I know these columnists rely on hyperbole to make their case, but just out of curiosity, try Googling the name of any small town along with 'sushi' - you might be surprised (or not) by the number of results.
The plain fact is that in this day and age of mass media, franchise retail and accessible transportation, the only thing that distinguishes big cities from smaller towns are some nice public buildings and maybe, maybe, a homegrown network of (pseudo) intellectuals.
I think the point that many are missing about this whole 'elitism' thing is that any person who resides in SF, LA, NYC, etc either travels extensively to small/middle markets on business trips or visits back home to where they (or their significant other) came from. That means they most likely know firsthand about, and may believe in, the very same type of core values BHO was mocking.
The real issue is that BHO is a hard-core Marxist who really believes in socio-economic control. Forget the fact that he's into black liberation, etc - he's the most left-wing candidate the Dems have ever fielded for national office.
'La bonne cuisine est la base du véritable bonheur.' - Auguste Escoffier
(Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)