Food - the buying as much as the consuming of it - is a New York obsession. Though you can find a deli on pretty much any corner, it's in the gourmet markets and specialty shops - cheese, bread, smoked fish, what have you - that the city really shines.

GOURMET MARKETS

Around the Clock Center, Chelsea Market 75 9th Ave (between 15th and 16th St) phone 212/243-6005.
A complex of eighteen former industrial buildings, among them the late nineteenth-century Nabisco Cookie Factory.

Balducci's 424 6th Ave (between 9th and 10th St.) phone 212/673-2600.
The longtime rival of the Upper West Side's Zabar's, this is a family-run store that's no less appetizing - though some say it's slightly pricier.

Dean and Deluca 560 Broadway (between Prince and Spring St) phone 212/226-6800.
One of the original big neighborhood food emporia. Very chic, very SoHo and not at all cheap. There's also a café on Prince St.

Fairway 2127 Broadway (between 74th and 75th St) phone 212/595-1888.
Long-established Upper West Side grocery store that for many locals is the better-value alternative to Zabar's. They have their own farm on Long Island, so the produce is always fresh, and their range in some items is enormous. Fantastic organic selection upstairs.

Russ & Daughters 179 E Houston St (between Allen and Orchard St) phone 212/475-4880.
Technically, this store is known as an "appetizing" - the original Manhattan gourmet shop, set up about 1900 to sate the appetites of homesick immigrant Jews, selling smoked fish, caviar, pickled vegetables, cheese and bagels. This is one of the oldest.

Zabar's 2245 Broadway (between 80th and 81st St) phone 212/787-2000.
The apotheosis of New York food-fever, Zabar's is still the city's most eminent food store. Choose from an astonishing variety of cheeses, cooked meats and salads, fresh baked bread and croissants, excellent bagels, and cooked dishes to go. Not to be missed.

FISH AND SEAFOOD

Barney Greengrass 541 Amsterdam Ave (between 86th and 87th St) phone 212/724-4707.
"The Sturgeon King" - an Upper West Side smoked-fish brunch institution since 1908 that also sells brunch-makings to go.

Citarella 2135 Broadway (at 75th St) phone 212/874-0383.
The largest and most varied fish and seafood source in the city, now with gourmet baked goods, cheese, coffee, meat, and prepared food.

Petrossian 182 W 58th St (at 7th Ave) phone 212/245-2214.
This celebrated shop imports only the finest Russian caviar, alongside a range of other gourmet products - smoked salmon and other fish mainly - as well as pricey implements to eat it all with.

HEALTH FOOD, VEGETARIAN AND SPICE SHOPS

Aphrodisia 264 Bleecker St (between 6th and 7th Aves) phone 212/989-6440.
For herbs, spices and seasoning oils only, this place is hard to beat.

Healthy Pleasures 93 University Place (between 11th and 12th Sts) phone 212/353-3663; 489 Broome St (between West Broadway and Wooster St) phone 212/431-7434; and 2493 Broadway (between 92nd and 93rd Sts).
These giant stores have juice bars, incredible salad-bar selections and all manner of healthy delights. The bottom floor of the Broadway branch is entirely kosher.

Kalustyan's 123 Lexington Ave (between 28th and 29th St) phone 212/685-3451.
The best of the groceries in the tiny Little India district of Manhattan. Good spice selection.

CHEESE AND DAIRY

Alleva Latticini 188 Grand St (at Mulberry St) phone 212/226-7990.
Oldest Italian cheesery in America; also a grocer. Makes own smoked mozzarella and ricotta.

Joe's Dairy 156 Sullivan St (between Houston and Prince St) phone 212/677-8780.
Family store considered New York's best bet for fresh mozzarella in several varieties.

Murray's Cheese Shop 257 Bleecker St (between 6th and 7th Aves) phone 212/243-3289.
A variety of more than 300 fresh cheeses and excellent fresh panini sandwiches, all served by knowledgeable staff. Free tasting on Sat afternoons.

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