By Liam Sanchez
Lasagna is a staple of Italian comfort food, consisting of layers upon layers of cheese. Pre-WWI, Italy was suffering economic collapse, causing many Italians to immigrate to the US, bringing their cuisine to the States. Recently, I decided that wherever I travel, I would attempt to try some lasagna from a random Italian restaurant and document their pros and cons compared to the others (the rankings are only from the ones I took a picture of).
4: Hawaii Lasagna.
I got this lasagna last year in Kauai, and it was really weird. Foremost, it was baked in an oval container, meaning that the layers and therefore flavor become uneven. It didn’t even matter if the lasagna was uneven, because the cheese was extremely bland, especially compared to the mainland American counterparts. Overall, it was good enough for Kawaii (you only really are there to relax).
3: Florida Lasagna.
Now this lasagna was probably one of the best ones I’ve ever eaten. The cheese was very cheesy, the sauce was saucy, and the layers were plentiful. Then why isn’t this in the top spot? The only problem was that it was tiny; it was only around 6 x 8 inches despite the many layers. This caused problems like crumbling and caused it to not be very filling. Granted, I got this in Disney World, and the fact that I ate at La Crêperie de Paris earlier probably clouded my judgement, but the fact remains that size does in fact matter.
2: Vegas Lasagna.
Probably the most expensive lasagna that I’ve ever tried. It didn’t suffer the condition known as “Vegas food portions” and had astonishing flavour, but it kind of defeated the original purpose of lasagna being an everyday cheap food. At $46, it was good for Vegas standards, but there is no contest when comparing it to number one.
1: Virginia Lasagna.
After a futsal tournament accompanied by torrential rain, I really needed this. For some reason, a random restaurant in Richmond had probably the best lasagna in every state. And because it was in Virginia, it barely cost $15 compared to the $25+ behemoths listed prior. The cheese was melted to perfection, and the pasta melted in my mouth. Overall, the best lasagna I’ve ever tried here in the US.
https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/italian/the-great-arrival