"Gourmet Shops of New York: Markets, Foods, Recipes" by Susan Meisel and Nathalie Sann (Rizzoli, $39.95)

A fall trip to New York City might find some ice skating at Rockefeller Center, others lined up for a famous holiday parade and crowds waiting for tickets for the latest hit Broadway show. Those really in the know, though, aren't heading down the aisles of a theater; instead they are going down the aisles of one of the city's many world-renowned gourmet shops.

Whole trips could certainly be planned around such delicious excursions. Virtually as thrilling, and certainly an excellent primer if you're planning an adventure, is "Gourmet Shops of New York: Markets, Foods, Recipes" by Susan Meisel and Nathalie Sann. These two longtime city crawlers can easily tell you where to find everything from New York's best bagel, to lox, to caviar, to soda pop.

The book's appealing style makes it a treasure for both the armchair spectator and for one who wants an actual road map. The project started with photographer Meisel's fantastic pictures. The book is jampacked with them; you will certainly feel as though you've strolled these markets after gazing at the almost 300 pages of mouthwatering loot.

Broken down by borough, as well as neighborhoods within Manhattan (and further by indexes at book's end), each shop is then insightfully described.

"You will never see this ramshackle storefront in an architectural magazine; in fact, it would be easy to walk by Moishe's with a dismissive shrug," the authors write of Moishe's Home Made Bake Shoppe in the East Village. "That would be a mistake, for Moishe's is a miracle of bread and pastry. Moishe is an ordained rabbi with piercing eyes and a billowing gray beard. He looks like a fierce Old Testament patriarch, but, as you'll quickly find out, he is all sweetness and light, with a joke for anyone who wanders into the bakeshop.

"Moishe runs the store the old-fashioned way, writing receipts by hand and tying string around the cake boxes. And Moishe makes world-class challah. He hand braids and glazes the honey-flavored egg bread then bakes it nut brown. Moishe's challahs are works of sculptured beauty, their braided crusts glistening in the low light of the shop."

Equally as enlightening are the recipes contributed by lots of the shop owners, like Moishe's raisin- and rum-filled Challah Pudding. Meals can't help but be special if you include treats such as Warm Borscht Soup from Midtown's famous Petrossian Russian market known for its caviar, Roasted Salmon from Leonardi's butcher shop on the Upper East Side, or Sweet-and-Sour Chicken Curry from Subzi Mandi in Queens.

This is one of those rare cookbooks that includes one-of-a-kind, heretofore unpublished recipes that lead you through the history of one of the greatest cities on earth. Therefore, it's wonderful to give as a holiday or hostess gift, or you can hoard one for yourself.

MOISHE'S HOME MADE BAKE SHOPPE'S CHALLAH PUDDING

1 cup raisins

1/3 cup rum

2 cups sugar

4 cups milk

1 vanilla bean

4 large eggs

3 pounds challah

Yields 4 to 6 servings.

Marinate raisins in rum and 1/2 cup water overnight. Drain.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In saucepan, mix together 1 cup of sugar with 1/3 cup water. Cook over high heat until mixture turns rich amber color, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour caramel into bottom of soufflŽ dish and turn dish to coat sides.

To same saucepan, add milk and vanilla bean. Heat milk over medium heat; when it starts to simmer, remove from heat. Let it cool for 20 minutes.

With utensil, remove vanilla bean; slice it open lengthwise with knife and scrape seeds into the milk.

With electric mixer, combine eggs and remaining sugar, beating well, then gradually add milk mixture, stirring constantly. Set aside.

Trim off as much of challah's brown crust as you can. In large bowl, tear challah with your hands into large pieces.

Pour egg mixture over challah; mix well with wooden spoon. Put in soufflŽ dish and place it in larger pan with 2 inches of water.

Bake for 45 minutes, until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm.

BAZZINI'S SPICED NUT MIXTURE

1 cup pistachios

1 cup pine nuts

1 cup almonds, blanched

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon very finely grated fresh ginger

Pinch of ground cayenne

Yields 6 servings.

Pour nuts into large nonstick skillet; set over medium-high heat.

In bowl, mix together sugar, honey and 1 tablespoon water. Pour mixture over nuts; stir well.

In separate bowl, mix together cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cayenne; add to nuts.

Cook, stirring constantly, for 10 to 15 minutes, until nuts are nicely browned and toasted.

Spread out on parchment or wax paper; let cool.

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "After-Work Gourmet" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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