ANDREW ZIMMERN’S PICKS
Zimmern is known for trolling the world for underdiscovered spots to eat.
He takes that approach to New York City. When he wants a respite, he heads to the Garden at St. Luke in the Fields in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. He grabs a sandwich from Russ and Daughters or Murray’s Cheese Shop to have a quiet meal by himself. “The Garden of St Luke in the Fields is not the place to take six friends and a couple of six-packs,” he says. “It makes for a great escape in the middle of a hectic day.” When he wants to picnic with a large group, he heads to the Queens County Farm Museum.
The museum dates to 1697. Its grounds make up New York City’s largest remaining tract of undisturbed farmland, according to its website.
“This is a place that’s almost 50 acres, with plenty of working farm elements, an orchard, a vineyard and loads of space to lay out a blanket,” he says.
On his way, he loads up on everything he needs at Muncan Food Corp, which he calls “the most underrated and fantastic deli in all of NYC.”
485 Hudson Street, Manhattan; stlukeinthefields.org
73- 50 Little Neck Pkwy, Queens; queensfarm.org
179 E. Houston; Manhattan; russanddaughters.com
254 Bleecker Street; murrayscheese.com
4309 Broadway, Long Island City, or 60-86 Myrtle Avenue, Ridgewood; muncanfoodcorp.com
For information on New York City parks, visit nycgovparks.org or nycandcompany.org.