The only West Coast city to make the Top 10 in a USA Today readers poll about the best local food scenes in the country is Oakland, and Minneapolis-St. Paul is Number One and maybe this says more about USA Today readers to take such polls than about the food scenes themselves? No knocks to Oakland there's great food over there! but you're trying to tell me that the food scenes in Providence, Rhode Island and Louisville are superior to those in San Francisco and Los Angeles? Come now.
Oakland clocks in at Number Seven, and kudos. "From fantastic fried chicken to righteous ramen and Mumbai street food, a staggering array of diverse eating experiences awaits in Oakland," says the listicle copy, going on to mention Swan's Market and Miss Ollie's but failing to mention Commis, Wood Tavern, Plum Bar, or any other great Oakland spots.
Also, they had other questions in the poll, and Boulder, Colorado beat out San Francisco for Best Farmers' Market??? A video about the poll touts the "unusual" produce to be found at the Boulder farmers' market like "golden beets and white eggplant," but please. These readers surely have not been the Ferry Building, and golden beets are hardly unusual.
And yes, no news here. Another publication put out another dumb ranking that feels highly inaccurate. Kind of like how Orlando is a better coffee town than San Francisco. Whatever.