Foods of New York Tours

Shopkeepers Secrets #12: Rafele

2013-05-04T09:06:00.003-04:00

Meet Raffaele Ronca, Executive Chef and owner of Ristorante Rafele the newest restaurant on our Original Greenwich Village Tour!

Whenever a new restaurant is added to the tour, the tour guides get together for some "research," i.e. we go out for dinner as a group and try as much of the menu as possible. We had the pleasure of dining at Rafele recently where Chef Raffaele prepared a tasting of nearly the entire menu. Here is a slideshow of what we got to try:

MUST EAT ITEM: This is Raffaele's first restaurant (that he owns) so everything on the menu is very personal to him making it impossible to pick a favorite. Since Raffaele is the king of the house, he lets his mood dictate what he is going to eat for dinner, but if he had to pick what he is most proud of it would be the steak or the chicken. Honorable mention also goes to his house made pastas.

WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW: Born and raised in Naples, the food capital of Italy, food has always been an integral part of Raffaele's life. He comes from a long line of fishermen and butchers, a background which he credits with his ability to artistically de-bone a chicken.

Immigrating to New York 20 years ago, before NYC restaurants were 'authentically Italian' instead of 'American Italian,' Raffaele missed the foods from his homeland. So Raffaeli picked up the phone to call home and got some cooking advice and began to cook at home. Without stepping inside a formal cooking classroom, Raffaele learned to cook. Day in and day out Raffaele would call home to his Mom, his Grandmother, his Aunts and Uncles and work through those old Italian recipes. He would cook – so he could eat. Raffaele was like most immigrants, his talents were born out of necessity.

This video is of Raffaele sharing childhood memories of his mother cooking meatballs on Sundays. The meatballs on the menu are inspired by his mother's meatballs.

Thank you Raffaele for an amazing meal!!!

Shopkeepers Secrets #11: RBBTS

2013-04-19T17:30:00.000-04:00

Meet Tom, owner of Rabbits (RBBTS) on our Central Village/ Soho Tour!

MUST EAT ITEM: Tom eats a hamburger from the shop every day. To him, it is the perfect “feel good” food. Made with marinated premium ground beef from Pino’s Prime Meat Market up the street on a brioche bun from Grandaisy Bakery in TriBeCa with lettuce tomato and cheese. Tom made mine with muenster and after he raved about their bacon, I just had to add it to my burger.

Now, I have been bit of a “burger connoisseur” around NYC and this is up there with the best! The extra step of marinating the meat is what sets this burger apart from the rest. Unfortunately for us, the recipe is top secret!

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW: Tom’s recipes are full of secrets and these secrets are one of the many things that set this sandwich shop apart from others. When I asked Tom where he gets his bacon he said “outer space” and I believe him, it was out of this world!

Simple breakfast sandwiches are brought to a new level with Tom’s “secret” egg seasoning that gives the eggs a home-style fluffy quality. I stopped in the next morning for Tom’s go-to breakfast sandwich “The American” with bacon, scrambled eggs and American cheese on a toasted brioche roll. The most popular breakfast sandwich is “The Bedford” with turkey, scrambled egg, avocado, muenster cheese and spinach on multigrain… hmmm… maybe tomorrow…

"The American"

Don’t let all of the secrets make you feel like you’re an outsider. Rabbits is probably the most chill place on all of our tours. You feel more like you’re hanging out at a friend’s house than at a café. They want customers to get what they want and are more than happy to customize their menu items to your liking. Everything is made to order, so as they say if your impatient call ahead. But I suggest you order a glass of their homemade fresh squeezed lemonade (which Tom admits to drinking way too much of) and relax. You become cooler and cooler every minute you hang out at Rabbits.

Stick around long enough and you wont be able to resist the organic triple chocolate chip cookies… They are magical!

Shopkeepers Secrets #10: Lucy's Whey

2013-04-12T12:32:00.000-04:00

Meet Nathan, manager of Lucy’s Whey on our Chelsea Market/ Meatpacking District Tour!

MUST EAT ITEM: Nathan is obsessed with the grilled cheddar and fig sandwich, which we taste on the Chelsea Market Tour!

Made with Cabot Vermont Cheddar and Mitica Fig Jam (the jam is sold at Lucy’s Whey) it’s the perfect combination of sweet and salty that Nathan craves. Every day, he finds a way to sneak away to their hidden office under the stairs before of after the daily lunch crowd descends on the market to have one. (How very Harry Potter of him.)

“The mission of Lucy’s Whey is to showcase quality American cheeses, support the craftspeople and farms who make and grow good food, and educate the public about artisan cheeses.” All of their cheeses are carefully selected, but when asked for some highlights, Nathan says his “comfort cheese” is the Pleasant Ridge Reserve, an Alpine style cheese similar to a Gruyere.

If you’re planning a wine and cheese party, Nathan recommends the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, because it’s sure to please both cheese experts and cheese novices.

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW: Speaking of wine and cheese party… don’t overlook the importance of the presentation of your cheese. Lucy’s Whey has beautiful olive wood cheese boards that are handmade in Tunisia. Or if you want to stick with the American theme, they also carry boards by Brooklyn Slate Company. A must have for any NYC “foodie.” Either one will definitely take your next party up a notch.

Alas, all parties must come to an end and maybe you have some left over cheese… I’m guilty of throwing it in a ziplock and saying goodnight… if I’m being diligent, I’ll wrap it in plastic wrap, but Nathan informed me that is not a good idea either. Plastic wrap suffocates your cheese, which masks the flavor and increases spoilage. Nathan recommends purchasing “Cheese Paper” (sold in the store). A two-ply paper, one side standard butcher paper, the other has a film that allows the cheese to breath and gives it the right amount of humidity.

A small price for such a precious commodity.

Recipe: Easy Summer Cucumber Salad

2013-04-10T14:34:00.001-04:00

Recipe courtesy of Original Greenwich Village Tour Guide Sephrah!

