This Is the Most Iconic Dish in America

Everyone has a certain devotion to regional dishes, especially those from where we grew up, or from the cities we eventually make our home. They can remind us of our childhood or be linked to a particular sense of place, and often remain intertwined with our own sense of self. But which of these American dishes feels the most iconic? We decided to create a bracket and have Eater staffers go head-to-head to find out. Here’s how we did it.

First, we solicited suggestions from across Eater’s approximately 50-person Cities team. We appointed a committee of editor representatives from different regions of the country to weigh the suggestions, taking into account parameters such as deliciousness, recognition outside and inside their location, and ties to specific geographic identity, all while aiming to maintain a diverse mix of locations, types of dishes, and cultural influences.

Once the committee settled on a “Sweet 16” of dishes, it appointed a staff representative to “argue” for each dish in individual face-offs (conducted over chat and video calls). The representative for the winning dish wrote each accompanying blurb until we narrowed it down to one final champion, which will be revealed on Friday, August 9.

ROUND ONE

Lobster roll vs. half-smoke

These dishes might both come on a hot dog bun, but that’s where their similarities end. The half-smoke is made with spicy pork and beef sausage, seared on a flattop, and served with onions, mustard, and chili; the Maine lobster roll is poached lobster meat, mayo, and perhaps a sprinkling of celery. Where the half-smoke, most commonly associated with D.C. institution Ben’s Chili Bowl, is hearty and comforting late-night food, a lobster roll is rich but restrained, a pricy seasonal treat that brings to mind warm weather, sea air, and waterside dining. Even with its storied history, the half-smoke remains a local attraction, but the Maine lobster roll takes the win as a coastal favorite with national appeal — including an excellent, but very different, Connecticut version. — Stephanie Wu, Eater editor-in-chief

Winner: Lobster roll

Beignet vs. kolache

It’s interesting to pit two American regional pastries with European roots against each other — New Orleans’ beignets are French and Texan kolaches are Czech — but in this battle, the mighty Texas baked good wins. Yes, sugary, doughnut-like beignets are obviously iconic, but you can get well-done beignets outside of the Louisiana city. Kolaches are Texas through and through, with a sweet pastry dough filled with all sorts of fruits, soft cheeses, or poppy seeds (as opposed to their savory counterpart, the klobasnek). The wide appeal of the sweet makes it even more Texan — it’s not a fancified delicacy like the beignet, but rather an everyday workhorse of a pastry, a staple at gas stations, bakeries, and home pastries. And truth be told, I wouldn’t trust a kolache outside of Texas. — Nadia Chaudhury, Eater Austin editor

Winner: Kolache

Fried cheese curds vs. disco fries

You could argue that fried cheese curds and disco fries (crinkle-cut French fries nestled under a blanket of brown gravy and melted cheese) are cousins: They both sit at the tantalizing intersection of salt, fat, and dairy. Ultimately, though, fried cheese curds take the cake as the more iconic hometown dish. Disco fries, a New Jersey diner classic, are an unbeatable drunk food, it’s true — but they can’t quite match the regional character of the curd, the defining delicacy of America’s dairyland. Gleaned from vats of fresh Wisconsin milk, these squeaky, rubbery bites of cheese are transformed into the perfect bar food with a malty beer batter, a deep fry, and a side of ranch. — Justine Jones, Eater Twin Cities editor

Winner: Fried cheese curds

Coney dog vs. Chicago dog

It was a Midwest sausagefest when Detroit’s mighty Coney dog (covered in chili and dotted with yellow mustard and diced onions) challenged the Chicago-style hot dog — with a salad on the bun garnished with yellow mustard, onions, neon green relish, celery salt, tomato, dill pickle spear, and spicy sport peppers. In the end, the Chicago dog’s bombastic symphony of sweet and savory on a pillowy poppy seed bun proved too much to overcome. Even though a coney is a very delicious version of a chili dog, a chili dog isn’t unique to Detroit. Meanwhile, Chicagoans are so obsessed with their hot dogs that you can find them in local Home Depots. There can be only one sausage king. — Ashok Selvam, Eater Chicago editor

Winner: Chicago dog

Korean taco vs. Nashville hot chicken

When the Los Angeles-born Korean taco (popularized by Roy Choi’s late-night favorite Kogi food truck in 2008) faced off against Nashville’s hot chicken (created by a scorned lover to punish her womanizing man in the 1930s), the taco came out on top for its melding of flavors and foodways. Los Angeles’s Korean and Mexican communities have been interconnected for generations in the schoolyard, at the office, and, finally, with Choi’s dish, on a plate. Though cayenne-laced fried chicken doused in chile-infused hot oil deserves praise for its tongue-searing, punishingly delicious profile, the thrill of eating sweetly marinated galbi, tucked into warm griddled corn tortillas and topped with salsa verde and a tangle of bright scallions, makes for a three-bite sensation that tells the city’s story better than any history book. — Cathy Chaplin, Eater LA Senior Editor

Winner: Korean taco

NY slice vs. Mission-style burrito

Pit the Mission-style burrito against the foldable, thin-crust New York slice, and it’s a clash of hometown food titans. While both can claim some common ground — portability, for instance, and availability — there are myriad reasons to crown the Mission-style burrito as the winner, including the ability to customize. Choose between tender cuts of steak, grilled chicken, al pastor, shrimp, tripe, lengua, sauteed vegetables; rice or no rice; refried or pinto; guac or not; all doused in freshly made salsa — there’s no wrong answer. Get it California-style, with french fries; or dorado, with a plancha-seared exterior, for maximum crispness. It’s an all-in-one meal swaddled inside a warm tortilla and rolled in heat-trapping foil, the equivalent of a warm San Francisco hug in the fog. — Dianne de Guzman, Eater San Francisco deputy editor

Winner: Mission-style burrito

Loco moco vs. green chile cheeseburger

New Mexican green chile cheeseburgers went up against Hawai‘i’s loco moco in a big, beefy round one showdown, and while there’s nothing quite like the scent of Hatch green chiles roasted over a fire, loco moco took the crown. The contemporary Hawaiian staple — made by layering white rice with a burger patty, smothering it in brown gravy, and topping it with a sunny side up egg — scored points for being intimately associated with its hometown and endlessly customizable. Both hometowns take pride in these dishes (the green chile graces some of New Mexico’s license plates and stars in many local dishes), but loco moco exemplifies how Hawai‘i residents turn affordable food staples into delicious foods cooked and enjoyed with delight. — Lauren Saria, former Eater San Francisco editor

Winner: Loco moco

Philly cheesesteak vs. BEC

The Philly cheesesteak, traditionally made with thinly sliced pieces of seasoned rib-eye steak, peppers, fried onions, and melted cheese (provolone or saucy, processed whiz) in a long hoagie roll, easily defeats the ubiquitous bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich of New York City. Whereas the BEC (often served on a kaiser roll) can be found on just about every block of the Big Apple, it’s basically become every major city’s typical breakfast bite. But it doesn’t compare to the magic of Philly cooks sauteing meat well-done on an oiled grill while sizzling onions in the same flavored grease, before topping it off with cheese that will instantly melt in a classic Amoroso’s hoagie roll. — Ernest Owens, Eater Philly editor

Winner: Philly cheesesteak

Check back Wednesday, August 7, for round two.