Submitted by bicoastal chowhounder, Jan 31, 2007 06:36

I've always felt that NYC was the international city of the atlantic and LA the international city of the pacific when it comes to eating. When in NYC, I can't wait to try the mythic Brooklyn pizza, french style bistros and these incomparably fantastic fine dining opportunities. When in Los Angeles, I replace the pizza with the In-N-Out burger and french restaurants for japanese. In LA, which is devoid of fining dining, but a mecca for eating, I go to San Gabriel Valley for the mind-blowing chinese, korean, and any other southeast asian cuisine. Little Saigon for Vietnamese (my favorite cuisine, the best of french and asian influences). Mexican in the west coast is like Italian on the east coast. It's everywhere. With so many Pacific rim countries gaining power and influence, LA should be full of fantastic eating opportunites with cuisines that America is just beginning to appreciate. I hope that these cuisines can find the level of respect that french and italian cuisines have gained and we can stop using the word "ethnic" to describe these cuisines.

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