Yield: 2-3 side dish servings

Ingredients:

2 large cucumbers diced

¼ red onion chopped

1 tsp. dill chopped

3 Tb. O&CO. MINT OLIVE OIL

2 Tb. O&CO. WHITE BALSAMIC

½ lemon juiced

Dash of black pepper

1/2 clove minced garlic

Pinch cinnamon

¼ cup golden raisins

2 Tb. O&CO. OLIVE OIL

Sea salt to taste

Directions:

Mix cucumbers, red onion, gill, mint olive oil, white balsamic, lemon juice, black pepper, garlic, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl.

Heat golden raisins and olive oil in pan until plump. Add a pinch of sea salt.

Let stand 5 minutes and add to the above mixture.

Shopkeepers Secrets #9: Home

2013-04-05T16:30:00.002-04:00

Meet John Cordova, Chef of Home Restaurant on our Original Greenwich Village Tour!

MUST EAT ITEM: You MUST try John’s signature savory cheesecake with artichoke hearts and Benton’s Country Ham topped with tomato caper salad.

Of course, cheesecake is a must have on any trip to NYC, but John’s savory version brings the experience to a whole new and more sophisticated level. After some diligent “taste testing”… Rachel, the manager of Home Restaurant recommends pairing it with the Shinn Estate Red. A wine made by the founders of Home Restaurant David Page and Barbara Shinn who now spend full time at their winery on North Fork of Long Island. The wine & cheesecake pairing is often offered for $15 during happy hour from 5pm to 7pm.

Rachel

It’s an exciting time at Home Restaurant! This past Thursday, April 4^th they celebrated their 20^th Anniversary with a 4-course prix fixe that combined “throwback classics” and new favorites including the savory cheesecake. They are also getting ready to launch their new spring menu. Home prides itself on serving local seasonal produce and John is looking forward to having more options with the changing season. I took John’s suggestion and tried the duck liver mousse cooked in sherry, probably not something I would order without a personal push from the Chef and I was pleasantly surprised and would encourage more people to give it a try.

John also recommended the roasted pork shank with spring beans (right now, gigante), wilted greens and spring onion which was melt in your mouth delicious!

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW: All amazing suggestions… but what does John eat on a regular basis?!? Like many restaurants, the staff has a “family meal” at about 4pm before the restaurant opens for dinner. John usually takes a back seat and lets his kitchen staff do their thing. Yaya makes a mean meatloaf wrapped in bacon… hmmm that might be a fun addition the menu.... And for a restaurant that specialized in local cuisine, John loves when Alejandro makes Mexican food. John will soak beans ahead of time to give Alejandro a hint that it’s time to go south of the border.

After the restaurant closes it’s home to his family in Brooklyn, but “if it’s a good night” he’ll first cap it off (and you can too!) with a Bulleit Rye on the rocks, which I had the honor of John’s company for a round after I finished my meal.

I hope it was a good night… it sure was for me!

Shopkeepers Secrets #8: Emporio

2013-03-29T16:52:00.001-04:00

Meet Paul, Sous Chef at Emporio on our Nolita/ Noho Tour!

MUST EAT ITEM: Paul confesses he is “boring” when choosing what to eat before Emporio gets busy with the dinner crowd. He could eat pasta every day and his favorite is the Pappardelle Ragu, hand cut spinach pasta with traditional Bolognese “sugo” (aka sauce). The secret is the meat! Beef, veal and the end of the prosciutto instead of the commonly used parmigiano reggiano rind for flavor. And I gotta tell you, it is NOT boring!

Emporio is known for their Roman style pizzas, which you can try on our Nolita/ Noho Tour. Paul is partial to the classic Margarita and says it definitely stacks up to the pizza he tried on his trip to Italy.

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW: You can experience Emporio on many levels; happy hour is from 5:00 to 6:30 where you can enjoy $5 house wine and complimentary slices of pizza, olives and polenta bites.

Then head to the romantic back dining room with the giant skylight and enjoy the daily specials, which is where the chef and his staff get to experiment and have fun. I took Paul’s recommendation and tried the wild striped bass with pureed leeks, Brussels sprouts and Umbrian lentils, which was absolutely gorgeous!

Shopkeepers Secrets #7: Masala Times

2013-03-23T12:22:00.000-04:00

Meet Rahul, Manager of Masala Times on our Central Village/ Soho Food Tour!

MUST EAT ITEM: Is an Indian food menu overwhelming to you? Take a tip from Masala Times manager Rahul who rotates between Chicken Achari (pickled chicken kebab, pictured), Keema Pav (minced lamb cooked with spices) and the baby lamb chops marinated in yogurt and spices. If he just he needs a little bite he goes for a kathi roll (Indian street food made with a variety of fillings and wrapped with flat bread). Rahul’s favorites are the Chana Masala roll (chickpeas sautéed with onions and peppers, pictured) or the Lamb Bhuna roll (spicy minced lamb wrapped in a roll). Rahul also drinks about 4 Thums Up (a cola beverage that is slightly less sweet) a night!!! Masala Times is open LATE, 3am on weekdays and 5am on weekends… if I had to work that late, I’d probably drink 4 Thums Up too…

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW: “Achari” is a general term for pickles in India. Due to India’s hot temperatures, most vegetables are sun-dried with spices like mustard, fenugreek, chili powder, salt or tumeric naturally “pickling” (preserving) them. For the Chicken Achari, Masala Times marinates chicken in yogurt and pickled peppers. Other common Indian pickles include: gooseberry, mango, lime, lemon, citron, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, onions, and gongura (a leafy edible plant grown in India).

Shopkeepers Secrets #6: Ronnybrook Milk Bar

2013-03-16T12:19:00.000-04:00

Meet Aylon, General Manager of Ronnybrook Milk Bar on our Chelsea Market/ Meatpacking District Tour and his friend and co-worker Carlos.

