DISCLAIMER: This was supposed to be a scientifically supported article about achieving weight-loss while on holiday. My intention was to measure exactly how far I walked during a four-day family vacation in Manhattan, to eat healthy foods and to not deviate from my current efforts to lose 20 pounds. However, Mother Nature intervened with the sixth largest snowstorm in the city’s weather recording history and our trip got delayed as LaGuardia was closed to all travel. We were supposed to arrive in the Big Apple at dinnertime on Boxing Day, but instead, we suffered a two-day delay, finally settling in our apartment at 1:00 a.m. on December 29th.   Despite the setback, I remained committed to my original plan. Unfortunately, later that morning (on our first real excursion) my newly purchased pedometer went missing in Times Square. If I were more dramatic, I would imply that this was the work of seasoned pickpockets in the heart of the big bad city, but the truth is that I think it got jostled while I was holding my kids’ backpack at the M&M store.

I can’t tell you exactly how far I walked and I will spare you the pictures of my blisters, just take my word for it: We did a lot of walking. The basic plan, which we did generally adhere to, was to only travel by subway or on foot (save and except for trips to and from the airport – we are not masochists). I guess the point is that I ate well and I ate a lot, but according to our scale I did not gain an ounce. Here are three food highlights:

Food on Foot Tours: The first morning we made our way to Grand Central Station to meet up with Corey, our guide and the owner of Food on Foot Tours. Corey is a one-man show – he conducts guided walks through various neighbourhoods featuring good, inexpensive foods from unheralded spots. For over three hours, our group was led through East Greenwich Village and had some seriously delicious grub. Food costs are over and above the cost of the tour, but for approximately $20 per person we all ate well. This particular tour is not for the health conscious: Vegans, diabetics and those with high-blood pressure should perhaps wait back at the hotel, and while it was a “walking tour”, I think that I would have had to walk to Hoboken to burn the calories consumed. But overall it was a huge hit with my family. My daughter loved the design-your-own cupcakes, the boys loved the kitschy hot dogs (i.e. bacon wrapped and topped with pineapple, green onion and teriyaki sauce), and my wife and I loved the artisanal pastrami sandwiches. Out of deference to Corey, I won’t disclose the full itinerary or give out the names of the places where we stopped.

While Food on Foot is not the only food tour company in New York, Corey does have the honour of being ranked as the no. 3 recommended activity on TripAdvisor.com. Part of the charm of the tour is meeting the other guests, which in our group included married professors from New Zealand, a family from Germany, a gaggle of Aussies, some of our family who joined us in the city for the day, and two girls from China (who had spent 11 hours on the tarmac the day before when their flight from Vancouver had landed without authority). Perhaps my favourite part of the tour is the email that confirms your reservation. It is an endless organic document. To quote: “…That means THERE ARE WAITING TIMES for food to be prepared and for people to finish. That’s why we are a relaxed informal getting-to-know other people, see neighborhoods mingling tour. We are not a small group or private tour (our groups go up to around 30-35  people when sold out). We are an eating tour with some neighborhood history and NOT a history tour with food.” www.foodonfoottours.com

Pastis: New York is a city of restaurants and there are some that transcend trends and are iconic. Pastis (in the Meat Packing District) is one of those places. It and its sister restaurant Balthazar turn out classic French Bistro fare and if you want to feel like a local you must try Sunday brunch at one or the other. With its soaring antique mirrors, marble floors, leather banquettes and tin ceilings, the restaurant oozes charm. It’s hard to recommend any particular dish above another, as I’ve never had anything that wasn’t flawlessly prepared. This time it was the eggs à la banquaise (poached with polenta). I always make sure that somebody else at the table orders the frites if I don’t. They are done perfectly – fried twice and served piping hot and salty. And even though portions are ample, the meal wouldn’t be the same without the ‘pannier’, a huge basket of their delicious baked goods (chocolate bread, brioche, croissant, etc). If you happen to go another day of the week, leave time to visit the Chelsea Market, which i3s just several blocks north and a foodie paradise. www.pastisny.com

Mesa Grill: The Food Network should actually be called the food porn network. Watch any episode of the salacious Diners Drive-ins and Dives and tell me I’m wrong, I dare you. One of the perennial hosts and one of the original stars is chef Bobby Flay, and while I’ve been to New York many times and visited the restaurants of his co-Iron Chef Mario Batali, I had never been to any of Mr. Flay’s establishments. Mesa Grill was our choice for our anniversary dinner, not only because of its reputation for great food, but because the restaurant accommodates kids by offering cheesy nachos and fantastic hamburgers, meaning that the kids were happy and so were we. The food isn’t so much authentic Southwestern cuisine as it is American classics reinterpreted with Southwestern flavouring. My roasted double pork chop special came with applesauce garnish, but peppers were the predominate seasoning. Other standouts included the sweet potato soup and the churros for dessert. www.mesagrill.com