A British food writer’s eye-opening journey through America’s culinary scene: This is what surpised her the most

As a ‘nation of immigrants, ’ the US has a unique culinary offering to visitors, which was recently sampled by British food writer Felicity Cloake. The writer has compiled her reviews, which span restaurants from coast to coast, in her latest book ‘Peace Street to Lobster Lane: Coast to Coast in Search of Real American Cuisine’, which covers her ten-week culinary journey through the country, which she completed mostly on her bike.

San Francisco’s special culinary offering

On the West Coast, Cloake stopped in San Francisco, and aside from diving into the city’s gastronomical offerings, spent time riding across the Golden Gate Bridge and visiting Alcatraz. Her time in SF is emblematic of one of her key takeaways: so much of American cuisine is imported.

The food writer popped over to the Mission District to try a burrito, lengua (or tongue) to be specific. The legacy of Chinese immigration to the Bay Area is visible in SF, and Cloake was taken by a friend to a Hunan restaurant that blew her socks off. Capping off the trip in the city by the bay was Caffe Trieste on Vallejo Street, where she enjoyed their signature cannoli and a coffee.

Cloake’s favorite meal stateside

When asked about her favorite meal by the BBC, she told a story unique to the US about a Taiwanese American chef in San Antonio, Texas.

Though the food fell under the category of “Tex-Mex,” the chef put a Taiwanese twist on the menu, incorporating the influences of the kitchen she grew up in.

“So it was things like an orange chicken fried steak and mochi hush puppies. I found that exciting because it’s not something that you would ever find somewhere else.”

Reflecting on the meal Cloake , described the combo as “mind blowing” and that the food was just as “creative and fun” as it was “delicious.”

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