MUST EAT ITEM: Ice cream and milkshakes!!! Aylon has favorite ice cream flavors AND favorite milkshake flavors but never the twain shall meet. He feels pretty strongly that each flavor works best in its 'proper' format. For ice cream: strawberry, blueberry or chocolate hazelnut. For milkshakes: blueberry pomegranate, black & white or apple pie. I’ll take one of each J

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW: Ronnybrook started out as a small ice cream stand and has evolved into a fun 1950’s style café where you can get a savory (or sweet) sit down meal. Aylon eats their homemade hummus (a non-dairy option you wouldn’t expect) every single day!

Carlos and the other staff members joke that he has hummus running through his veins. Aylon’s go-to sandwich is the free-range roasted chicken with fresh mozzarella, basil, tomato and spicy aioli.

These delicious and healthy options make it A-OK to have dessert too!

Shopkeepers Secrets #5: Little Cupcake Bakeshop

2013-03-09T12:17:00.000-05:00

Meet Luigi, one of the 4 cousins behind Little Cupcake Bakeshop on our Nolita/ Noho Tour!

MUST EAT ITEM: Luigi’s current favorite is his newest creation, the hummingbird cake (banana, pineapple and walnut) usually served with the cream cheese frosting, but Luigi improves on perfection by topping it with peanut butter cream cheese frosting. Combining his favorite things, peanut butter and bananas. Right now it is a special but will be added to the menu soon and I can’t wait to try it! Luigi’s go to cupcake is the Dreaming Princess, almond cake with vanilla buttercream, raspberry preserves and meringue topped with toasted almonds. Their specialty is traditional American desserts and nothing is more classic than pistachio ice box cake. Luigi also says customers shouldn’t over look the oatmeal butterscotch cookie. Stop by and give it a little love.

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW: The staff is constantly experimenting with ingredients, which is how a lot of their creations come to life. “I absolutely eat sweets all day, everyday. We are ALL constantly surrounded by sugar and are all obsessed with what we have to offer as a sweetshop. There are new concoctions and old favorites being munched on all day long.” Sounds like a tough day at the office ;-)

Shopkeepers Secrets #4: O & Co.

2013-03-02T12:10:00.000-05:00

Meet Justin, manager of O & Co. on our Original Greenwich Village Tour!

MUST EAT ITEM: Justin really does love the white truffle salt as much as he says he does (when presenting to the tours) and puts it on everything. Another daily ritual is vegetables cooked with the Salt& Herbs mix. In the winter, Justin’s go to recipe for entertaining is O & Co’s Pici Pasta with his homemade lamb ragu (I want that recipe!) and for cozy nights at home, the chili pepper penne with vodka sauce. In the summer, he makes bean salad with the Purple Basil Vinegar.

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW: If you have taken our Greenwich Village Tour, you know Home Restaurant’s motto “Fine Wine, Fine Ketchup.” Well, O & Co. has fine ketchup for sale! Made with chili pepper, lavender and no high fructose corn syrup. “It actually tastes like tomatoes” says Justin who also recommends using in place of cocktail sauce.

Thanks for the tips Justin!

Sharing the Love via Blogger Appreciation

2013-02-25T00:37:00.005-05:00

We've been getting a lot of love in the blogosphere lately. And while I know that all of you follow our every word on Twitter and therefore know all about these write-ups, I thought I'd share them again for you here just in case. It always makes me so happy to see the reviews we get on Zerve or the feedback we receive otherwise; obviously the whole point of Foods of New York Tours is for people to have fun, so when they do I know we've done our jobs!

So here is some of the recent blog love we've gotten, in no particular order. If you've written a blog about your experience on a Foods of New York Tour, make sure to tell us about it in comments, at @FoodsofNewYork on Twitter, or on the FNYT Facebook page!

The Taste of Travel's "Original Greenwich Village Tour Review"

Cailin took our newest tour, the Nolita/NoHo food tour, last year and then returned for a taste of Greenwich Village last summer. In her recent writeup, she writes that she lives by the rule of "try everything once,"which sounds like a great attitude to have on a food tour!

Behold: the arancini! Perfection from Faicco's.
(photo via thetasteoftravel.com)

"Greenwich Village's name should soon be changed to Gourmet Village," Cailin writes, and I don't disagree. She jubilantly describes Murray's Cheese Shop as "Cheese Heaven" and vouches that our tour guides are nearly un-stumpable; they seem to know everything about the neighborhood and the shops. Thanks, Cailin! That's what we were going for.

Vancouver Foodie Tours' "Chelsea Market & Meatpacking District Tour"

As you can imagine, giving a tour to professional tour guides can be one of the more difficult tasks; they know how it should be done! But even coming from Vancouver Foodie Tours in Canada, Michelle seems to have had a great time with tour guide Diana on our Chelsea Market tour.

Cupcakes at Eleni's
(photo via foodietours.ca)

She has lots of great stuff to say about all the food she tasted, but for Michelle, the crumpets from Sarabeth's "stole the show." Now I want one, too...

In addition to wandering around the varied shops in Chelsea Market, Michelle says she learned a lot beyond food. The tour is "packed with lots of interesting information about the history and the culture of the Chelsea Market and Meatpacking District" and comes highly recommended by her.

Whew. I'm glad we could impress a fellow food tour creator!

TheEatison's "Eating Our Way Around New York"

Ellie took our Greenwich Village tour a year ago for her birthday but just recently wrote this excellently-recalled recap of the tour.

Ellie & her boyfriend enjoy the tour
(photo via theeatison.wordpress.com)

She took the tour on recommendation from her parents -- good job, Ellie's parents! -- and has two pieces of advice: book in advance and don't eat breakfast beforehand!

Ellie insists in this blog post that she had never eaten macaroni & cheese before stopping at Home Restaurant on the tour. This seems kind of impossible to me, but I'll take her word for it. Not a bad introduction to mac & cheese, though, if I may say so.

