American Dishes

Barbecue Brisket
Texas barbecue's greatest achievement — a whole beef brisket smoked over post oak wood for 12-18 hours at low temperatur...

Club Sandwich
A triple-decker of turkey, bacon, lettuce and tomato, held together with toothpicks and cut into triangles.

Bacon Cheeseburger
A classic beef patty stacked with melted cheese and crisp streaky bacon.

Gumbo
Louisiana's great communal stew — a thick, dark soup of chicken, andouille sausage or seafood in a roux-based broth thic...

Nashville Hot Chicken
Nashville's incendiary fried chicken — coated in a paste of cayenne, brown sugar and spices after frying, served on whit...

Breakfast Burrito
Scrambled eggs, cheese, potatoes and salsa wrapped in a flour tortilla for eating on the move.

Lobster Roll
New England's great summer sandwich — chilled lobster meat dressed in mayonnaise or warm butter, served in a split-top h...

Clam Chowder
New England's creamy potato and clam soup — served in a bread bowl at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco and in every se...

Grilled Cheese
Butter-crisped bread around melted cheese — the simplest comfort food there is.

Detroit-Style Pizza
A thick, airy square pizza baked in an oiled steel pan, with cheese pushed to the crispy caramelized edges.

Mac and Cheese
Elbow pasta baked or stovetop-stirred into a blanket of melted cheese sauce.

American Cheeseburger
A grilled beef patty topped with melted cheese, stacked high in a soft bun.

Smash Burger
A ball of beef smashed hard onto a screaming-hot flat-top, creating a thin, lacy, deeply caramelized crust.

Reuben Sandwich
Grilled rye bread packed with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing.

Hawaiian Pizza
Ham and pineapple on a tomato-and-cheese base — the pizza world's most argued-about combination.

New York-Style Pizza
Wide, foldable slices with a thin, chewy crust — bought by the slice on nearly every block.

BBQ Chicken Pizza
Smoky barbecue sauce standing in for tomato, topped with shredded chicken, red onion and cheese.

Juicy Lucy
A cheeseburger with the cheese stuffed inside the patty, so the first bite releases a molten center.

Pepperoni Pizza
The classic American pizzeria order — spicy cured pepperoni curling and crisping under melted mozzarella.

Po' Boy
A New Orleans sandwich piled with fried shrimp, oysters or roast beef on crisp French bread.

California Burrito
Carne asada, French fries, cheese and guacamole rolled into one enormous San Diego original.

Veggie Burger
A plant-based patty of beans, grains or vegetables, grilled and stacked like its beef counterpart.

Buffalo Wings
Deep-fried chicken wings tossed in tangy, buttery hot sauce.

BLT
Crisp bacon, lettuce and tomato between two slices of toast, usually with mayonnaise.

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
A knife-and-fork pizza baked in a deep buttery crust, cheese on the bottom and chunky tomato sauce on top.

New York Cheesecake
A dense, rich baked cheesecake with a graham cracker crust.

Philly Cheesesteak
Thinly sliced steak and melted cheese piled into a long hoagie roll.

American Apple Pie
Spiced apples baked in a flaky double crust, the quintessential American dessert.
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