New York Food
New York is renowned for its breakfasts and with good reason. Many food places across the city offer a large selection of cooked and cold breakfasts to tempt any taste bud.
Those who like their food to be healthy will find solace in some of the chain restaurants which can offer fruit and cereal alongside the more typical glazed pastries and fried food, but some smaller establishments can provide enough fattening glazed pastries to last an entire day.
Lunching in New York is usually all about convenience. For tourists, there is so much to do that taking time out for a long meal during the day is not feasible, while most locals have too much work to do (or at least want to look busy) that dallying over lunch is not an option.
Therefore, the majority of places serving lunch in New York will offer fairly standard fare. More glazed pastries are available for those who can still stomach them, while large sandwiches and bagels tend to be the order of the day.
That is not by any means to suggest that the New York restaurants skimp on lunch. Indeed, the size of sandwiches can be overwhelming in some places and will usually be more than a substitute for a regular meal.
For an evening meal, New Yorkers again seem to dine on rather large portions. Meat is generally an important ingredient, in generous proportions, in many of New York's restaurants, with the likes of Pigs in Blankets (sausages wrapped in pancakes and drizzled in maple syrup) a favourite of cheaper places. Steak is usually good, particularly if enjoyed rare, at the higher end of the market, as many more expensive restaurants pride themselves on the quality of their steak.
At the same time, however, there is plenty of choice for vegetarians. New York is such a diverse place that it caters for just about every taste imaginable and there is no shortage of restaurants which have sprung up to look after those who do not share the city's love affair with steak and meat.
There are a number of obvious novelty restaurants for travellers, such as the Carnegie Deli, which is famed for its bagels and cheesecake, but even these places offer good food and traditional New York fare at a relatively modest price.
New York is particularly revered for its traditional cheesecake. Once again, this myth seems to be based firmly in fact, as many restaurants in the city offer sublime versions. While the city is renowned for its cheesecake, however, dessert-lovers should not overlook the other treats on offer as many places offer a mouth-watering range of ample sweets.
Drinking in New York is an experience in itself. Go to one of the many bars and you will often find a cosmopolitan crowd of workers, locals and visitors. The city has a truly vibrant nightlife and bars and clubs can be found in abundance from Times Square to downtown. One of the most interesting drinking experiences can be found during a live baseball or basketball game, particularly when one of the city's teams is playing. Go to a bar showing the live match and you'll quickly get an idea of how important sport can be in this city.
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Eating and Drinking
