Christmas in New York

OahuAmateurChef · #1 12-10-2006, 12:44 AM

Well it's official. I bought plane tickets today to see my parents that live on Long Island today. This will be the first Xmas and new years I've spent with them in 8 years. Anyway, since then I have done some growing up (I moved away at 21, now 30 years old) and am almost overwhelmed with the culinary opportunities there. What to do what to see? Pizzas are high on the list and I will be sure to visit the most famous pizza places. I have so many foodnetwork "celebrities" I don't know which restaurant to look up and try to visit first.

Anybody willing to give so advice on fun NYC food ideas? High end French restaurants sound fabulous but they won't be appropriate for me for a few more years at least. I doubt I can even eat one meal in every chef's restaurant that I'd like to. I'll be happy with lots of pictures really.

blueschef · #2 12-10-2006, 02:29 PM

try some street vendors! there is some really cool ethnic foods there!

Suzanne · #3 12-22-2006, 10:12 AM

A few years ago a bunch of ChefTalk folks got together at Chelsea Market, which is now the home of the Food Network. Can't promise any celebrity sightings

but just walking around the market is great fun! There's a wine shop, several bakeries (including Amy's, which has its production facility in full view), the production facility for Hale and Hearty (the soup chain), Ronnybrook Dairy retail (get the ginger ice cream

), a butcher, fishmonger, Manhattan Fruit Exchange, a Thai grocery, smallwares, and Buon Italia, a terrific Italian grocery. And it's located in the newly-trendy Meat Market area, where there are lots of fancy shops (good for window-shopping) and restaurants (people-watching).

From there, you can take a crosstown bus to the Union Square Greenmarket (open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday). Even at this time of year there are lots of vendors with lots of great stuff to look at and talk to them about.

As for pizza: check out Time Out NY's recent articles. A lot of my friends prefer DiFara's, some really like Franny's -- a trip to Brooklyn in either case. I was disappointed in Grimaldi's on Old Fulton Street, but the search goes on!

Enjoy your visit!