"This was creamy, cheesy, rich but not too rich, crispy on top and most importantly well seasoned," she writes. "This was my favourite restaurant we visited and we went back for a full meal the night after." This girl learns fast!

Shopkeepers Secrets #3: Caffe Dante

2013-02-23T12:08:00.000-05:00

Meet Mario (owner of Caffe Dante on our Central Village/ Soho Tour) and his son Anthony.

MUST EAT ITEM: The first thing out of Mario’s mouth when asked what he would choose if he could only have one item from his shop for the rest of his life, was their homemade tiramisu! Praise also goes to the homemade Italian cheesecake. I took Anthony’s suggestions and took home the string bean and potato salad, which was amazing! This is going to become a new habit for me… along with the tuna sandwich with roasted peppers and bufala mozzarella on ciabatta bread.

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW: Caffe Dante opened in 1915, but that doesn’t mean they don’t keep up with food trends. They recently added eggplant “meat” balls, meatballs made out of eggplant instead of meat, and innovative alternative to the carnivorous option.

Shop Life on the Lower East Side

2013-02-22T02:35:00.004-05:00

Earlier this week, most of the Foods of New York Tours staff took the Tenement Museum's newest tour: Shop Life. Tenements are an important facet of downtown Manhattan history -- as those of you who have taken our Greenwich Village tour know -- and the Tenement Museum has a handful of tours that feature different aspects of tenement life.

As a part of the on-going training of our tour guides, we took the Shop Life tour to learn more about the history and culture that shapes the city. The Lower East Side sits adjacent or very close to virtually every neighborhood in which we offer tours, so its history is particularly relevant for our guides.

Foods of New York tour guides listen to our Shop Life guide, Annie.

A tenement, for the uninitiated, is a multiple-occupancy building, usually pejorative and referring to particularly run-down sets of apartments or those with otherwise squalid conditions. In New York City, these buildings were occupied by the working poor and featured communal toilets and water taps squeezed between them. (It was not a particularly sanitary time in our history.)

Photos via the Tenement Museum

Many of the tenements featured storefronts on the first floors. The tour featured 97 Orchard Street, which was most notably home to a German lager saloon, a kosher butcher shop, a Depression-era auction house, and a hosiery store in its 100+ year history, among many other uses. We explored whether a shop shapes a community or vice versa (our conclusion: it's both) while learning about the many tenants of the space.

One of the coolest things we learned on the tour was about rats. Most New Yorkers, understandably, despise rats and their presence. But historians have a different perspective: rats building nests pull little bits of history into the walls and, in the process, preserve them. The photo above features a piece of a German-language newspaper -- from the 19th Century when the Lower East Side was Kleindeutschland (Little Germany) -- and a doll's head recovered from creases in the fireplace and the walls. These little tidbits sometimes give historians far more than they would have gleaned otherwise. Thanks, rats!

Shopkeepers Secrets #2: Eleni's Bakery

2013-02-16T12:03:00.000-05:00

Meet Amber (Merchandising Director of Eleni’s New York on our Chelsea Market/ Meatpacking District Tour)

MUST EAT ITEM: The sugar cookie (AKA: The Conversation Cookie).

Amber says never before has she tasted a sugar cookie that wowed her so much and the details (as seen in this years OSCAR nominee cookies) are unlike anything she's (and we've) ever seen!

A broken cookie or a new item always means it’s time for customer samples (and snacks for the staff!). On our visit to Eleni's, and as an homage to our northern neighbor, we tried the Boston Cream Cupcake.

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW: Although Eleni is known for her Conversation Cookies, she actually started her business with her Mother’s oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. At first, she didn’t even have a storefront but instead, ran a small catering business out of her New York apartment. Now, we can all dream a bit bigger.

Home Sweet Home (on Cornelia Street)

2013-02-14T00:59:00.002-05:00

We haven't directly interviewed Director of Operations Amy yet, but we've seen a little bit of her on the blog in the past. Here's her food tour love story.

And if you're looking to cement a food tour love story of your own, don't forget to get your honey a food tour gift certificate for Valentine's Day!

You had an interesting career path. How did you end up working for a food tour company?

In the Spring of 2006 I found myself suddenly single in NYC. To fill my spacious Saturdays I decided I needed a new hobby.

I was working at New York University full time as a Career Counselor when one of my co-workers performed some after-hours career crisis counseling on me in an effort to find my post-work passion. Late at night in a dimly lit office, she reminded me of my insane love for NYC and of my strong family history with its Shop Life.

I needed to fill my weekends with love.

And there is no better boyfriend, no more charming chap, no more consistent companion, than The City itself. So I became a weekend tour guide in 2006 and loved every moment of it.

I loved it so much that two years later I had an unexpected career change: I quit my day job (except for my Adjunct Teaching at NYU) and starting working full time (behind the scenes) as the Director of Operations for Foods of New York Tours. And I never looked back.

How did Foods of New York Tours help you meet your significant other? Tell us the story.

I'm a romantic. My boss Todd, the owner of FNYT, often says that I romanticize everything. And NYC -- with its MOMA and the Met and its italianate style cornices and corinthian columns -- is an easy place to find romance, even if solely in our architecture.

And so it was no surprise that I also looked for love and romance when giving tours. I often hoped that one of those Wisconsin women or Louisiana ladies would offer to fix me up with her Brooklyn-based son. But that never happened.

One cool November night in 2010, while making my rounds in the neighborhood and dropping off our food orders for the next day, I stopped in to chat with Chef Carey at a sweet little spot on our Greenwich Village Tour called Home Restaurant.

This was always my very last stop of the day, since I conveniently live right across the street from the restaurant on Cornelia Street. I noticed that behind the bar was a seemingly smart and somewhat offbeat guy who, although he had worked at Home part time for 10 years, I had never seen before.

