acclaimed restaurant, Chengdu Taste(locations in Alhambra, Rosemead and Rowland Heights), set a new standard for ingredients and technique with dishes like Diced Rabbit with Younger Sister’s Secret Recipe, and Toothpick Lamb with cumin. Szechuan Impression(1900 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra; 626-283-4622) soon followed with traditional Sichuanese items. Don’t look for mapo tofu or dan dan mian though, as owners Lynn Liu and Kelly Xiao want you to delve deeper into genre’s history. Most of the Yunnan-style restaurants in the U.S. are in greater Los Angeles. At Yunnan Garden(545 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel) you can get Yunnan’s signature dish: Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles. It’s a mild chicken broth with rice noodles, thin slices of ham, chicken, bean curd sheets, bok choy, and sprouts that reminds one of a milder version of pho ga, the chicken soup from Vietnam, which shares a border with Yunnan Province. Taste Guizhou(17919 E Gale Ave, #101, City of Industry; 626-839-9989) is the only restaurant featuring more than an item or two from Guizhou, including the signature fish and tomato in sour soup. You can also find dishes made using the provincial specialty, zao lajiao, a pepper paste fermented in baiju.

Northwest China

Target areas: Shaanxi, Gansu, Xinjiang

Styles and traditions: Shaanxi Province, not to be confused with adjacent Shanxi Province, makes wheat noodles and breads. Gansu Province is home to Lanzhou-style hand-pulled noodles, which are served in a clear, mild beef broth alongside thinly sliced beef. Xinjiang is home to the Uyghurs, a Turkic minority. Being muslim means following the halal code—lamb, hand-pulled noodles, breads, and rice pilaf show the pronounced Central Asian influence.

Where to find it:Shaanxi Gourmet(locations in Rosemead and Arcadia)and Xi’an Kitchen (18213 E Gale Ave, City of Industry; 626-965-9000) have pretty much anything New Yorkers will find at Xi’an Famous Foods, such as cold skin noodles, belt-wide biang biang noodles, and ground cumin lamb burgers. At China Tasty(1308 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra; 626-457-8483) you can watch through a large window as your Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles are made to order. For Xianjing-style cuisine, Omar(1718 N. New Ave, San Gabriel; 626-570-9778) and Silk Road Garden (18920 E Gale Ave, Rowland Heights; 626-999-6165) serve cumin lamb skewers and da pan ji, literally “big plate chicken,” a seasoned, chopped chicken, served over winding strands of noodles.

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“Sushi nazis”; “pristine temples”; “zen-like silence.” These buzzwords are almost inescapable when it comes discussions about about sushi here in America. But despite our best intentions to uphold its integrity, our take on this Japanese tradition is pretty twisted.

Just ask historians Trevor Corson and Sasha Issenberg, who will be the first to acknowledge that many of the stereotypes we buy into are rooted in deep paranoia and fundamental misunderstanding. And this applies to the most basic of concepts—in Japan, for instance, the sushi chef is more akin to a neighborhood bartender, welcoming and gregarious, than he is to an unyielding tyrant.

Even as we fumble to grasp certain rituals, our in interest in the culture is stronger than ever. The latest hullabaloo surrounding Jiro Dreams of Sushiproves it, and so does history. The first sushi bar in the U.S. was opened in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo in the mid-1960s, but it wasn’t until 1970 when the cuisine really exploded in America, thanks to a Japanese entrepreneur who opened a spot near Hollywood. That was near the 20th Century Fox Studios; celebrities like Frank Sinatra became early adopters, and it only gained momentum from there.

Granted, by the time it made its way to America, sushi had already gone through several evolutionary stages. The origin story places the primitive version in Southeast China thousands of years ago. After floods, rice farmers would preserve fish by packing it in cooked rice and allowing it to ferment underground for six months. The second big phase took place in Japan, where people started to eat the fish sooner in the fermentation process, when the rice was edible and acquired a tangy, acidic quality. The rectangular nigiri that we’re most accustomed to “grew out of laziness,” says Corson. Around 1820, chefs moved away from a method where sushi was pressed into boxes and cut into slices; instead, they squeezed the rice and fish together with their hands.

