Finding good food in a new city

Whether you are somebody who takes pictures of the food you order before you eat it or not, I think we all love a good meal out. And one of the times that most of us choose to go out is when we're traveling. If you're visiting friends and family, they'll probably handle the choice of restaurant. But if you're traveling for pleasure on your own or for business, figuring out where to eat probably rests firmly on your own hungry shoulders.

When that's me, I'm a big fan of my iPhone app called Foodspotting. The main gist of this app is that it helps you find specific dishes close to you rather than a restaurant. For example, if you want to get a burger, you can use Yelp, Urban Spoon, or even the phone book to find a restaurant close by that serves burgers.

But if you're like me, sometimes you have a craving for a specific thing, like a mushroom Swiss burger or Shanghai dumplings, and you want to get an idea of whether that specific dish is going to be good at the place you may or may not go to. That's what I use Foodspotting for.

You can type in the name of the specific dish and their search engine brings up photos other people have taken of that dish, along with information on where the restaurant is. It returns results in the order of what is closest to you, and those results come with ratings and comments about the dish. Especially in a place where you're not sure of what to expect and don't have much time to make the call, this is a delicious option.

But if you want to discover new food in your own city or neighborhood, it's just as helpful. They do "Eat Ups" where local food aficionados gather to swap tasty stories.

Image courtesy of Foodspotting.com