Zero to Foodie in 10 Steps

by Keith Wagstaff - Citysearch Editor - 210 Reviews - 108 Lists

Updated: January 01, 2009

You yearn to be a food snob, yet you can't tell a mirepoix from a pot-au-feu. Worry not, Citysearch is here to help. Follow these 10 easy steps and you too can become a certified New York foodie.

Our 10-Step Program

  1. 1 5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended Bottlerocket Wine & Spirit
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    5 W 19th St, New York, NY 10011 (map)

    You've learned a lot about fine dining, but you have yet to acquire your oenophile credentials. Luckily, Bottlerocket makes it easy: Wine is arranged by appropriate food pairings, the staff is extremely friendly and the shop offers wine classes.

  2. 2 4.5 Star Rating: Recommended Per Se Restaurant
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    10 Columbus Cir, 4th Fl, New York, NY 10019 (map)

    Thomas Keller is arguably the most revered chef in America, with two restaurants (Per Se and The French Laundry) claiming three Michelin stars. This is fine dining at its very best, a veritable holy temple for foodies. We hope you've been saving up your money.

  3. 3 4.5 Star Rating: Recommended Kitchen Arts & Letters Inc
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    1435 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128 (map)

    This culinary bookstore's selection of more than 11,000 titles is a great place for an aspiring gourmand to star, whether one needs a primer for simple cooking like Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" or are looking for some advanced culinary inspiration like Grant Achatz's "Alinea."

  4. 4 Bouley Test Kitchen
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    88 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013 (map)

    David Bouley, the man behind Bouley, Secession and Bouley Bakery, is so successful he has his own separate research facility in Soho. Lucky for you he regularly opens his laboratory for a series of events and demonstration classes.

  5. 5 5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended Brooklyn Kitchen
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    616 Lorimer St, Brooklyn, NY 11211 (map)

    Quick, name from where on the pig a ham hock is cut! Well, I'm not going to tell you, but if you take Tom Mylan's pig butchering class (he of Marlow & Sons' fame), you'll probably figure it out. This tiny Williamsburg shop also offers classes on everything from knife sharpening to pie making.

  6. 6 3.5 Star Rating: Average wd-50
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    50 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002 (map)

    You have come far, my young Padawan; now it is time to learn from a master. Wylie Dufresne is New York's foremost expert in molecular gastronomy and his cooking can teach you volumes on the science of food and how different flavors interact with each other. Spring for the $140 tasting menu for the full experience.

  7. 7 The Beard House
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    167 W 12th St, New York, NY 10011 (map)

    The James Beard House, named for the first American celebrity chef and patron saint of foodies, features all kinds of interesting events from cooking workshops and multi-course dinners to readings from the food world's most renowned authors.