For the food-nerd, sushi packs a powerful one-two punch: not only is it wildly photogenic for IG close-ups, but understanding its scope and variety requires years of experience—even a certain level of mastery. It is with that in mind that we reached out to several chefs, food writers, and globe-trotters to set the course straight for our bucket-list sushi aspirations. Our panel includes:

Ivan Orkin, chef and owner of Ivan Ramen (@ivanramen), Jamie Feldmar, writer/editor; partner at Mona Creative (@jfeldmar), Richie Nakano, Bay Area-based chef (@linecook), Gabe Ulla, writer/editor, formerly at NOMA and Eater (@gabeulla), Chris Schonberger, editor-in-chief at First We Feast (@cschonberger), Chris Jaeckle, chef at all’onda (@cjaeckle), Naomi Tomky, writer and founder of GastroGnome (@gastrognome), Damian “Dieselboy” Higgins, veteran DJ and seasoned world traveler (@djdieselboy), Johnny Lee, chef at Genghis Cohen (@lestomac), Matthew Jennings, chef at Townsman (@matthewjennings), Amy Cavanaugh, restaurant editor and critic at Time Out Chicago(@amycavanaugh), Scott Vivian, chef at Beast Restaurant (@beastrestaurant), Jon Broida, owner of Japanese Knife Imports.

Sushi Shin

Feldmar says:“Choosing a sushi restaurant in Tokyo is no joke—I can’t count the number of recommendations, lists, and articles I parsed through before deciding on Sushi Shin, which David Myers (ex-Comme Ca, Hinoki and the Bird) hypes whenever he talks about Japan. Shin has a warm neighborhood vibe, with with a staff that helpfully points out unfamiliar fish in an English-language seafood guide, and a sushi chef who smiles shyly as he drops nigiri before you. After you pick your own individualized sake glass from a beautifully crafted tray (no two are the same), the fish starts coming, and coming hard: little plates ofkatsuo (skipjack) tuna with “bbq sauce” (their words) and crab salad with ponzu jelly as a warm up. Then sashimi and sushi: alien-looking blood cockles, horse mackerel smeared with a paste made from green onion, shiso and ginger, gizzard shad so silver and shiny it looks like a sculpture, three-levels-of-fatty fatty tuna, uni, salmon roe, and shrimp stuffed with chopped up shrimp head and guts. No plates, no chopsticks—just a gleaming wood counter for the chef to set each perfectly sauced, perfectly wasabi’d piece upon, ready for you to grab with your bare hands. It’s how sushi should be, and the way I want to eat all my meals in the future.”

Ichi Sushi + Ni

Nakano says:“My go-to sushi joint, Ichi Ni, here in SF doesn’t have Michelin stars, a cranky-ass chef, or documentaries being made about it. It started as a pop-up in a dive bar (I know, sushi pop-ups at their core sound awful) but somehow morphed into one of the Bay Area’s top sushi counters. What it does have is a fun atmosphere blended with some of the most serious nigiri I’ve ever tasted. Chef Tim and Co. dress every piece up for you with smartly designed sauces and tares: think agar- (or should I call it kanten?) thickened sauces to retain the brightness of yuzu. The atmosphere is lively instead of reverent, and the food is only outmatched by the incredible service and hospitality offered up by Tim and his wife Erin. There’s a lot of great sushi in SF, but Ichi is the one that keeps me coming back.”

Sushi Nakazawa

Schonberger says: “The mythology reads like a food-dork wet dream: Daisuke Nakazawa, known to the world as the struggling apprentice from Jiro Dreams of Sushi, defected to Seattle to pursue his own solo sushi career before finally being lured to New York by an enterprising restaurateur who had seen the film and tracked him down on Facebook. But the reality is even better: What you get to witness by snagging a seat at the 10-person counter—nearly impossible ever since the New York Timesdropped its four-star review—is a chef who has managed to internalize the lessons of a master without losing his own point of view. So while the fundamentals are unimpeachable—lightly vinegared rice that falls apart in your mouth, immaculate ingredients, a sixth sense for knowing exactly when each type of fish is at its peak—there’s personality infused into every bite, from triggerfish topped with its own liver, to Atlantic sockeye salmon smoked on the roof. Monastic sushi experiences are all well and good, but with the quality of the food not in question, it’s refreshing (and contagious) to find a place where the guy behind the counter looks like he’s having the time of his life.”

