Here at New York Food Tours, we’re always looking out for great deals to recommend to you! In the last few months, we’ve checked out some of the city’s top establishments. And based on food, ambiance, service and value-for-money, we’ve decided to tell you about high-end restaurant, Jean Georges.

We loved Jean Georges. With four stars from The New York Times, this place should be on everyone’s “to-eat” list. Jean Georges is almost a popular culture icon with characters from television shows like Friends, Gossip Girl and Sex and the City all vying for a coveted seat.

We went for the very affordable two-course prix fixe lunch. At $32, the meal is a steal. Dinner often costs at least three times as much.

To start, we had an amuse bouche including a crispy rice cake with smoked trout, and a candied beet with fresh grated wasabi and ricotta. The rice cake was crisp on the outside and soft within so the silky trout was a wonderful textural complement. The candied beet was intensely sweet. With the heat of the wasabi and mild ricotta, it was a perfectly balanced mouthful.

One of the first course options was a peekytoe crab salad with mango and chilli sabayon. With a 2:1 ratio of crab to ginger, the dish packed serious bite. But the ripe mangoes and creamy sabayon saved the spice from being overpowering.

Next, we sampled a dish of sweetbreads, pear and liquorice. Perfectly cooked and tender, the main was simple but thoughtfully prepared. The liquorice was mild enough to please even those who do not usually like anise flavors. We also tasted the slow cooked salmon with black truffle crust. We requested it medium rare and the fish arrived appropriately coral-colored and melting in the center. The smooth parsnip puree and crunchy parsnip crisps that came alongside were equally impressive.

Although desserts are not part of the lunch set, we decided to indulge. And we were glad we did. The sweets were just as well-executed as the items on the savory menu. Our standout favorite was the salted caramel and chocolate tart. The gooey confection was paired with an espresso and dark caramel ice-cream that was not at all cloying.

But even if you decide not to have dessert, don’t worry! The restaurant won’t let you leave without some petit fours. Fragrant lavender macaroons and plush marshmallows, sniped into squares right at the table, are delivered to all diners. Also, you get a plate of chocolates. You’ll have to share with your table so if you can only pick one, go for the piece with Jean-Georges’ initials, JG, printed on top. It is flavored with smoky souchong tea and is truly unique. The perfect way to end your meal at one of New York’s best dining establishments.

Join New York Food Tours on one of our guided expeditions, you will sample at least six different tastings while touring a historic neighborhood with a licensed tour guide at one low price. What better deal can you get? We’re always doing more research to update our programs. Once you’ve been on an outing with us, you’ll recognize the local haunts.

Source: thestar.com.my

Bored with the same old desserts? For many, they are the highlight of the meal but typical cakes, cookies and pies can leave the palate jaded.

Enter Ice Kacang, a uniquely Southeast Asian treat. The dish, which may be described as a Malaysian Snow Cone, boasts so many different colors, textures and flavors, you’ll never tired of it.

“Kacang” is a Malay word for bean. And the dessert is full of them. It comprises tender red beans, chewy attap chee (palm) seeds, yellow sweet corn and firm cubes of agar agar jelly. These ingredients are topped with a mound of crushed ice and drizzled with evaporated milk and red syrup. Sometimes, the dish is even topped with a scoop of ice-cream. The recipe is favored by Malaysian locals as a way to stay cool even in the country’s hot and humid climate.

But where should you go for the best version in New York? Try New Malaysia Restaurant, off Bowery, tucked away in the Chinatown Arcade alley. It was recommended by The New York Times food reviewer, Molly O’Neil.

Want more interesting desserts? Join New York Food Tours for the Gourmet and Fusion Dessert Tour. It includes some fascinating sweets with Asian flavors!

American beef jerky is a convenient and well-loved snack. But many other appetizing preserved meats are enjoyed around the world. Among them is the jerky known as bak kwa in Malaysia and Singapore.

Unlike American jerky, which is salty, bak kua is seasoned with sugar to give it a caramel-like flavor. The sweetness is addictive! Malaysian-style jerky is also usually made with ground and not sliced meat. This means that each piece is tender and juicy. It can be bitten through easily and is not as dry and fibrous as American jerky.

You can try some of the most tempting Malaysian meat jerky in Manhattan’s Chinatown at Malaysia Beef Jerky Inc. The shop, which is located on Elizabeth Street, near Grand Street, carries a range of beef, chicken and pork jerky. They also offer spicy versions. All varieties are made in-store, without preservatives.

