BEST OF

So, it might be a full week since Thanksgiving, but if you’re anything like us, you’re still reeling from the absurd amount of insane food you stuffed in your face in frankly shameful quantities. We get it, so we also get the feeling like maybe it’s time to eat right for awhile to even yourself out. Never fear! We’ve got the hookup on three of the best super-healthy eateries in the city, where you can get yourself sorted.

BEST OF

Just when you think you’ve been to every restaurant, bar, food truck, and hole-in-the-wall café, New York has a tendency of proving you wrong. The best thing about this city’s ever-expanding selection of eateries is that there is always something delightful to be discovered in the most unexpected of places. These are 5 New York food spots that are worth taking a little detour in your daily routine to visit.

Paradiso

The East Village is one of the many neighborhoods in which it’s possible to live for several years and remain completely unaware of a large portion of the eateries. Residents of the area are spoiled for choice, so it’s easy to miss out on places like Paradiso, a small Italian café in Alphabet City with a great deal of homemade tiramisu. In addition to a selection of salads, paninis, and baked goods, tiramisu aficionados can choose from classic, chocolate, amaretto, banana chocolate, strawberry, and apple raisin. If that’s not a reason to take a detour, then nothing is.

BEST OF

From its origins as a survivalist staple to its modern status as mass-produced gas station shlock, beef jerky might not necessarily come to mind when you think of quality food. Jerky, however, has undergone a similar culinary transformation as other foods with similar histories. It’s joined the likes of coffee, pickles, and sausages as culinary artisans have gone back to craft roots, embracing traditional, small-batch production methods while reclaiming and re-imagining beef jerky at large.

We’ve put together a list of the best craft jerky in the city so you can get yourself a piece of the beefy snack revolution.

CHEAP EATS

Treehouse at David Burke Kitchen and David Burke at Bloomingdale’s is proud to announce their new Burke in the Bottle deals that will be available every Sunday and Monday all day.

For only $20 a person diners will receive 1 bottle of Chef Burke’s newest Sam Adams beer brew-- “Burke in the Bottle Smoked Sour & Rye”, Burke's Signature Burger, French fries, salad and any beer after for just $5!

DELICIOUS DEBUTS

Not many people would brave a heavy duty barbeque joint the day after Thanksgiving, the holiday most synonymous with that favorite of American pastimes--gluttony. Lucky for our faithful readers, we are not most people. On a frigid Friday night, we speed walked to Dinosaur BBQ’s Brooklyn location, open for five months and predominantly constructed from wood salvaged from the Brooklyn waterfront post Hurricane Sandy.

Despite the amount of calories consumed the day before, we were not alone in Dino BBQ. The place was packed, and it looked like everyone was starving, including us. While we perused the menu, we snacked on the Dino Poutine, a light snack of French fries doused in beef gravy and accented with pimento cheese and Dinosaur’s signature pulled pork. This was just the warm up, ladies and gentlemen, for what was about to go down. With a pitcher of Rolling Rock (for $14!) in hand, we decided on the Family Stylin’ BBQ Combination Platter.

DELICIOUS DEBUTS

Co-owners Jon Agnello and Vincent Dardanello have been pals for years, and back in 2009 decided to give New York something it never had before: an unforgettable burger experience. Instead of the powers from on high making a burger in the back and allowing the customer to passively choose it from the menu, Jon and Vincent decided to let the patron take the wheel and design their own burger from start to finish. Forget the standard pickles, mayo, and cheddar cheese--you can get ten types of cheeses, including fried mozzarella, and ten toppings including pickles jalapenos or frizzled onions. With the choice of your own meat (lamb, shrimp, veggie, beef, turkey or chicken) bun (ranging from brioce to lettuce wrap), cheese and topping, there are literally two million varieties you can try, making the possibilities as endless as they are delicious. No wonder Burger Bistro was rated #2 burger in the city by Zagat.

CULINARY OCCASIONS

If you are someone who (like us) views wine and cheese as two major food groups, you may want to consider swinging the $26 asking price to see Josh Wesson and Steve Jenkins talk grapes and curds this Sunday evening.

Sommelier and owner of Best Cellars, Josh Wesson, boasts an extensive resume in the food and wine industry over the last few decades. Wesson won the title of Best Sommelier in French Wines & Spirits in the United States in 1984. In 1989, he was nominated for the Who's Who in American Cooking. In 1997, Food & Wine magazine named him Retail Wine Innovator of the Year. His most recent venture, Best Cellars, aims to bring quality affordable wine into the homes of wine enthusiasts nationwide.

SWEET TOOTH

The New York Women's Culinary Alliance brings you a night of chocolate decadence. Join them at the Mariebelle Chocolate Store on Broome on December 11th to explore chocolate like you never have before. Taste chocolates from around the world as you pair them with their perfectly matched pairings ranging from various coffees, teas, wines, beer and more. You'll leave this charming chocolate shop with the knowledge of a veteran chocolate connoisseur. Tickets are $45 for a night of savory sweets and chocolate tales.

For more information, and to purchase tickets, please email: doriweis@aol.com

CULINARY OCCASIONS

The last season of HBO’s “Treme” has come to an end, but the celebration is just beginning. The show’s creator and executive producer David Simon, executive producer Nina Noble, and story editor/ cookbook author Lolis Eric Elie presents: Talking “Treme”, a celebratory event held at 92Y. Matt Zoller Seitz of New York magazine is set to moderate the talk which aims to take a closer look at the role of New Orleans cuisine in the popular show. 92Y will stay true to the festive vibes of the Mardi Gras capital by setting up the room cabaret style, inviting a jazz pianist to play before the talk begins, and serving free food and cocktails from the cookbook, Treme: Stories and Recipes from the Heart of New Orleans (written by Elie).

DAILY BITES

Queens is one of the most diverse cities in the world, with every inch of the globe packed into one borough. Here in Woodside, you have Sri Pa Phai, crowned as New York’s spiciest Thai restaurant for years.

The menu features a wide selection of dishes, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself flipping through several pages of appetizers. The variety never ends! The one that really jumped out at us was the Crispy Chinese Watercress Salad — a colorful medley of shrimps, squid and chicken and crunchy watercress on a bed of fresh vegetables. The squid is cooked in a sour, slightly spicy sauce that complements the salad very well. It’s the perfect start to a hearty meal.

DELICIOUS DEBUTS

The phrase “authentic Italian” gets thrown around the NYC restaurant scene much more often than it should. However, at Hell’s Kitchen gem Tavola, located at 488 9th Avenue, authentic Italian only begins to scratch the surface of the gustatory delights to be found there. Restaurateur, owner, and Italian mastermind Nick Accardi opened Tavola about a year and a half ago in what was once a New York City landmark, Italian grocer, Manganaro’s. Originally opened in 1893, the grocery was family owned and operated until Accardi created the cozy yet innovative eatery that shares the same passion for Italian flavors. Accardi did a beautiful job of paying tribute to the building’s roots, maintaining many of Manganaro’s original features; the shelves and tile work were all original to the store.