Sushi Mizutani

Ulla says:“It is known within certain circles that the great David Kinch possesses deep knowledge about Tokyo’s food scene. Some years ago, before my first trip to Japan, he was kind enough to share his intel with me. The one place he pushes for the most is Sushi Mizutani—and with good reason. But I’m not singling out my experience there because of the fish Mizutani-san serves, or the way he prepares the rice. Beyond the fact it was all tremendous, I can’t remember any of the specifics.

There was, however, one aspect of the meal that I vividly recall, and try to share as often as I can. It was terribly intimidating walking in there at 4:45pm, their first guest of the day, and sitting down without anyone to interpret for me. Unlike the pleasant butterflies that always seem to accompany big-time meals but subside after a drink or two, the feeling was intensified. I was 19 at the time. It was completely silent in there—just the constant hum of the massive row of coolers where he keeps the tuna carcasses. My hands actually didn’t stop trembling. Thirty minutes into the meal, I lost control of a piece of nigiri and it fell into the soy sauce. It made a mess all over the counter, and at that moment I considered cutting my losses and leaving—enough trying to pretend I can hang, I told myself. In a matter of seconds, Mizutani-san approached me and made eye contact for the first time. He reached over the counter, poured some sake into my glass, and asked where I was from. I think he may have even smiled.”

Sushi Dai

Jaeckle says:“I eat a lot of sushi, but by far the coolest experience I have had was at Sushi Dai at Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. We got there at 4:30am and waited in line for 1.5 hours.  Normally, I do not believe in waiting in line for food; I am blessed with enough connections for this to be a rare thing. But this was Tokyo, and my friend Lee Anne Wong had just gotten off her flight. We crushed a 750ml bottle of sake in the freezing cold. My feet were numb, and so was my face. Getting in to that warm environment, just loose enough from the sake, and eating approximately 20 pieces of warm sushi rice was pure joy. The product doesn’t get any more pristine. In fact, several of the items were clearly still moving when presented to us. Tsukiji is closing next year, so it was and is an absolute must. A mid-day nap has never felt better.”

Maneki

Tomky says:“Age is rarely considered an asset when discussing sushi, but it’s not the fish that’s old at Maneki—it’s the restaurant. Even ‘Mom,’ the octogenarian bartender, isn’t old enough to know exactly when this Japantown gem opened, though it’s thought to be around 1904. The age shows a bit on the restaurant, with the yellowing papers on the wall talking up specials, but that’s to be expected from a restaurant with this much history: It closed during the Japanese internment in World War II, and a one-time dishwasher there went on to become prime minister of Japan. But the reason to eat there has nothing to do with what happened before, and everything to do with what comes out of the kitchen right now. The only other thing that seems to be a little bit old here? The prices, which are cheap enough to seem like they’re of another era.”​ 

Takahachi

Dieselboy says: “So I imagine when most people think ‘bucket-list sushi’ they dream of all of the legendary establishments such as Nakazawa, Masa, etc. But how about a great and affordable neighborhood spot with fresh fish and an awesome vibe? That’s where Takahachi comes in. This East Village staple is constantly swarmed with diners, and for a very good reason—the food is great, even if it doesn’t possess the magnificence of an omakase meal. Most of the nigiri options hover around $3, which is an absolute steal. There are plenty of great rolls as well, including a secret off-menu ‘Superman Roll’ (tuna, avocado, mango, tempura and spicy mayo). Quite tasty after a few rounds of sake served in a wooden box. The rest of the menu has great Japanese staples like chicken kara-age, soba, and udon. It may not hew to tradition, but Takahachi is an archetypal sushi spot that is equally as important as the ‘temples’ we’ve come to revere; it is places like Takahachi that introduced the American masses to the wonders of Japanese cured fish in the first place.”

Sushi Tanaka

“One of my favorite spots is a little sushi bar in Western Tokyo, a place called Tanaka. When I read about these sushi experiences of people going to Tokyo, spending $500…it’s an awful lot to invest in a meal. The last time I ate at Tanaka it was 10,000 yen (~$80), which included the omakase course. It’s the classic kind of sushi bar that offers the full scope of experience. There are about 20 seats at the counter, and it has very simple decor. The owner is there every single day, making sushi or sashimi, grilling octopus, or simmering dashi. Depending on the time of year, you’re eating seasonal things. It became a very personal experience; I’d walk in and they’d know me. Being a regular is very exciting, and the best sushi bars are the ones where the chef is sensitive to the different customers’ needs. He knew I loved shirako, so whenever I walked in, he’d always make that. In my opinion, neighborhood bars are the best places to experience sushi. At the smaller, more inclusive places, you can forge better relationships.”

