"top chef city food tours" news and stories

With 'Sex and the City' and 'Gossip Girl' tours already underway in New York City, it only seemed inevitable that some enterprising foodie would concoct a 'Top Chef' walking tour.

Because the popular cooking show is filmed in a different city every season, this tour focuses on season five -- which was filmed in Manhattan. The tours are conducted by professional chefs who offer culinary tips and fun quizzes while schlepping around the Big Apple.

Places visited on the tour include DiPalo's Fine Food in Little Italy, an old school store that sells homemade mozzarella and scrumptious soppressata, Wichcraft, a restaurant owned by Tom Colicchio, the head judge of the reality TV series and 24 Prince, a Soho bistro co-owned by Nikki Cascone who was actually a contestant on the show. Whenever she is available, Cascone drops by to chat to the tour group about what it was like being a reality television show contestant. (According to A.P. she yaks about being evaluated by mental-health professionals. We guess that Bravo isn't keen on having sociopaths in close proximity to sharpened knives).