It was an instant connection and palpable chemisty. There was no rhyme or reason in my head, just something in the air. In the timespan of my 5 minute visit, Tim quickly shared with me (and wanted me to know, I suspected) that he not only worked at Home, but he was also a later-in-life (Tim is 42 and Amy, 38) college student -- a fact that greatly intrigued the career counselor in me. Tim wanted me to know that he was more than what I saw behind the bar.

The next day, I was making my rounds and saw Chef Carey again on Cornelia Street on her way to Murray's Cheese Shop to pick up some items for the evening's menu. She asked if Tim could have my number. Before she finished her sentence I said yes. One date, and the future was essentially sealed.

Tim and I had spent the last 5 years in the very same neighborhood but due to our differing schedules, never crossed paths until that night.

What does he think about FNYT and your job here?

He loves it! In fact, my deep romantic love for NYC and for my job with FNYT has actually inspired Tim to find his own passions and to select his career path with care.

Tim has since finished his BA degree in Art History and History and his Masters is now underway at Queens College in Library Science. He loves libraries and books and art and hopes to find a job at the New York Public Library or one of NYC great museums working with archives and preservation of materials.

He's currently working at a hidden subterranean library only accessible from underground, just off the 6 train path. Art, architecture, NYC history and hidden city secrets are passions we both share. Tim did it all on his own, most of it before I even met him - but maybe with a little help from his career-counseling, tour-guiding, soon-to-be-wife.

If you don't mind me asking... what's next for you two?

Tim and I will be married this summer in The Hamptons, my home town. Tim proposed in the very spot where my Grandfather's Army-Navy store once stood from 1936 to 1997 (West 15th Street & 11th Ave in NYC - Madison's Men's Shop). He reminded me that on our first two dates I did not let him come upstairs into my apartment. He even brought me flowers and apparently I ran upstairs to put them in water and made him wait downstairs in the cold December courtyard.

Finally, on that third date, I let him in. Once in my apartment I proceeded to show him the published David Mamet novel that highlights my Grandfather and his shop and the framed New York Times article that does the same. Tim said he knew how special the spot was to me and my family and then... he proposed right there.

Can I see the ring?

The center diamond was a found object. About 10 years ago I was dining at Joe's Stone Crab restaurant in Miami, FL and when finished I headed out to the Valet Parking waiting area. I looked down and noticed something shiny. I picked up what looked like a diamond stud earring. I didn't know if was real or not but went inside and left my name and number if anyone asked about lost jewelry. Turns out it was real. I debated about getting a traditional engagement ring but Tim and I decided to turn that diamond into a lovely ring -- we felt it was fate that I found it and good luck, too.

Love in the Time of Food Tours

2013-02-10T21:35:00.004-05:00

In honor of Valentine's Day later this week, we've got a special theme for you this week... Love! More than one Foods of New York Tours employee has found love on a tour. First, let's listen to Kerrianne's story about meeting Roy on the Original Greenwich Village Tour.

And if you want to bring the special person in your life on a tour, check out FNYT Gift Certificates as a gift for Valentine's Day this year!

From Kerrianne...

I have been working as a tour guide at Foods of New York Tours since April 2010. Currently I work as a tour guide on the Original Greenwich Village Tour, but in the past I have worked in the office setting up tours and doing the behind-the-scenes set up for the Chelsea Market Meatpacking District Tour.

Foods of New York has helped me meet so many wonderful people from around the world! Most importantly, it helped me meet the most special person in my life. Roy is a sommelier and worked at Centro Vinoteca on the Greenwich Village Tour.

Throughout the summer of 2011, Roy and I got to know each other little by little when the tour would stop for the tasting at Centro. After a few months when we really started to click, I would sometimes return to Centro after my tour to chat while enjoying a delicious Le Marche Sangiovese.

Roy and Kerrianne at Moorish Castle
in Sintra, Portugal - August 2012

Finally in December 2011, when Roy left his gig at Centro, we exchanged phone numbers and went on our first date at restaurant in the West Village called Extra Virgin. We really connected over a bottle of wine and tapas so we continued the night at Vol de Nuit, a Belgian beer bar on West 4th Street. We have happily been together ever since then! :)

Roy loves that I am a tour guide in the Village. We are both history nerds so any trivia knowledge and tidbits are well respected. He has never taken the Greenwich Village Tour but gets an earful of history when we hang out in the area. We are both flattered to be included on this post!

Shopkeepers Secrets #1: Joe's Pizza

2013-02-09T12:06:00.000-05:00

We're excited to introduce our SHOPKEEPERS SECRETS SERIES: Find out what NYC's shopkeepers MUST EAT at their own shop?

Meet Joe (owner of Joe's Pizza on our Greenwich Village Tour) and his Grandson Sal.

MUST EAT ITEM: Their 1^st choice is the (often overlooked) fresh mozzarella slice although they're all-inclusive: “We serve what we like. If you want something else, you gotta go somewhere else.”

Joe also loves the corner of the Sicilian just out of the oven (I waited around for one myself and agree it was pretty mind blowing!)

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW: Sal saves the imperfect slices for himself. It might look like he’s throwing them away, but he secretly puts them aside for his lunch. Thanks for taking one for the team, Sal.

Meet the Guide: Bert (Part 2)

2013-02-06T23:02:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week, I shared a little bit of my interview with tour guide Bert. He gives the Greenwich Village Tour and the Chinatown Tour. Bert and I chatted for a while, and there's more I want to share with you. Read on for some of his favorite (weird but delicious-sounding) foods, how he got his start cooking, and a little something you may not have known about him.

Are you a savory person or a sweet person?

Both. At the same time. As much as possible. I am all about sweet, spicy, savory, everything together.

One of my favorite desserts is a scoop of vanilla ice cream with an aged Maltese syrupy balsamic vinegar and a handful of salted popcorn crunched up over the ice cream. So you have sweet, you have savory, you have salty, you have crunchy… just everything you need. That's one of my favorite things on the planet.