Shunji

Lee says:“Shunji is an exceptional eating experience, even in a sushi oasis like Los Angeles. The fish is for the most part flown in from Tskukiji market, the famed fish wholesaler that many of Japan’s top chefs source their seafood from. The sushi remains very traditional, but his zensai (appetizers) are where he shows his more progressive side. Some of the small bites you may be served would not be out of place at high-level Kyoto kaiseki restaurants such as Kikunoi, or even a cosmopolitan izakaya in Tokyo. On my last visit he even incorporated blue cheese and purple potato into a small bite. Some might shun a sushi restaurant that deviates from only serving nigiri, but I embrace it for what it is.”

Cafe Sushi

Jennings says:“Cafe Sushi is my favorite sushi spot on the planet—not because the selections are astonishing, or their preparations painstakingly fussed over—but because it is ‘my place.’ The sushi joint that I hit with reckless loyalty, on frequent occasions with friends and family. Cafe Sushi is super seasonal, focusing on some unique specialties (nigiri or sashimi) such as aji (Japanese horse mackerel) or kamasau(Japanese barracuda). The ceviche maki is a Latin-Japanese mashup with tako, shrimp, salmon, avocado, and lime. Chef Seizi Imura is a badass and puts together a great omakase menu also. This place is hyper-fresh, with bright flavors, high-quality ingredients, and a subdued flair that makes it feel like home for me.”

Juno Sushi

“If Chicago doesn’t seem like much of a raw-fish destination, you just haven’t tried the masterful work of Juno sushi chef BK Park yet. He’s the genius behind beautiful pieces of smoked sashimi, delivered to the table on spoons placed underneath a glass dome; King Juno, perfect mouthfuls of tuna nigiri accented with spicy crab; and wonderfully restrained maki rolls that focus on the fish (sushi chefs will also go off menu and craft maki for you). Treat all of these bites as a precursor to the omakase menu or chef’s-choice sashimi, both of which allow Park to take center stage and serve the most pristine raw seafood in Chicago.”

Park

Vivian says:“My favorite sushi spot is Park in Montreal. Chef Antonio Park is a creative genius when it comes to composing unique and flavorful combinations—not to mention that the presentation of his omakase boards are breath-taking. You never have to wonder about the quality of the fish. Chef Park has his own import company, and even gets fish flown in from Japan that uses the revered technique of acupuncture. With his unique Korean-Argentinian background and Japanese training, you can’t go wrong with Park in the Westmount area of Montreal.”

Okumura

Broida says:“I travel to Japan for about a month every year, but finding the same kind of quality sushi at a similar price point is a bit more difficult here. Thankfully, a good friend of mine was kind enough to introduce me to Okumura restaurant. Ryota Okumura, the chef and owner, is doing some really amazing stuff in a very unexpected place. In a small, unassuming shopping mall in Encino, you will find some of the most well-composed sushi in Los Angeles. Okumura-san takes great pride and care in the fish that he selects. But, more importantly than that, is the way that he handles it. A lot of people assume that the best sushi is the freshest. Starting off with the fresh ingredient is absolutely paramount, but some fish are better aged. I often find myself enjoying things like Boston Bluefin tuna, aged for two weeks, or a perfect sanma that has been meticulously cared for over the course of the week, allowing its flavor and texture to develop. It’s a little bit of a drive for me, but I find myself craving the omakase all of the time.”

SEE ALSO: 2 sushi-obsessed food bloggers say these are the 15 best omakases in New York

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Not big on drinking coffee? You’re in luck. A professor from Brandeis University has developed a caffeinated flour that will revolutionize the way you get your morning dose of caffeine in.

According to Eater, by cooking par-baked green coffee beans for a short period of time at a low temperature, Professor Daniel Perlman was able to create a flour filled with chlorogenic acid (CGA), an antioxidant that slows down the release of glucose in the body. The benefits of consuming green coffee beans include reducing heart disease, diabetes, and aiding in weight loss.

Another company hoping to revolutionize the coffee industry is Death Wish, who created a brew so strong, it can make you feel high. By packing twice the amount of caffeine as a normal cup of coffee, Death Wish has now become what owner Mike Browns believes is the strongest coffee currently on the market.