Most of the jerky costs about $17 for a pound and $4.20 for a quarter pound. You get about five large squares of jerky in a quarter pound. With its intense flavor, this generous amount can feed a few people. Or you can buy extra to take home and make some tasty sandwiches.

While the shop name suggests that beef is the most common variety, in Asia, pork is the most popular flavor. The name was chosen because Americans are more familiar with beef jerky. But if you want to order like a local, go for the pork! It is the original.

For more delicious Asian meat jerky, join New York Food Tours for the Tastes of Chinatown Tour or Exotic Southeast Asian Food Tour. You’ll get to sample Hong Kong-style jerky which is equally moist and full of flavor!

Dear All,

We will give out another two free tickets to the lucky winners on Sunday, March 6, 2011. We will draw from the new facebook fans, Twitter followers, newsletter subscribers, and questionnaire participants. Become our fan, follow us, subscribe to us, and fill in our questionnaire. Spread out the words and tell your friends and families! Thank you for your support!

New York Food Tours Team

Feb 22, 2011

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Hey guys!

We’ve been so grateful for all your support these days, and we want to reward you by giving you the chance to win a ticket to our food tour!

Simply tell all your friends about our company, New York Food Tours, and tell them to join our Facebook fan page and follow our Twitter (foodtours)! And of course, we’re assuming that you are already our Facebook fan and Twitter follower.

Help us to increase our numbers, and you’ll be entered into our lottery for a free ticket!

The winner will be announced August 17, 2010.

I’m looking forward to all your help! We appreciate it 🙂

Guess what? It’s that time of the year again: New York City Restaurant Week, one of the city’s most anticipated attractions. Why? Because you get to eat and enjoy luxurious, costly meals at high-ended restaurants that may normally be out of your budget.

During Restaurant Week, New York City collaborates with some of the highest-rated, most popular, and priciest establishments to provide amazing lunch and dinner pre-fixe deals to the public. For the price of $24.07 (lunch) or $35 (dinner), you can eat a three-course meal—normally which would cost far more than that. More than 250 restaurants participate in this event, giving people the chance to taste new meals and explore new cuisines.

Some great restaurants that we’ll be checking out this week are:

• Barbounia on 250 Park Ave. South.
• The Breslin Bar and Dining Room on 16 W. 29th St. between Broadway & 5th Ave.
• The Modern–Bar Room on 9 W. 53rd St. between 5th & 6th Ave.

However, we can only visit so many. Please share your adventures and enlighten us! Do you know which restaurants you’ll be checking out? Here is the list of restaurants participating in Restaurant Week?

On another note, while Restaurant Week is a wonderful way to splurge on great food, when there are so many choices, how can you ever decide? A great way to really taste the cuisines of New York City and still save money is to check out one of our food tours. We offer tours in the East Village, West Village, Chelsea Market and Meatpacking District, and Chinatown.

All our tours not only include great tastings of foods from different countries, but also provide historical and cultural insight of the neighborhoods. Moreover, we feature special tours like our “Freakiest and Funniest Food Tour,” “The First Multicultural Bar Hopping Tour,” and “Everything Chocolate.”

Become our fan on Facebook, and you may win a free ticket to any one of our tours! Check out our tours today to join us for some fun-filled and tasty times!

It can be difficult to comprehend the “New York lifestyle” just by standing in Times Square, seeing the Statue of Liberty, and walking down 5^th Avenue. Here at New York Food Tours, we believe that the best way to understand the history and culture of any place is by eating! Known to be a culinary center and melting pot, New York is comprised of numerous cultures that range from American to Vietnamese to Ukrainian. Since there are so many restaurants and food stands to choose from, New York Food Tours is here to show you where to go and what fun, interesting, and tasty things there are to eat around this marvelous city.

There are a number of different tours we provide such as:

• The Ultimate New York Food & Culture Tour
• The Original East Village Food Tasting and Cultural Tour
• Everything Chocolate!
• Exotic Southeast Asian
• The First Multicultural Wine & Beer Tour
• Healthy Asian Food Tasting and Cultural Tour

And many more! Visit and explore our website for more details and listings of the food walking tours we provide: http://foodtoursofny.com. You can also check out our Facebook and Twitter page for updates and current events.

If you want to read more about a particular food or restaurant, feel free to send an email to info@foodtoursofny.com and title your email – Blog Idea.  Also, leave a comment if you have something to say or just want to say hi. We are happy to start conversations and learn more about this food-centric city together.

We hope to hear from our readers and fans in the future. Happy Eating!

Times Square Photo Courtesy of d.dawg