Certain cities always lead the conversation when discussing the best restaurant markets in America. New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago are mainstays, and Portland, Ore., Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New Orleans and Houston are also ubiquitous. But in recent years, smaller cities have begun to open and operate some of the most exciting concepts in the country, so it has become increasingly difficult to ignore places like Greenville, S.C. and Birmingham, Ala. With three recent James Beard nominations, we can add Bentonville, Ark. to the list.
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