In addition to Death Wish, the people over at STEEM created a caffeinated peanut butter packed with the same amount of caffeine in two cups of joe in just two tablespoons.

But not everyone is keen on this new trend. Back in November, a New York senator warned about the dangers associated with eating highly caffeinated products like the peanut butter, particularly in regards to children. He explains, “This may look like an ordinary jar of peanut butter, and it may cost the same as a jar of peanut butter, but the fact is, it’s much more dangerous than an ordinary jar of peanut butter…the FDA does not require the amount of caffeine to be listed on food labels. So this stuff and other snacks can have a lot of caffeine and the consumer wouldn’t even know. If they allow it, it can spread to all kinds of other snacks, even Popsicles, candy, things that kids eat. It needs some regulation.”

But adults sick of drinking cup after cup of coffee in order to function in the morning can now look forward to a new way to wake up, plus plenty of antioxidants.

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Congratulations New York City, 2016 will be the year you’ll get the experimental kola bar you never knew the city was missing. According to a press release from Pepsi, the soda maker has plans to open Kola House—a “kola bar, restaurant, lounge, and event space”—in the city’s Meatpacking neighborhood. The Kola House will occupy a cool 5,000-square-feet.

The space will be dedicated to “experimental and elemental themes honoring the kola nut,” which is a bitter fruit that contains caffeine. The original recipe for cola beverages contained the fruit for flavoring, but most companies no longer use it in soda. Pepsi plans on “honoring” the kola nut through curated cocktails crafted by mixologist Alex Ott who has an “unrivaled background in flavor chemistry.” The New York Times notes that Pepsi prefers to refer to Ott as an “alchemist” not a “mixologist,” however. 

In addition to drinks, there will also be an “artisanal” menu of kola nut-inspired eats (think dishes like beef tartare with caviar and kola truffle aioli) to go with the drinks. The one thing that won’t be “kola nut-inspired” in the space are the live music performances that are set to take place thanks to a partnership with Live Nation. Best of all, the space will be designed by rockstar Lenny Kravitz’s design firm, Kravitz Design, and while there is no set date, Pepsi hopes to have the space open in the Spring.

This isn’t the first time Pepsi has gone upmarket. In 2014, the beverage company introduced a “designer bottled water” called Qua, which is an abbreviation of “Aqua.” The fancy water is micro-filtered and free of sodium. The company also launched a line of artisanal sodas called Caleb’s Kola, a drink made simply from sparkling water, kola nut extract, and Fair Trade-certified cane sugar.

SEE ALSO: Pepsi is starting to give up on soda

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In the season finale of the Netflix series Master of None, Aziz Ansari’s character, Dev, is faced with two major dilemmas—first, how to salvage his relationship with his girlfriend, and second, where to find the best tacos in New York City. His frenetic, multi-tab Google spree is not only a reminder of our current priorities, but also our obsessive — if not at times, rocky — relationship with tacos here in America.

“Mexicans have been putting stuff in a tortilla, pinching it, and then eating it for thousands of years,” says Gustavo Arellano, author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America. But the taco didn’t formally seep into the American consciousness until after WWII, when veterans looking for opportunities to make money coincided with the rise of restaurant chains. That’s the scene Glen Bell, of Taco Bell fame, entered in San Bernadino, CA, deciding he’d focus on a hardshell-and-ground-beef combo after watching the McDonald’s brothers’ financial success soar from their hamburger operation.

“Glen would sit in the parking lot and seethe,” says Arellano. “He was very jealous.”

The 1950s also introduced the DIY taco kit, courtesy of George Ashley from El Paso, TX, who is credited as the inventor of tortillas in a can (#staywoke). The kit included a metal taco shell scaffold along with an instructional pamphlet, making it easy for housewives across the country to whip them up for Sunday supper.

“My hat is always off to the pioneers,” says Arellano. “It’s easy to hate on [places like] Taco Bell, but they whetted the palate for Americans to try new food.”

As the taco became a part of the American vernacular, Glen Bell’s chain spawned derivatives like Del Taco, and eventually fast-casual operations like El Torito, setting the stage for the second phase of its cycle: the soft taco. “Technically that’s what it is, but no one calls it that,” says Arellano. Their emergence in the ’70s can largely be attributed to legendary SoCal chain, King Taco, which “basically created the taco truck as we know it,” says Arellano. “No one believed people would eat them from the truck format, but the King Taco founder knew something others didn’t. From there, everyone started copying him.”

