There is no better way to embrace American excess than to indulge in a gastronomic romp through Manhattan. Tear yourself away from the distractions of Broadway theatres, Fifth Avenue shops and the corner Starbucks (never fear, the next one is but a block away).

Take refuge from the tourist babble of Times Square and the relentless parade of museum masterpieces that demand your attention.

The diversity and creativity of New York City is best sampled through its many neighbourhood eateries, speciality purveyors and temples of haute cuisine.

With a little planning and a keen sense of adventure, you can design your own food tour of Manhattan - historical snapshot, sociological discourse and window on popular culture, all rolled into one colourful, oversized package.

Here are suggestions to help you get started, gleaned from weeks of relentless eating at Manhattan's most hyped, most loved and most debated establishments.

Great burger and pizza debate

ASK a Manhattanite where to find the best burger or pizza, and you're likely to hear a response delivered with a passion usually reserved for deriding the Bush administration. Top of the burger stack is Shake Shack, a literally shiny beacon of juicy burgers and smooth frozen custard in Madison Square Park.

Mouth-watering: Cheese burger from Shake Shack (left) and smoked sturgeon and cream cheese bagel from Barney Greengrass.

Open from spring to mid-autumn, this silver 'trailer' attracts a crowd dedicated enough to wait upwards of 45 minutes during peak times. While the 112g patties and tender, brioche-like bun are arguably worth the wait, exercise your tourist prerogative and visit at 3pm instead.

If you want to weigh in with more authority, visit other local favourites such as Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridien Hotel (above-average cheeseburger but crappy fries in an atmospheric dive) and Corner Bistro in Greenwich Village (though its reputation has long since outgrown the inconsistent standards).

Many locals will argue that the best pizza in the city is to be found in other boroughs. There are decent pizza experiences to be had in Manhattan, however, as long as you don't go too far out of your way to get to them.

Lombardi's turns out tasty, if not spectacular, pies, with the added cachet of being America's oldest licensed pizzeria.

Coal-fired pizza aficionados will direct you instead to Arturo's Pizza or John's Pizza in Bleecker Street, while others deem the pies at Una Pizza Napoletana sufficiently good to put up with the limited menu and above-average prices.

Deli-belly

THERE are few postcards that evoke early 1900s New York as sensuously as a Jewish deli. Options are aplenty in the Lower East Side, where most first-generation Jewish-Americans settled, but take the extra effort to visit Katz's Delicatessen.

Included in the price of a pastrami on rye are loads of New York attitude and admission to the real-life set where Meg Ryan expressed sensory satisfaction of a different nature in When Harry Met Sally.

Russ & Daughters is another must-go for excellent smoked fish and a picture of ethnic harmony - Spanish is heard just as often as Yiddish from both the Latin countermen and the Jewish regulars.

Further uptown, skip the touristy Carnegie's Deli and head to Barney Greengrass, the self-dubbed 'Sturgeon King'.

A pricey lox and cream cheese bagel won't cost you any less in the self-serve deli as it will in the restaurant next door, but it's much more fun to watch the countermen assemble your sandwich amid displays of smoked fish, chopped liver and potato salad.

Pig out, chow down

A RECENT front-page article in the New York Times' Dining Section proclaimed what many New Yorkers have known for some time - that New York City has developed its own BBQ culture sturdy enough to withstand the jibes of visiting Midwesterners.

Get down and dirty with Manhattan's best, Daisy May's BBQ, where the sticky Kansas City-style pork ribs are best eaten with tender smokey beans and gooey Bourbon peaches.

Your chances of getting one of the backyard-style wooden tables and benches is much higher during lunch than dinner, when the place is often booked for large parties ordering whole pigs and pork shoulders.

Quirky: The rice pudding desert store Rice to Riches

For a more refined porcine experience, visit the effortlessly hip Momofuku Ssam Bar for rib-sticking Korean pork burritos stuffed with rice and kim chee puree, and ethereal seasonal specials like uni with whipped tofu and chawanmushi with black truffles. Be warned though, Momofuku's well-deserved reputation as a darling of the foodie set has spread like wildfire recently. Go before 7pm to avoid a long wait, or after 11pm to hang out with off-duty chefs from other restaurants.

Sweet endings

MANHATTANITES have found another way to extend a great date - cosy nooks specialising in desserts and creative cocktails.

ChikaLicious is often credited with starting the trend, and the sleek Room 4 Dessert has improved upon it with an interesting if avant-garde roster of seasonal creations, from multi-layer desserts served in martini glasses to plated desserts composed of several variations upon a theme.

For an Asian twist, newly opened Kyotofu serves desserts like sansho pepper tofu cheesecake.

Sometimes, you need something a little less cerebral to scratch your yearnings and there are dozens of options that will satisfy.

Il Laboratorio del Gelato and Ciao Bella are top choices for smooth and fragrant gelato and sorbets, while Chinatown Ice Cream Factory's 'regular flavours' like lychee and almond cookie are amusingly listed next to 'exotic flavours' like chocolate chip and coffee.

