When I travel I plan my entire itinerary around restaurants, bakeries, and markets. For instance, during a recent trip to Seattle, my travel partner and I ate at over 10 food places and went to 16 bakery and dessert spots in our three day visit. I’ve learned this can be overwhelming for someone who doesn’t travel in this manner (e.g. my mom), so I was nearly forced to abandon my Zagat guide when she accompanied me on a weekend trip to New York City.

It was initially distressing to not have a meticulous food plan mapped out. I didn’t consult my travel books, restaurant guides, and on-line reviews from Yelp as I normally do. To my surprise, I quickly learned how aimless wander can be just as good for the food traveler. I let go of my rating dependencies for a weekend and came across some great and cheap food finds in New York City.

When visiting Washington Square Park in the heart of Greenwich Village, I stepped inside the New York University Welcome Office across the street to ask where I could find a good bagel. I figured a student, or local New Yorker at the very least, could point me in the right direction. The young man at the front desk did not fail me and pointed us to Bagel Bob’s on University Place at 10th Street. I’ve eaten a lot of bagels, but Bagel Bob’s showed me what a true bagel should taste like. Steam traveled from the light, chewy interior and the delicate crisp of the outside proved it didn’t even need to be toasted. The cream cheese costs over two times the amount of the .90 cent bagel, but this bagel experience was worth the $3.75.

Many know going to Chinatown can be an experience on its own.  We always go when we visit a city and I still get initially overwhelmed by the noises, smells, and trinkets crammed into every Chinatown. My mom’s craving for a bowl of shrimp wonton soup led us inside Great N.Y. Noodle Town on Bowery.

It was hard to ignore my first thought before sitting down, “But what are the ratings on this restaurant?” We ordered a bowl of shrimp wonton noodle soup for my mom, bean curd and vegetables for myself, side of chinese gai lan broccoli with hoisin sauce, and roast duck wonton noodle soup for our guest. The food portions were generous and the quality of the flavorful Chinese dishes were no stranger in this small restaurant. Our dinner in Chinatown for a party of three came out to a mere $17.50, so our stomachs weren’t the only thing that left happy.

Discovery can be part of the gastronomic process, and often times finding a great place to eat is a matter of stumbling across it or by simply asking someone! You’ll notice the majority of the highest rated restaurants listed in Zagat guides are often the most expensive. I think I’ll save myself some money and retire my little red sidekick during this economic downturn.

Contributed by guest blogger Sandra Vu