It’s easy to be a tourist in New York, but how can a tourist get inside a local’s skin in just one day?
No problem if you are lucky enough to meet Big Apples Greeter Ellen Gasnick. My request to eat New York as a local was no problem to Ellen who drew on her association with the James Beard Foundation, her life-long experience of New York, and love of food to craft a tour of her favourite dining spots.
Ellen has led hundreds of people on hundreds of greets around the boroughs, and her smile never wavered over the four hours that we wandered her city.
Big Apple Greeters is a free service that visitors can book online. A greeter tour is like a friend showing you around their city, sharing their life experiences.
Here’re the 13 top food places that Ellen showed me. Many offer free tastes but all are low-cost outlets where your tourist dollar will stretch a little further.
- Find the best value dumplings in Chinatown at Fried Dumpling, 106 Mosco Street, right next door to the Church of the Transfiguration in 29 Mott Street. You can buy five fried dumplings for $1.25. Although the sign says they do pork buns, it’s best not to ask as the response is rarely favourable. If you have cooking facilities, look for bags of frozen dumplings to go.
- It’s easy to find Jing Fong Restaurant, 202 Centre Street, by people queueing on the street outside. This large Cantonese restaurant seating 125 people draws crowds on weekends for dim sum rolled out on carts.
- Deluxe Food Market is a narrow supermarket selling Chinese groceries, baked goods, sticky rice and Asian-style sandwiches, located at 79 Elizabeth Street. Wind your way through the crowds to find tasty marinated meats and seafood that are convenient to prepare and perfect for dinner. You can also find prepared dishes with everything from char siu (roast pork) to stir-fried noodles.
- Look for the sign on Canal Street corner, fire hydrants painted in red, white and green and you’ll know you are in Little Italy where the street vendors sell almond biscotti and fig cookies, roasted chickpeas and honey roasted peanuts by the bag or pound.
Little-Italy-is-the-home-of-street-vendors - A Lobster Tail, crisp puff pastry filled with cream at Ferrara Bakery and Café at 195 Grand St, along with a cannoli is a must try.
- Five generations of an Italian family share their favourite Italian products at Di Palo’s Fine Foods, 200 Grand Street. Browse their artisanal cheeses, cured meats, pasta, sauce and pantry items.
- Established in 1920, Piemonte Ravioli, 190 Grand Street, makes ravioli, tortellini and other take-out pasta fresh daily the old school way.
Lobster-Tail-at-Ferrara-Bakery - La Esquina Corner Deli at 114 Kenmare St, is a casual corner taqueria hiding a dimly lit subterranean brasserie serving upmarket Mexican fare.
- The Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery has been at 137 E Houston St since 1910 and even has a Wikipedia listing. What’s a knish? It’s a traditional potato and kasha (buckwheat groats) Jewish comfort-food classic that looks sort of like a dumpling.
- Russ & Daughters, 179 E Houston St, is very crowded but push your way through to the back, and you’ll see a marvellous selection of New York’s finest deli items. This family-owned shop offers high-end smoked fish, caviar and New York-style foods and dates from 1914. It’s a New York institution.
- Katz’s Deli is where Where Harry met Sally in 1989. People queue up outside the door, and there’s a ticket system to get inside. Take a ticket and it doesn’t matter if you don’t buy anything, although you will be sorely tempted. Line up in front of the cutters to order your sandwiches. It’s not cheap, a Reuben on rye $20.25 with pastrami $1 extra, but is overflowing with thickly cut meat and a meal for two.
Katzs Deli - Filled with old-time American favourites, Economy Candy stocks all types of candy, nuts and dried fruit from floor-to-ceiling. Look out for the American Presidents chocolate where you can eat George Washington and JFK and chocolate versions of the Statue of Liberty. It’s been at 108 Rivington Street since 1937.
- Essex Street Market is an indoor market with rows of vendors specialising in meat, fish, cheese, produce and speciality foods at 88 Essex Street. Look out for Shopsins General Store which has a menu that would rival a short novel and an owner that takes his customer handling tips from Sinfield’s famous soup nazi.
