So it is everyone’s favorite time of the year. MARCH MADNESS. I know you have filled out your bracket and it’s been busted. Maybe one your sleepers got through, but Oregon definitely upset one of your other teams. Hopefully, you have Duke in your Final Four. But this isn’t a Sports Show(sometimes it is, but it isn’t) it’s a food podcast. So Tom and I broke down the Sweet 16 Food Cities and pitted them against each other. Listen until the end because the winner will definitely surprise you
The Eastern Conference
Duke vs Virginia Tech:
Much like the actual basketball game, this was a blowout. There are about 4 times as many restaurants in Durham, NC as there are in Blacksburg, VA and the quality is much higher as well. North Carolina is easily becoming a NaF favorite Food State
LSU vs MSU: Baton Rouge’s #1 rated restaurant on TripAdvisor is a Ruth’s Chris so I had very low hopes for the city. Conversely, the #1 rated restaurant in East Lansing was HopCat which originated in Grand Rapids and has the best french fries(formerly known as Crack Fries) arguably in the world. Unfortunately for Michigan’s Capital, little brother just doesn’t have enough going on after that and cannot compete with the array of Cajun, Creole, and Seafood restaurant’s in Baton Rouge
LSU vs Duke: The Durham food scene is just bonkers, and would never have Ruth’s Chris anywhere near their top restaurants
Winner of the East: Duke
The Western Conference
Gonzaga vs FSU: I’m not going to lie, I thought that Gonzaga was in Washington, DC not Spokane Washington and I was ready to give them the W before doing any research, but that’s why we always check our sources. I was actually pretty underwhelmed with the dining options in Spokane, compared to other top Pacific Northwest Cities, and the food scene in Tallahassee is pretty cool, especially places like Lotsa Pizza, and the Don Shula’s Steakhouse Chain
Michigan vs Texas Tech: The Texas Tech Red Raiders have one of the coolest names in sports but unfortunately the town of Lubbock, TX cannot compete with Ann Arbor at a gastronomic level. Ann Arbor has an incredibly diverse food scene, excellent craft beer, and some fine dining options
FSU vs Michigan: Tallahassee is probably a fun town to go out to eat and drink but is light-years behind Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor has a very diverse food scene and its honestly one of the best in the country
Winner of the West: Michigan
The Southern Conference
UVA vs Oregon: Charlottesville is known for Christian’s Pizza, a pizza place that tops their pizza with tortellini, but Oregon has Uly’s Taco Shack. A weekend eatery that specializes in over the top burritos stuffed with french fries, guacamole, and an assortment of other ingredients
Purdue vs Tennessee: West Lafayette,IN is home to The Triple XXX Family Restaurant, a greasy spoon burger joint with dishes named after famous Alumni. This includes the Duane Purvis burger named after the College Football Legend. The DP Burger has all the fixings of a regular burger but with a dollop of Peanut Butter on top. The city is also home to Famous Frank’s Food Truck which parks outside of the famous Harry’s Chocolate Shop and sells it’s Fat Boy Hot Dog topped with french fries, chicken nuggets, and mozzarella sticks. Tennessee has a famous BBQ place called Sweet P’s Barbecue and Downtown Dive that does excellent Smoked Dry Rub wings, but it’s not enough to beat Purdue
Oregon vs Purdue: This is a close one but Oregon edges out Purdue with a better college food scene
Winner of the South: Oregon
The Northern Conference
UNC vs Auburn: This is another absolute blowout. Too much going on in Chapel Hill for a few BBQ spots to win this round
Houston vs Kentucky: This one was a doozy. Houston is a big up and coming food city with restaurants that feature food from all over the world, wild game hot dogs, and endless BBQ options. Kentucky obviously has a great bourbon culture and wonderful BBQ and Southern options, but Houston just has a deeper bench
UNC vs Houston: Once again Houston upsets UNC with their plentiful and diverse options
Winner of The North: Houston
The Final Four
Michigan vs Duke: Ann Arbor is a very culturally diverse city with food from all over, but its Crown Jewel is Zingerman’s Deli. An absolute must of a delicatessen that even Barack Obama stopped by to eat at. Durham is great but Ann Arbor is better
Houston vs Oregon: Eugene, OR had a great run but Houston is a much larger city with a lot more going on.
THE FINALS
Michigan vs Houston: We didn’t say it on the radio show but essentially Houston does everything that Ann Arbor does, but it’s bigger and has a better restaurant scene
Congratulations to the City of Houston for winning the NotAFoodie March Madness Bracket
If you think we messed up, if we missed your favorite restaurant in you college town, or some how thought we got everything correct please let us know. DM us on Instagram or Twitter @NotAFoodieShow
-MM
