A Fresh Take on Los Angeles

Why my town "Boston has a culture that encourages curiosity. There are classics like steamed lobster with drawn butter, but also forward-thinking food made from brilliant ingredients." Early-bird special "Sofra Bakery and Cafe in Cambridge opens at 8 a.m. My go-to is the full Turkish breakfast and the Siena Farms baby greens, which taste so incredibly fresh." 1 Belmont St., sofrabakery.com, Turkish breakfast $9. Best Venezuelan picnic "Orinoco in the South End makes an arepa stuffed with shredded chicken and sliced avocado. When the weather's good, I'll grab my order and find a spot in one of the little parks nearby." 477 Shawmut Ave., discovervenezuela.com, arepas from $4.75. Old-school pub "At Tom English's Cottage, I always bump into someone I grew up with, and we'll catch up over Heineken, Cheez-Its, and pool." 118 Emerson St., 617/269-9805. Edible souvenirs "Formaggio Kitchen is filled with dozens of cheeses and so many other unusual finds—salted rosemary caramels, spices, grits, these addictive salted oat cookies. I never walk out of there empty-handed!" 244 Huron Ave., formaggiokitchen.com. Your grandmother's Italian "Nebo is this informal little place on the edge of the North End near the Garden (so it's packed before and after Celtics games). The owners make honest Italian food, and it's not unheard of to see their mother, Angelina, in the back making pasta by hand." 90 N. Washington St., neborestaurant.com, pasta from $15. Bar snacks with class "At Pigalle, I take a seat at the bar and order either the steak tartare or the spicy tempura tuna roll—a huge chunk of tuna wrapped up and fried." 75 Charles St. S., pigalleboston.com, appetizers from $12. At my place "I love, love, love oysters. I've been known to eat dozens in one sitting at my spot, B&G Oysters, along with a couple of glasses of Chablis." 550 Tremont St., bandgoysters.com, oysters from $2.50 each.

Eat Like a Local in Rome In a city where the recipes often predate the buildings, Rome's best meals are marvelously simple. It's finding them that can be tricky. We unearth five quintessential trattorias with real flavor.See the slide showRome's Best Gelato Five Farmstays We Dig Farmstays—with their clean country air and down-to-earth activities—are cultivating a serious following. What better place than St. Croix to try the simple life on for size? America's Greatest Food Cities New York, Boston, L.A., San Francisco, Chicago—what makes these the nation's top dining destinations? The folks responsible for creating the menus take us on their ultimate insiders' tasting tours. See the slide show The World's Best Street Food The ultimate cheap eats in 14 cities around the globe. Road Trip: Green Mountain Diner Drive Across southern and central Vermont, a handful of historic diners are putting a hyper-local twist on roadside fare. Trip Coach: Cooking Schools Boiling, baking, frying, and making that perfect French soufflé—it may sound like a lot of work. Actually, it's the perfect excuse for a vacation.

Why my town "Other cities might have a better version of a certain cuisine, but few towns on earth have the culinary range of New York. Chefs are drawn here because they want to cook in New York—and nowhere else." Ultimate hunger fix "You can get in and out of Grand Sichuan really cheaply, but I like to order three times as much food as necessary: spicy braised beef; dan dan noodles; Aui Zhou chicken; the hot pot with noodles, fish, and cabbage; and several bottles of Tsingtao." 229 9th Ave., thegrandsichuan.com, entrées from $9. Chinatown pit stop "Great N.Y. Noodletown is open until 4 a.m., so I've ended a lot of nights there. I go for the roast pork on rice and the ginger scallion lo mein, which I totally stole and turned into the ginger scallion noodles at Momofuku Noodle Bar." 28½ Bowery, 212/349-0923, entrées from $4. Thai worth a field trip "It took me years of hearing about SriPraPhai before I actually made it to Queens. It was a scorching day, and I sweated buckets into my spicy catfish salad. Make the trip, and order anything you've liked in another Thai restaurant—it will be better." 64-13 39th Ave., sripraphairestaurant.com, papaya-catfish salad $10. Pastrami pilgrimage "Katz's Delicatessen is jammed with tourists for one reason: the pastrami sandwich. Order it on rye with mustard and nothing else, and ask for tons of pickles." 205 E. Houston St., katzdeli.com, pastrami sandwich $15. New-school slice "You've got to love Artichoke on 14th Street—it has a Staten Island vibe right in the East Village. The Sicilian slice is the way to go." 328 E. 14th St., artichokepizza.com, slices from $3.50. After-hours hangout "If I'm out late, I'm usually at PDT. The cocktails there are so well done, and I always end up eating one of the deep-fried hot dogs they serve with tater tots. There's one called the Jon-Jon Deragon that's smeared with cream cheese and sprinkled with everything-bagel spices. It is beyond good." 113 St. Marks Pl., pdtnyc.com, cocktails $14, hot dogs $6. Sweet spot "In the summer, I like to hit the Union Square Greenmarket and pick up a carton of strawberries from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm. Then I get myself a yogurt from the Milk Thistle farm stand and eat them together on a park bench." 17th St. and Broadway, cenyc.org/unionsquaregreenmarket. At my place "Momofuku Milk Bar is the quickest hit. Go for pork buns, cookies, and the carrot cake soft-serve—it's no seats, no servers. In and out." 207 2nd Ave., momofuku.com/milk-bar, pork buns $9.

The trendsetter: Caledonia, Ill. Dutch company Feather Down Farm Days launched three U.S. locations in 2009, including Kinnikinnick Farm, 85 miles northwest of Chicago. Guests pick fresh Italian field greens and heirloom tomatoes alongside owners David and Susan Cleverdon, and sleep in floored "tents" with flush toilets and running water. featherdown.com, from $189 per tent per night (sleeps six). The animal lover's paradise: Santa Margarita, Calif. At Rinconada Dairy, a 52-acre sheep ranch and dairy located between Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo, visitors feed and milk ewes and goats, learn how the dairy's three signature cheeses are made, and take in the garden view from the guest suite's reading nook. rinconadadairy.com, from $150, including breakfast. The no-pressure option: Palmetto, Ga. For those more interested in observation than immersion, Serenbe Farms puts people up in plush rooms a 15-minute walk from the field. The Inn at Serenbe's cottages are kitted out with whirlpool tubs and TVs. Farming lite includes petting baby animals, strolling several miles of scenic trails, and winding down at on-site organic restaurant the Farmhouse. serenbe.com, from $130, including breakfast. The remote getaway: Alsea, Ore. Set within the gentle Oregon Coast Range 41 miles from the Pacific, Leaping Lamb Farm offers the appeal of isolation. The sole two-bedroom cottage ensures that you and yours will have the run of the place—from gathering eggs to brushing Paco, the resident donkey. leapinglambfarm.com, from $125, including breakfast.