By Seth Fera-Schanes.  This article first appeared on The Refined Chef cooking website.

A mini food tour is a great way to spend a few hours on a weekend afternoon, especially in food obsessed New York.  I recently went on a little excursion and had a lot of fun.

If you decide to put together one of these events with your friends, try choosing locations where there are a lot of food options within a small radius (or at least all along the same subway line.)

I started with the famous Zabar’s on New York’s Upper West Side.  For $6.95 I got the breakfast special which consisted of a bagel with lox, fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee.

Zabar’s Breakfast Special includes bagel with lox, small coffee and small orange juice.

 The great thing about Zabar’s is they provide free samples.  I got to try white fish on toast, a prosciutto appetizer and this little treat: smoked mussels with horseradish cream sauce.

Smoked Mussels on Bread

Once I completed the Upper West Side, I moved downtown to Chelsea Market.  If you are ever in the city, this place is a must see.  The building is the old Nabisco Factory that now is home to a range of boutique eateries.

One of my favorites is The Lobster Place where I got these fresh oysters.  The great thing about your local fishmonger is they have a broad range of oysters on hand for a great value.  The staff is knowledgeable about different varieties and tastes and can make recommendations for you.  The oysters seen below were approximately $1.85 a piece with opening.  Not a bad stop along the way!

Moving on, I had a bit of a sweet tooth and purchased a few Jacques Torres chocolates.  One was called Menage a Trois and the other was Fresh Squeezed Lemon; both were delicious.

To finish the day I stopped by Dickson’s Farmstand Meats that has a house made beef hot dog covered with kimchi.  Is there any better way to end the day?

Here is to happy wandering; and eating.