DC is a "second tier city"

[sweetcell]

And what exactly makes SF a Tier 1 city? What does SF have that, say, Seattle doesn't?

as far as restaurants go, SF is pretty hard to beat.  it's punching way about it's weight there. 

and, vansmack.

[Relaxer]

New Orleans has almost an entire genre of food attributed to it but I wouldn't call it a Tier 1 city, despite its voodoo awesomeness.

[notme]

dosen't  Mendelsohn own fast food restaurants?

[Thousand Made-Up Loves]

Spike's burgers are small and overpriced. He can walk in front of a fucking Metro bus for all I care and this second tier city won't miss him a bit.

Hope he's not behind on his rent AGAIN, either.

[Christine Moritz]

Fedora-clad DC restaurateur and TV food personality Spike Mendelsohn proclaims that it's "nice to be in a second-tier city where you can be a big fish in a small pond."

Even if D.C. isn't on a par with London, Paris, Tokyo, etc. (although does Chicago really belong in that exalted company either?), this was an incredibly impolitic remark on Spike Mendelson's part.

(My immediate reaction when I saw the thread title was: "Them's fightin' words!")

He could have conveyed the same idea less insultingly by saying that it's "nice to be in a smaller place where you can be a bigger fish in a smaller pond."

[Justin Tonation]

a cultural tastemaker like Paris, London,Tokyo, and Berlin. 

Reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw years ago: Paris, London, Tokyo, Odenton

[walkonby]

i like that people "round these parts" still use terms like " . . . fighting words" and "discuss." 

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

Who cares what "tier" DC is versus other cities?   DC is not NYC, and that's just fine.

Spike Mendelsohn is an idiot for thinking he's a big fish, though -- even in this second-tier pond, most people don't know who he is, and among those who do, a substantial number think there's nothing special about a restauranteur who specializes in burgers and pizzas.

[godsshoeshine]

Who cares what "tier" DC is versus other cities?   DC is not NYC, and that's just fine.

Spike Mendelsohn is an idiot for thinking he's a big fish, though -- even in this second-tier pond, most people don't know who he is, and among those who do, a substantial number think there's nothing special about a restauranteur who specializes in burgers and pizzas.

that's pretty true. if i wanted to live in new york...i'd live in new york. if i want a burger i'm not going to capitol hill to get it

[eltee]

Who cares what "tier" DC is versus other cities?   DC is not NYC, and that's just fine.

Spike Mendelsohn is an idiot for thinking he's a big fish, though -- even in this second-tier pond, most people don't know who he is, and among those who do, a substantial number think there's nothing special about a restauranteur who specializes in burgers and pizzas.

that's pretty true. if i wanted to live in new york...i'd live in new york. if i want a burger i'm not going to capitol hill to get it

Especially at his place, unless you want food poisoning.

[saltenya94]

Everyone knows DC is not a 1st tier city at least in food terms.  But does everyone know you can food + beer specials cheaper in New York (not great trendy restaurants I mean cheap anything food ) than you will ever find in DC.  Most DC people never believe me, when I tell them I can get 2 x the food and 4 x the beer in NYC then DC prices.  Of course they are never places the NY Times would write about.

[sweetcell]

i'll stay out of the first vs. second tier debate, but one thing is certain: DC is nerd central.

best quote ever, from the source WaPo article: "We?re recent college grads with high GPAs from prestigious institutions. Why are we unemployed?"

[Relaxer]

Everyone knows DC is not a 1st tier city at least in food terms.  But does everyone know you can food + beer specials cheaper in New York (not great trendy restaurants I mean cheap anything food ) than you will ever find in DC.  Most DC people never believe me, when I tell them I can get 2 x the food and 4 x the beer in NYC then DC prices.  Of course they are never places the NY Times would write about.

Wait just a minute, pal. Are you saying that a city of 18 million people has more food options than a city of 600,000? GET OUTTA HERE!

[Christine Moritz]

Wait just a minute, pal. Are you saying that a city of 18 million people has more food options than a city of 600,000? GET OUTTA HERE!

You're comparing the population of the NYC metro area to the population of the city of Washington, D.C.

If you compare one metro area to the other, then it's 18.9 million vs. 5.6 million.

[Relaxer]

How dare you introduce facts to my heckles.