This opened the floodgates for pioneers like Roy Choi, who helped popularize the multicultural taco and bring Kogi to the mainstream. “Now we’re in the era of Chicano chefs like Wes Avila who have the culinary training to create artisanal tacos,” says Arellano. As the Chipotle E. coli scandal continues to compromise the burrito’s seemingly untouchable status in America—”it’s the Altamont of burrito culture,” says Arellano, equating it to the violent 1969 Northern California concert that ended the blissed-out hippie era—the void is wide open for the taco to inch its way up the ladder. “The taco is getting its proper respect right now,” says Arellano.

To celebrate this moment in time, we’ve tapped a handful of authors, writers, taco bloggers, and even a couple of globe-trotting deejays to provide some intel on the scope of tacos here in the U.S. (And, yes, pardon the heavy West Coast coverage; it is, after all, the spiritual home of domestic tacos in many respects.)

SEE ALSO: These $100 snacks might be the world's most expensive tacos

Suadero Taco at El Paisa

Address and phone: 4610 International Blvd, Oakland, CA
Website: N/A

Birdsall says:“The thing about food in a place like Oakland’s Fruitvale, where families with roots in Mexico have settled for more than a generation, is that it’s reflected pueblo culture, mostly: life in the small towns and ranchos of Jalisco or Michoacán, where the birrias and menudos suggest the quietness—sometimes the diffidence—of pastoral home life. El Paisa@.com, with a fake-web name that gestures at contemporary life, is an urban mess in the best way possible. No other place I know in Oakland has El Paisa’s surge and flow, the hustle of taquerías in Mexico City. At midday you file through the aisle-thin space of this long-ago burger stand, tell the lady, who doesn’t have patience for your nonsense, how many tacos you want, pay, and then inch to the taqueros, chopping meat on boards through windows like ravaged DMV counters. The cabeza—beef cheeks, primarily—is sweet in that concentration-of-protein way, and the lengua’s good, but what you really want is suadero, that muscle from the belly region of the cow—an emblematic cut at street taquerias in DF—which isn’t so much tender as it is smoothly grained and pale, like organ meat. El Paisa’s tacos express the perfectibility of food on a small scale, in a culture that respects it. But hey, this is East Oakland! You’ll hunch at a table along with queer Latinas with facial piercing jewelry and big Asian guys who look like club bouncers. The Fruitvale families smart enough to grab the good seats before they got in line: They’re just focused on the tacos.” 

Carnitas Taco at Carnitas Uruapan

Address and phone: 1725 W 18th St, Chicago, IL (312-226-2654)
Website:carnitasuruapanchi.com

Hofmann says:“There is no mystery to what Carnitas Uruapan is all about. You walk in under a pig-adorned awning to a small, cafeteria-style dining room teeming with pigs: cartoon pigs, carved wooden pigs, ceramic pig figurines. There is only one thing to order, and of course it is pig—carnitas, pork that’s flash-fried then braised in more fat until it’s reduced to gleaming, shuddering hunks of meat, ready to fall apart at the touch of a knife. Order at the counter, where slabs of lean meat, rib, belly, stomach (buche), and skin are rough-chopped in whatever mix-and-match combination you like (get a little bit of everything for a textural thrill), piled onto obscenely fresh, corn-perfumed tortillas, or weighed out by the pound. Maybe add a chunk of one of the great sheets of chicharron that sit in the window—you know, for a snack—but don’t look for superfluous onions or cilantro; there’s salsa and pickled jalapenos, but they’re just a distraction. The inspirational mottos on the wall and cartoon-adorned menus may not look the part, but the 40-year-old Carnitas Uruapan may be the closest thing we have to the dining temples of Japan, where dedicated practitioners of kitchen zen spend lifetimes making the same dish, the unattainable pursuit of perfection their only goal.”