When the weather's too frosty for ice cream, turn instead to the Doughnut Plant for oversized doughnuts in two styles (a light yeast risen-style and a denser cake-style) and several original flavours (tres leche and Valrhona chocolate blackout are favourites).

Magnolia Bakery might have turned the world's attention to giant cupcakes but the heavily frosted, overly sweet confections are not worth the hype and long lines.

You can finish up at Crumbs for moist cupcakes topped with buttercream

Try your luck at one of the many other bakeries dotted around the city or go to Crumbs for moist cupcakes topped with buttercream.

While you're there, take a short walk over to Levain Bakery for a monster chocolate peanut butter cookie that will feed a family of four or a short subway ride to the Little Pie Company for its signature sour cream apple pie.

Better yet, nurture the food snob in you and swing by Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery or David Bouley's Bouley Bakery, where the Michelin-starred chefs have branched out into delicate French pastries and their own creations, such as Keller's riff on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made with cashew butter, apricot preserves and brioche.

Splash out for less

ANYONE who has tried to get a prime-time dinner reservation at a top-name restaurant in New York knows what a blood sport it can be. Lessen the hassle - and the tab - by opting for a blowout lunch instead.

Your first choice should be Jean Georges' three-Michelin-starred eponymous restaurant, where a two-course lunch will set you back by US$28 (S$42).

Must-try: Jean Georges' foiegras brulee

The foie gras brulee - a dense, silky round of foie gras sassed up with a caramelised crown of cherries and candied pistachios - is by itself worth the price of admission.

Alternatively, go at 6pm to Upstairs at Bouley, David Bouley's relatively casual no-reservations counterpart to his two-Michelin-starred restaurant across the street.

For the die-hard who wants to eat at Thomas Keller's Per Se and is willing to plan exactly two months in advance, here's a final tip: Log on to third-party reservation website www.opentable.com between midnight and 10am Eastern time (Singapore time will be 12 hours ahead) before the restaurant's reservation line opens.

That's how I snagged my table.

Happy hunting.

Where to go

Shake Shack: Madison Square Park, Madison Avenue and 23rd Street (Flatiron)

Katz's Delicatessen: 205 East Houston Street (Lower East Side)

Russ & Daughters: 179 East Houston Street (Lower East Side)

Barney Greengrass: 541 Amsterdam Avenue (Upper West Side)

Daisy May's BBQ: 623 11th Avenue (Clinton)

Momofuku Ssam Bar: 207 2nd Avenue (East Village)

Room 4 Dessert: 17 Cleveland Place, Kenmare Street (NoLiTa)

Kyotofu: 705 9th Avenue (Clinton)

Il Laboratorio del Gelato: 95 Orchard Street (Lower East Side)

Ciao Bella Cafe: 285 Mott Street (Lower East Side) or 27 East 92nd Street (Upper East Side)

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory: 65 Bayard Street (Chinatown)

Doughnut Plant: 379 Grand Street (Chinatown)

Crumbs: 321 Amsterdam Avenue (Upper West Side)

Levain Bakery: 167 West 74th Street (Upper West Side)

Little Pie Company:407 West 14th Street (meatpacking district), 424 West 43rd Street (Clinton)

Bouchon Bakery: 10 Columbus Circle, Time Warner Center, 3rd floor (Central Park West)

Bouley Bakery:130 West Broadway (TriBeCa)

Jean Georges: 1 Central Park West, Trump International Hotel and Tower

Upstairs at Bouley: 130 West Broadway (TriBeCa)

Per Se: 10 Columbus Circle, Time Warner Center, 4th floor (Central Park West)

5 things to do

1 Take a hike.

Manhattan is a city cobbled together from different villages, and a walk down one of the main avenues is the best way to get a feel of each neighbourhood. Budget three hours to make it comfortably all the way from Central Park South to Battery Park in the southern tip.

2 See things from a different perspective.Cross the Brooklyn Bridge on foot or take a three-hour Circle Line ferry tour around Manhattan Island ( www.circleline42.com ) for a glorious view of the skyline.

3 Smell the flowers. Central Park is intrinsic to Manhattan's identity and too charming to miss. Hit Bouchon Bakery and Whole Foods Supermarket in Time Warner Center for some nibbles, buy a copy of the New York Times and find your own spot in the sun. If the weather's too cold, cosy up under blankets in a horse-drawn carriage.

4 Do your homework. Look up performances that you're interested in attending and check the web for discounts. Log on to www.broadwaybox.com and www.playbill.com If there's a popular restaurant that you're set on dining at, make reservations as soon as you can.

5 Shop at this outlet. Take an hour-long bus ride to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in upstate New York, where branded goods are on sale year-round. Log on to www.coachusa.com/shortline or search on the web for tour operators.

2 dont's

1 Don't get blinded by the bright lights. Walk through Times Square if you must, but make it a quick walk. Instead, spend more time in the museums, wander around the historic downtown, and explore the different ethnic neighbourhoods.

2 Don't sweat the small stuff. There's so much to see and do in New York, that it's easy to be stressed out trying to do everything. Prioritise. If you miss something, there'll be plenty left to compensate for it. Let go and lose yourself from time to time, especially in lower Manhattan where the maze of streets can often throw up a pleasant surprise.