And in the summer, one of my favorite salads is fennel, strawberries, also with balsamic vinegar, and a little bit of prosciutto.

[Helena's note: Hungry yet?]

Bert, Todd, and Raheem checked out ABC Chinese Restaurant
from the Explore Chinatown Tour earlier this week.

You mentioned you cook all the time. Is that utilitarian thing, or are you a good cook?

I like to think I'm a good cook. I'm a terrible baker. The only two things I bake are biscuits and a pie crust, and those are my grandmother's recipes. And my grandmother and my mother are amazing cooks -- both of them. My earliest memories are in the kitchen with my grandmother cooking. But I learned really early that if I'm in the kitchen, then I don't have to be in the yard working, and I liked that. I'm from Alabama.

About a year ago, I had my grandmother write out a bunch of her recipes so I'll always have them in her handwriting. Simple little stuff like soups and church lady casserole and that kind of thing. So I do a lot of that and just kind of put my own stuff into it. All my friends know they can come over and be fed.

What's something that your tour takers might not know about you?

I want to host a cooking, travel TV show. This job is the best on-the-ground training for something like that.

I love the origin stories of anything, especially food. And it's why I love my job: because I love the city, I love the city's history, and to be able to tell the city's history through food is just the best thing ever.

I wanna have something that no one's ever done. I watch these people on TV, and it seems very much like they're reading a script, not being sincere about what they're talking about. I want it to be spontaneous, where real, true experiences can come across better.

What do you think differentiates Foods of New York Tours from other tours?

Todd and Amy are awesome. They really care about the company. Every single tour guide really wants to give a good tour, really knows their stuff, and really wants to show people a good time. That sincerity and that genuineness is so great.

The training is amazing, and every tour guide has their own thing. Some are more about the food, some are more about the history, some are quirky, some are funny -- everyone has their thing.

I think it's that desire to really show people a good time. You can be as organized as you want, you can have all the facts, but if you show up and you're on autopilot with your tour, you're not being in the moment, and I think that shows.

Bert went on to tell me about how every tour he's given during his two years as a guide has had at least one group who had taken the tour before. Every time! People take the tours over and over again. Amazing.

Which reminds me! Next week, a week from today, is the big day: Valentine's Day! If you're still scrambling for a gift, then scramble no more: get a Foods of New York Tours gift certificate.

It's a fun date for you and your Valentine. Or, you know, if you're in one of those non-committal, more-than-friends relationships, this works for you, too. What better way to say, "I think you're kinda great!" than to ask someone to spend an afternoon eating food with you? Perfect.

Meet the Guide: Bert (Part 1)

2013-02-04T09:54:00.000-05:00

Last week, Bert sat down with me at one of my favorite French bakeries. Patisserie Claude has some of the best croissants I've had in New York City and the creamiest latte you could ever hope for. It's definitely a great place to sit down and get to know of the Foods of New York tour guides a little better.

Tour guide Bert at Patisserie Claude in Greenwich Village

How did you get started with Foods of New York Tours?

Basically I harassed Todd for about five years. I knew him from my first tour guide job as a chocolate tour guide. And they used Zerve, as well, so I kinda knew him from that. Hanging out in the Village, I would see the tours going around.

He said "I'm not hiring right now, email me every month and remind me." So I emailed him every month for about five years until about a year and a half ago, when he called and said, "If you're still interested, I have a position." Basically, harassment is how I got the job.

[Helena's note: Please don't email Todd every month asking for a job, dear readers.]

What is your favorite NYC neighborhood?

I live in Bushwick, and I like it. I have a backyard, I love to garden, and I have a grill out there. I cook every day. But my favorite neighborhood -- it sounds cheesy -- but it's Greenwich Village. I've hung out in this neighborhood for years and years, I just love it. It's a great neighborhood, a great little community.

My job in the office is mostly dropping off the orders and keeping a good relationship with the shops, which I like because I like to talk. I go in and I chat with all the different shops for a good 20 minutes each. I feel like I'm a part of the community. I definitely feel like I have more of a connection with Greenwich Village than I do with my own neighborhood.

Is that the main part of keeping a good relationship with the shops?

It's definitely one of them. It would be so much easier to call or email, but it's that face-to-face interaction every day that sets us apart. We don't just show up the day of the tour; it's about letting them know that we're part of the neighborhood. Plus, I like everyone at the shops so I like going around and talking to everybody.

What's one place that everyone, New Yorker and tourist alike, has to go to?

Keens Steakhouse. It's not in the best part of town -- I mean there's really no good reason to go up there unless you're a tourist going to the Empire State Building -- but it's just an amazing steakhouse. Everyone goes on about Peter Luger, and that's another good one, but Keens is just an amazing steakhouse. I love a good, thick, awesome cut of steak. There is nothing you can have there that would be bad. It's a little touristy, but everyone should go to Keens.

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Bert is adorable, and he gives the Original Greenwich Village Tour and the Explore Chinatown Tour. Stay tuned; later this week, we'll be hearing about Bert's favorite food and his time in the kitchen with his grandmother.

From Food to Literary Ghosts: Part 2

2013-01-30T00:16:00.000-05:00

Last week, some of our tour guides took a literary tour of Greenwich Village. (Make sure to read part 1!) The tour continued outside the home of novelist Dawn Powell (1896-1965). Sadly, she has been somewhat lost to history but was a prolific and influential author.

Hopefully the guides are following their own winter weather advice!

Since it was 20 degrees outside, the guide limited the time that they'd have to be exposed to the elements. (Note the prevalence of the puffy coat in this photo.) Here he is talking about Powell's home, 106 Perry Street, which was also a speakeasy at the time. The tour guide recommended her book Wicked Pavillion.

