In 2012 62 of New York’s restaurants received Michelin Stars, which is all fine and good but not everybody can afford to dine in these opulent eateries, and if you want the real taste of the Big Apple, you need to head a little more down market and even onto the street.
Pizza
New York style pizza stands out a head and shoulders above all others for its uniquely supper-thin and crispy bases. America’s first pizzeria was opened in Manhattan more than 100 years ago, and started this Italian staple on its road to becoming one of the most popular fast foods on the planet. Originally they had a simple cheese and tomato topping, but these days anything can find a place on the 18-inches of flat dough, including fried eggs, black pudding, cashew nuts, oysters, and even chocolate.
Hotdog
Ah, the lowly frankfurter; anybody who grew-up watching an American cop show will have at some point seen the heroes taking a short break from their crime fighting duties to queue at a street vendor selling this fine German sausage. It always looked so appealing as they buried the sausage and bun under a mountain of sauerkraut and splattered it with mustard and ketchup.
Cheesecake
Not for the faint hearted, this is a super-dense delight that you wouldn’t want to drop – partly because it’s a waste of food, but also because it could probably sink a ship. In 1872 a chef from New York, while trying to recreate a soft French cheese accidentally stumbled across a way of making a heavier creamier cheese. This found its way into the ancient Greek cake, and these days the New York style had added heart-stopping power with heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. An extravagant variant involved adding sour cream to the cooked cake and baking it for a second time. I can feel my left ventricle slamming shut just thinking about it.
Pretzels
This is another hugely popular street food for which we can thank the Germans. Introduced to America by German and Swiss-German immigrants known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, bakeries sprang up around the Pennsylvania countryside making these hard breads, famous for their knot shape. Before long they spread to the major cities including Chicago and Philadelphia, but New York became renowned for its soft pretzel.
Falafel
These deep fried balls made from ground chickpeas or fava beans originated in the Middle East, but before the 1970s it wasn’t found outside the Middle Eastern and Jewish districts. Prepared with spices onion and garlic, served in flat bread with salad, it became hugely popular as people turned to vegetarian and vegan diets.
New York holidays just wouldn’t be the same without trying all of these foods, so make sure you schedule time to sample all of the culinary delights of the city that never sleeps – maybe not all on the same day though.
(credit: The Treats Truck)
New York’s booming food truck scene has plenty of cuisines to choose from, especially when it comes to dessert. You can get everything from fresh, homemade chocolate chip cookies to soft serve cones stuffed with dulce de leche and dipped in chocolate. Here are the trucks you should be looking for when in need of something sweet. By Siobhan Wallace
Cake Batter Italian Ice
Italian ices are the quintessential warm weather treat. Made on Long Island with real fruit — not syrups– Andy’s Italian ices come in a plethora of flavors, including sour apple and, our favorite, cake batter. Their season starts April 1st, check their Twitter account (@AndysItalianIce) to track them down.
Salty Pimp
Big Gay Ice Cream Truck is really a Mr. Softee gone rogue. Not only is it sparkling clean inside, they offer so much more than just soft serve. Stop by for their infamous Salty Pimp, a cone filled with vanilla ice cream, pumped with decadent dulce de leche, sprinkled with sea salt, and dipped in chocolate. It’s salty, sweet, and everything you need from an ice cream cone. Check their Twitter (@biggayicecream) for their season opener, coming soon.
Ice Cream Sandwich
(credit: CoolHaus/Facebook)
Last year, this Los Angeles transplant brought their goods to the city. This truck takes ice cream sandwiches to another level–chewy, fresh cookies sandwiching creamy, homemade ice cream, both in a variety of flavors for the customer to mix and match at will. Check their Twitter (@CoolhausNY) for their daily landing spot.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
(credit: The Treats Truck)
Treats Truck burst onto the food truck scene full of delicious baked treats, much to the delight of fans and passers-by. Kim Ima bakes up her treats in Brooklyn before trucking them all over the city. Stop by for her fantastically chewy chocolate chip cookies, or nostalgia-inducing ice cream cone cupcakes. Check her Twitter (@TheTreatsTruck) for the day’s spot and any specials.
Liège Waffle
(Credit: NewYorkStreetFood.com)
Wafels & Dinges is famous for serving up two types of Belgian waffles topped with your choice of sweets. Try the Liège waffle, which has a sweet sugar crunch with a chewy interior that can hold up to all the toppings – including hot fudge mixed with Nutella covered whipped cream. Check their Twitter (@waffletruck) for the truck location.
A guide to New York's food, from restaurant scenes to great dishes, gourmet shops to restaurant deals.