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!

Since summer officially began last Monday, the weather has been nothing been hot, hot, hot! With the humidity so high that it leaves us feeling uncomfortably warm and sticky, and with only occasional wafts of fresh, cool air, it’s no wonder that everybody wants to stay still and limit as much movement as they can.

Still, how can we let a day go to waste? After all, summer means longer days. The sun is like a temptress, enchanting us with its bright rays to play with her. We want to resist, but we can’t, and somehow we find ourselves outside, sweating like we’ve never sweat before. We’re doomed before the day even begins.

(Source: gothamist.com)

Luckily, to counter the effects of the hot and humid air, there is an excellent solution: ICE CREAM. Yes, with the weather we’ve been having, it is definitely appropriate to scream for ice cream. And where else to get the best ice cream than Sundaes and Cones on E. 10^th St. between 3^rd and 4^th Avenue?

Sundaes and Cones is a local ice cream shop in the East Village that is known for its premium quality ice cream. Rich and creamy, the ice cream from “SuCo”—as the locals call it—beats any other ice cream you have tried. In fact, SuCo is even more popular because it features unusual yet distinct flavors like Wasabi, Corn, Ginger, and even Sesame!

(Source: yelp.com)

For a wafer/sugar cone or a cup, SuCo charges $3 for 1 scoop; $4.29 for 2 scoops; and $5.54 for 3 scoops. For a waffle cone/bowl, it is $4.01 for 1 scoop; $5.31 for 2 scoops; and $6.55 for 3 scoops. While the ice cream tends to be pricier at this local parlor, it surely makes up for the cost with its high quality ingredients. Once you go “SuCo,” you can’t go back!

Just like this store, the East Village is filled with other restaurants, cafes, and dessert shops that can amaze your taste buds. Did you know that you can find takoyakis, rice balls, falafels, cannolis, Belgium fries, etc. all in the East Village? There are so many eateries featuring different cultures in this area that make it impossible for you to try all cuisines in a limited time.

That is why New York Food Tours is a great way to experience the gastronomic aspect of the East Village. We make sure we take you to all the best spots and have tastings of all the best “good eats” so that you leave feeling satisfied and more knowledgeable about the East Village. You don’t know what takoyakis are? You’ll try them on this tour. Never tried a falafel? Don’t worry! Join our tour so that next time, you can be just like a local and wow your friends!

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