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Next, they stopped at Kettle of Fish (which looks like "kettle offish" in the URL). It's not in its original location from the 1960s; now it occupies a space that was a different literary bar back in the day. The tour guide read them two excerpts from the famous On the Road because Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) used to be a regular there.

Kerouac in front of Kettle of Fish (photo
by Jerry Yulsman), and the same sign today.

The city is filled with rich layers of history, of culture, of stories. It sounds corny, but culture tours are such good reminders of this. The very streets we walk have been populated by many generations of artists, thinkers, people with their own hopes and dreams and concerns. I don't want to get too sappy on you, so I'll just leave you with one of my favorite Kerouac quotes:

"One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple."

-Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums

From Food to Literary Ghosts: Part 1

2013-01-28T09:05:00.000-05:00

Tour guide education is an on-going process. We can't just write the tour script, hand it to a new tour guide, and force them to memorize it. That's not how you get great tours. As often as possible, we take our tour guides out into the neighborhood to meet the chefs, eat the food, and learn more about the culture and history. It's also a great way for the tour guides to spend time together and get to know each other, since most of their time is otherwise spent giving tours.

Last week, we went on a private Greenwich Village Literary Pub Crawl tour to learn even more about the neighborhood. The pub crawlers included tour guides from our Greenwich Village food tour and our Central Village/SoHo food tour, as well as owner Todd and Director of Operations Amy.

Full group shot of the day: Cindy, Barri,

Todd, Susan, Ted, Amy, Bert, Heather, and Marie.

They began the tour at The White Horse Tavern, which opened in 1880 and is one of the oldest continuously running bars in NYC. The most famous legend is that the poet Dylan Thomas drank himself to death here in the '50s. Dylan Thomas is probably most famous for his line, "Do not go gentle into that good night."

According to Heather, this is a bit of an exaggeration. "He did drink 17 whiskeys," she concedes. "Then he went back to the Chelsea Hotel and had one more and passed out. But! He woke up the next day, went back to the bar, then passed out on his way out and ended up in the hospital." Apparently, he died a few days later of an "insult to the brain." No kidding!

Bert sits at Dylan Thomas' favorite table.

Thomas is said to haunt his favorite table at the White Horse, which also hangs a painting of one of the last photos ever taken of him. He died in 1953 at the age of 39, having spent the last three years of his life in the United States after growing up in the United Kingdom. An excerpt of his most famous work:

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Stay tuned for part 2, featuring Heather outside in the freezing cold and the ghost of Thomas Paine.

What to Wear on a Tour: Winter Advice from Guides

2013-01-16T01:00:00.004-05:00

After giving some general advice earlier this week on what to wear when taking a winter walking tour, I reached out to the tour guides for some specific tips on what gets them through those colder days in New York City. They, after all, are the ones trudging around in the snow and slush every day. With planning and proper layering, though, they all insist it's easily manageable! Let's take a look at their wisdom:

I like to stop by David's Tea and drink hot Oolong tea to warm my insides.
-Kerrianne
Original Greenwich Village Tour Guide

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When it comes to boots: when there is snow or rain or slush, they should be rain boots because you don't want to ruin your leather boots. I have Hunter Boots and love trudging through puddles because I know no matter what my feet won't get wet. I also suggest the Welly socks that come with them.
-Heather
Original Greenwich Village Tour Guide

Barri in action. Photo by Mariko Ono Bender.

Keeping warm during the cold time of year?
I use a little method called denial!
Gets me through.
-Marie
Original Greenwich Village Tour Guide

I try to buy a colorful pair of gloves each winter to brighten up my mood on those gloomy days!!
-Barri
Guide for Chelsea Market Tour, Original Greenwich Village Tour, and Central Village Tour

I knit very long scarves that can be wrapped several times and keep an extra in my backpack. I usually encounter an attendee who is not dressed warmly enough and, after 1 or 2 offers, will take it.
I also carry hand warmers. On really cold days, I pass them around the group, usually people "forget" to give them back.
I've heard the warmest thing you can do is use your dog's hair and knit it into a sweater, but I am not going to do that. :) Mr. Bones needs every hair he has.
-Sephra
Original Greenwich Village Tour Guide

Sephrah knitted me a great pair of fingerless gloves so I can be warm and still talk with my hands!
-Amy
Guide and Director of Operations

A handful of guides also raved about UNIQLO's heattech long underwear as a life saver. Apparently it's thin and lightweight but super effective. Heather points out that they even come in funky patterns so you don't have to compromise style to keep warm!

So there you go. Now you've got every reason to get out of the house or office one afternoon this winter and take a stroll around a neighborhood -- familiar or unfamiliar -- with us. Or if you're doing exploring of your own and find something good, let us know about it!

What to Wear on a Tour: Winter

2013-01-14T09:51:00.000-05:00

Let's talk about the weather for a minute.

We're a company that spends a lot of time outdoors. We're not mountaineers or anything, but our guides and our customers spend a fair amount of time pounding the pavement in New York City at all times of the year and in all types of weather.

Photo by Belovodchenko Anton

So we get this question all the time: What do I wear? And it's a great question. If you've never taken one of our tours before, you don't know how much time you'll be spending in restaurants or on the street. Plus, if you're an out-of-towner, you don't know what different temperatures feel like in NYC. (Did you know that New York City has its own microclimate?)

The Basics
- We get all four seasons in New York: winter, spring, summer, and fall.
- Be comfortable! No need to be fancy for us; wear shoes you can walk in for a couple hours.
- Make sure to find out the windchill. If the air is 20° but the wind makes it feel like it's below 0°, then you'll need to make some adjustments!
- The tours take place both inside and outside, but you should dress to be comfortable outside for at least half an hour at a time, if not more.
- Our Chelsea Market tour takes place mostly inside, but all of our tours are a great deal of fun, even in inclement weather, as long as you're prepared.

We run our tours rain or shine, so let's get down to business!

