Foodie staycations

If you have an afternoon
You can’t call yourself a foodie in this town without having crammed at least the staples under your belt. A food tour will help you navigate: Cut the line at Grimaldi’s and sample L&B Spumoni Gardens’ Sicilian pie on the four-and-a-half-hour A Slice of Brooklyn bus tour (Fri–Mon 11am, $75; asliceofbrooklyn.com). Or eat like a turn-of-the-20th-century immigrant in the Lower East Side, Chinatown and Little Italy on Big Onion’s Original Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour (next tour Fri 14 at 1pm, $20; bigonion.com), where you’ll nosh on kosher sour pickles at the Pickle Guys and mozzarella from Di Palo’s. On a Chinatown walking tour with Foods of New York (Mon noon, $65; foodsofny.com), you’ll sample Hong Kong–style dumplings at Dim Sum Go Go and Chinese jerky from the New Beef King. If you savor reality-TV food porn, reserve a spot on City Food Tours’ Tour of Top Chef (Sat 11am, $44.95; cityfoodtours.com) to sharpen your knife skills at Broadway Panhandler and nibble at host Tom Colicchio’s ’wichcraft and former cheftestant Nikki Cascone’s 24 Prince.

Mike's Deli

If you have a day
On the Bronx’s Arthur Avenue, Italian-American tradition is as well preserved as a cured salami. Dig in with a salty Mussolini sandwich (capocollo, fontinella cheese and anchovies; $7.50) from Mike’s Deli (2344 Arthur Ave between Crescent Ave and 186th St, 718-295-5033) and sample one of ten types of mozzarella—try the dried Mantega stuffed with fresh butter. Take a breather and browse newspapers, books and videos in italiano at the Enrico Fermi Cultural Center (610 E 186th St at Hughes Ave; 718-933-6410, nypl.org) to brush up on Italian history—food-related and otherwise. Pick up where you left off with some gourmet grocery shopping at Borgatti’s (632 E 187th St between Belmont and Hughes Aves; 718-367-3799, borgattis.com) for fresh ravioli, cavatelli and egg noodles. Leave room for a crisp, thin-crust slice ($2.75) from Full Moon Pizzeria (600 E 187th St at Arthur Ave, 718-584-3451) before rolling home.

If you have a weekend
Who (other than teetotaling vegetarian types) can argue with two days jam-packed with meat and beer? Get in on New York Craft Beer Week (Sept 11–20, nycbeerweek.com) by booking a room at Four Points by Sheraton in Chelsea, Soho or Times Square (various locations, visit starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints; from $275 per night), and ask for the special Beer Week rate. Pregame with the Beer and Cured Meat tutorial at the Institute of Culinary Education (50 W 23rd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves; 212-847-0700, iceculinary.com; Sept 10 7–9pm, $75) to hone your pairing skills under the guidance of Brooklyn Brewery’s Garrett Oliver. Then start official Beer Week on September 11 with the Red Hook Beer Walk (2:30pm, $20; for reservations, e-mail ianlkelley@gmail.com) and drink like a sailor at the Sixpoint Brewery and local watering holes like Rocky Sullivan’s. Next, drop by the opening-day cask festival, where rare cask brews will flow at Amity Hall, Swift and Rattle N Hum. Bookend Saturday’s beer-fueled events with hangover-busting, locally sourced beef, poultry, pork or charcuterie from Dickson’s Farmstand Meats (Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave between 15th and 16th Sts; 609-647-4842, dicksonsfarmstand.com) and dinner at participating restaurants like Back Forty, the Good Fork and Jimmy’s No. 43, for a three-course meal paired with craft beers ($40). Spend Sunday detoxing.

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New York City staycations
You need a summer break but don't have the days off? Save time by staying home!