utica greens

And now for something completely disgusting!

Food Network star Guy Fieri decided to make a Central New York dish for Upstate New York Food Network star Anne Burrell. People have complained ever since.

Before you throw up your arms in disgust, hear me out. There are several things that are staples in Central and Upstate New York - halfmoons, greens and tomato pie, hiking and camping the Adirondacks, cheering on the Orangemen, running the Boilermaker. Everyone rants and raves about it all; how great the food tastes or how fun the great outdoors is.

What are Utica Greens?

Everyone certainly has an opinion when it comes to one of Utica's staple dishes. Greens are either loved or hated by many. But if you love them, here is where the best greens are served.

There's too much to do, its way too easy to make friends, you'll probably gain weight from all the amazing homemade food, and the views are overwhelming. Why would you want to live here when you could stay in a big city and stare at traffic and concrete all the time...

If you're looking for a new place to check out for lunch or dinner, or if you have some friends from out-of-town coming to the area, this map of the best places to go will come in handy.

Chris Clemens is the guy behind the popular blog "Exploring Upstate." Recently he and his friend, Chris Lindstrom, took a trip to Utica. It has been their desire for a long time to drive in to town and sample some of the most iconic dishes created and only served in our fair city. Well, they finally did it and they were NOT disappointed.

For the second year Riggies, Greens & Rock returns to The Stanley Theater on Sunday, October 11th. It's a celebration of great music and two of Utica's favorite dishes. This is the one event where you can sample several of Central New York's best restaurants'  variations of these popular local classics.