Brisket Taco at Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ

Address and phone: 7612 Brodie Ln, Austin, TX (512-221-4248)
Website:valentinastexmexbbq.com

Rayo says: There are two food groups in Texas: Barbecue and Tacos, and you can get the best of both worlds when you eat at Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ. In Central Texas, we have plenty of choices for slow-cooked meats, but none push the envelope like Miguel Vidal’s San Antonio and Austin mash-up cuisine. Although he operates out of Austin, Vidal is a San Antonio native with strong ties to its culinary traditions. On weekends, his father would smoke and grill las carnes while his mom and tias would make fresh tortillas, salsas, guacamole, rice, and beans. That’s what makes Valentina’s tacos so special—it’s a mix and true representation of Tejas. The Smoked Brisket Taco is probably one of the best tacos in the Lonestar state—smoked brisket on mesquite with guacamole, sea salt, and serrano salsa on a freshly pressed flour tortilla. If you cruise by at 2am or 2pm, you’ll see Miguel and his team cooking up some of the best barbecue and tacos in Texas. Now that’s what I call a one-two punch.” 

L.A.’s dining scene might be in the midst of a full-scale renaissance, but its oldest restaurants remain just as popular as the farm-to-table brunch spots and the Peruvian fusion kitchens.

Los Angeles is a city that respects—maybe even clings to—the faded glamour of its Golden Age, and it celebrates that era’s institutions accordingly.

On any night of the week you’ll find ancient Hollywood restaurants that are still overflowing with patrons, all looking for a trace of a long-lost L.A.—in the bottom of a martini glass, or the down the side of an aged leather booth.

Beyond the nostalgia factor, these O.G. dining destinations offer a welcome rebuke to L.A.'s shallow stereotype. In a town built on an ephemeral entertainment industry and inhabited by a transient crowd of models/actors/whatevers, there’s something deeply satisfying about a restaurant with a sense of history, a crowd of geriatric regulars, and a maître d’ who knows your name (and is always glad you came, etc. etc).

At these ten venerated L.A. dining spots, the food is still really good (well, mostly), but the backstories are even better. Read on to discover the 11 best places to get a taste of Los Angeles, as it used to be.

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Musso and Frank Grill

Neighborhood: Hollywood

Address and phone: 6667 Hollywood Blvd (323-467-7788)

Website:mussoandfrank.com

Established in 1919, Musso and Frank’s is L.A,’s oldest restaurant and perhaps its most iconic—a long line of Hollywood stars have reclined in its red leather booths and propped up its polished wood bar. Back in the day, the likes of Orson Welles and Charlie Chaplin would roll up to enjoy an ice-cold martini and the famous chicken potpie. Thanks to an entirely unchanged menu, that’s exactly what you can (and should) do today.

Talking point: In the 1930s, Musso and Frank’s infamous "Back Room" became the favored drinking spot of America’s literary elite, where F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Faulkner (who apparently like to mix his own mint juleps at the bar) would hang out after stints at the Screen Writers Guild across the street. According to the restaurant, Raymond Chandler even managed to knock out several chapters of the The Big Sleep in the Back Room in between rounds of martinis.

The Dresden

Fountain Coffee Room at The Beverly Hills Hotel

Neighborhood: Beverly Hills

Address and phone: 9641 Sunset Blvd (310-276-2251)

Website:beverlyhillshotel.com

Prepare to be charmed by this kitschy diner inside Beverly Hills’ beloved salmon-pink palace, where the malted milkshakes and freshly baked pies have been homemade on the premises since 1949. Arrive early to grab one of the 19 wrought-iron stools at the curved bar and order from a menu that combines old Hollywood classics (Silver Dollar buttermilk pancakes) with more recent L.A. stalwarts (grilled lean turkey burgers, egg white omelettes with vegetables).

Talking point: The Fountain Coffee Room is just as famed for its banana-leaf wallpaper as it is for its fresh orange juice freeze. Originally designed by Don Loper in 1941, the ‘Martinique’ wallpaper has become one of the most coveted graphic prints of the past 70 years.

Do you not appreciate the taste of coffee? Do you abhor the jittery, over-caffeinated feeling you get after drinking a cup of joe, but still crave a morning pick me up? Here’s one solution: Joule’s Power Balance-looking caffeine bracelet, which comes equipped with a caffeine patch.

According to Mental Floss, the bracelet works in a way similar that a nicotine patch would, in the sense that the body absorbs caffeine from the patch inside the bracelet. The best part: unlike coffee, Joule claims the patch will not turn your teeth yellow, and it will provide you with evenly distributed energy for four hours.

It might not be the cutest bracelet to sport, but getting your caffeine fix on the go has never been easier. You can find the bracelet on Joule’s Indiegogo page for $29.

[via Mental Floss]

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