What to Wear in 35 to 50° Weather (1.6 to 10° C)
On top: A short- or long-sleeved shirt with a sweater or extra layer is advisable.
On bottom: Any kind of pants, jeans, or leggings will do, keeping in mind that in the colder part of this range you will want heavier fabrics and thicker socks. Close-toed shoes, even boots, are a good idea.
Outerwear: You'll want a medium-weight jacket or coat, and as the temperatures get down to the 30s you should consider adding a scarf, gloves, and/or a hat to your ensemble.

What to Wear in 20 to 35° Weather (-6.6 to 1.6° C)
On top: Wear a long-sleeved shirt and a medium- or heavy-weight sweater.
On bottom: Add a pair of long underwear under your heavy pants or jeans and wear a pair of boots with thick socks if possible, especially if they're forecasting precipitation. Snow in New York is beautiful, but things get slushy and dirty pretty quickly.
Outerwear: A scarf is definitely necessary at these temperatures, and a hat is probably a great idea, as well. If you have a puffy coat, you'll want to break it out for this tour. If not, add a fleece or sweatshirt under your jacket.

You don't have to get bundled up like Randy to

be comfortable outside in NYC during the winter.

What to Wear in <20° Weather (less than -6.6° C)
On top: Layers. With a long underwear layer, a thermal, and a sweater, you'll be golden.
On bottom: Stick with the long underwear here and the heavy pants. Again, heavy socks and boots will keep your toes warm in the periods of time where you're not moving. If you're really susceptible to cold and the windchill looks bad, grab those toe warmers that skiers use.
Outerwear: Wear a hat that covers your ears and a scarf that really does its job (leave your fancy decorative scarves at home), especially if it's windy. A longer, puffy jacket is definitely preferable, and you'll want a pair of gloves for the beautiful neighborhood strolls between tastings.

Of course if you have any more questions or concerns, you should contact our office, and we'll be happy to help you out!

Brownies and Cookies and Muffins... Oh My!

2013-01-09T09:38:00.000-05:00

As I've mentioned before, it's not all fun and games over here at Foods of New York Tours. Not only do we spend some time cleaning up Greenwich Village every day, but we also have to eat all the food we talk about on the tours. It's pretty grueling.

We're always revamping our food and culture walking tours. Many of our customers like to visit us over and over again, and we like to keep things fresh with all the constant change happening in a city as intense New York.

Earlier this week, we did some research for a new for 2013 tasting we're considering adding to the Chelsea Market & Meatpacking District tour.

"Research," in this case, means "cookie eating."

(Click the photo to enlarge.)

Amy's Bread is a neighborhood favorite. Many great restaurants in NYC buy their fresh-baked bread from Amy's every day. They have a location on Bleecker Street near Murray's Cheese Shop, so we usually mention them on our Original Greenwich Village tour. But they also have a location in Chelsea Market, so we are trying to decide which of Amy's sweets we might add to the tour there.

Owner and fearless leader Todd, our new tour guide Ted, and operations mastermind Amy all tried each of the treats and discussed their respective merits. The coconut dream bars were the winner, and while I've never had them personally, they definitely look like something I want to try. (It's events like this that make me jealous I'm not in the office 100% of the time for incidental tasting.)

After eating pieces of five different dessert treats, Amy (operations mastermind, not to be confused with the name of the bakery) added an extra post-it reminder to one of the plates:

We're still not sure if we can fit Amy's Bread into a slightly updated tour, but now some more of the necessary research is behind us! Whew.

NYC Food Adventures: Planning for 2013

2013-01-07T09:42:00.000-05:00

If you thought this blog would never have cause to bring up eating the vocal chords of a pig, you were dead wrong.

But first, let's back up a little bit.

Happy New Year! From all of us at Foods of New York Tours, I'd like to say that I hope your 2012 holiday season was packed with food, friends, family, fun, or any combination of the above. Now, we've got a whole new calendar year that, as far as I know, doesn't have any predicted apocalypses. It'll be a totally new experience.

If you've got New Year's Resolutions -- food related or not -- let us know how you're doing so far! (I'm on a pseudo-vacation in Key West at the moment, so you can probably imagine that my health-related resolutions were not standing up so well this past weekend. But Key Lime Pie and daiquiris count as necessary rule-breakers, right?)

Okay, now back to the random parts of pigs that people eat...

At the end of the year, there is always much reflection and prediction. We've been tweeting some of the great stuff we've come across, and I'm sure you've seen some of the many lists for "best of 2012" and predictions for 2013. Here are 3 lists we really like regarding the NYC food scene.

30 Best NYC Sandwiches in 2012
I can't remember if we've discussed this before, but sandwiches are my absolute favorite category of food: the versatility, the diversity, the generally intent focus on cheese(s)... Serious Eats has this great rundown of the 30 best sandwiches of 2012 in New York City, and it would make the most serious sandwich expert blush.

There are two featured sandwiches from stops on our Nolita/NoHo tour that made the cut: the slow roasted short rib panino at Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria and the porchetta panino from Emporio.

Photo by tour taker Maria Painter Pariani

Where to Eat in 2013
We, of course, love to see the businesses we frequent get the recognition they deserve. Il Buco from the Nolita tour gets another nod, this time in New York Magazine's list of the Ten Best New Restaurants of 2012, which you definitely need to check out in 2013. These recommendations are not limited by area of town, cuisine, or price so they're truly the best of the best!

10 Food Trends to Look Out For
In 2010, it was the cupcake. Then came the rise of the upmarket fried chicken. Apparently, 2012 saw a fad of crispy pig ears (although I don't think I ate a single one, personally).

The New York Times brings us a rundown of ten food trends for 2013, including more adventurous cuts of pork, smoked everything, and barrel-aged hot sauce. Of course it's difficult to predict trends, but this all sounds good to me! (Except I could maybe do without the pig vocal chords and fish milt. But maybe I'm just being a stick in the mud.)