Top 10: Best Holiday Gifts for Foodies

It's that time of year when the snow and holiday stress starts to mount almost simultaneously, so while the Eatery Expert team can't control the weather, we certainly can help alleviate some of that stress by providing 10 excellent and delicious gift options for the epicurean in your life. All of these gifts are available for purchase online and are still shipping, but not for long...

Place your orders today so your food-loving friends' taste buds will be satiated just in the nick of time!

1. Taste:NY - So we're a little biased, but of course we think our assortment of NYC-made treats is the best out there and completely fit for a foodie. Ten delicious treats are included, like the The Redhead's Bacon Peanut Brittle, Mamoun's Hot Sauce, & Chef Sara Jenkin's Porchetta Salt Rub. Order while supplies last! Bonus: Free pick-up or delivery for residents in New York City and Brooklyn! $91.99

2. City Shuffle Dining Deck: Lead your friends to places they would never try in neighborhoods they would never go by giving them a deck of deals! Some of our favorite bars & restaurants are included like Coppelia, Jimmy's No. 43 & Pure Food and Wine. Every card is a $10 gift certificate. Perfect stocking stuffer? We think so! $19.95- $29.95, Available at Union Square Holiday Market, Barnes & Noble (86th St. & Lexington Ave.), and Bed, Bath & Beyond locations in New York.

3. Hands-On Cooking Classes at The Astor Center 399 Lafayette Street @ East 4th Street Wishing your significant other would learn to make you that romantic lobster dinner you have always dreamed of, or how about an authentic Tuscan feast? Take one of the many diverse cooking classes together at the Astor Center and enjoy hands-on training from culinary experts. Feast on the fruits of your labor while a sommelier tells you which wine pairings go best with the dishes you have prepared. The pairings are usually included with the class! Prices vary; $129-$150 per person


EE Tip: Take a class with Chef Emily Peterson - her Italian pasta making class is our personal favorite!

4. Daniel Boulud: Cocktails and Amuse-Bouches for Her and Him: World-famous chef Daniel Boulud and DANIEL mixologist Xavier Herit put together this two-volume collection of sophisticated drink recipes, making the classics a bit more mod. Each book has 20 cocktails and 10 amuse-bouche recipes to inspire it's recipient to finally throw that cocktail party - of course you'll be the first on the guest list!

5. Fat Toad Farm Caramel: A favorite of Top Chef Master Rick Bayless, this farmstead caramel is made the traditional Mexican confectionery way known as Cajeta in a small, family owned goat dairy farm in Central Vermont. While most caramel sauce recipes are based on sugar and high fructose corn syrup, cajeta is dairy based, making Fat Toad Farm’s variety incredibly silky and creamy. Available in a variety of flavors including Original, Vanilla Bean, Cinnamon and Coffee Bean. Sounds like the forbidden fruit just got a heavenly makeover. $26.95 for 4, Bedford Cheese Shop, 229 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn

6. 508 NYC Craft Beer Growler: The ideal gift for the beer aficionado in your life, 508 NYC offers growlers-to-go of their brewed-on-premises craft beers. Bring along a growler of a new brew from New York's only gastrobrewery and you will be the best guest any holiday host could ask for. Make sure to tell the giftee that they can take their growler back to 508 NYC for a refill anytime. It will cost them $17, but they will always remember that you were the one that got them hooked. $24 for growler filled with special brew. Available for pick-up at 508 NYC, 508 Greenwich Street @ Spring St. 

7. Jonathan Adler Shoes Salt & Pepper Shakers: These stylish shakers just give the foodie in your life all the reason to season! Not only are the shakers pretty snazzy, the shoebox packaging is just amazing as the product. $48.00

8. Edible Manhattan Magazine Subscription: Published six times a year, it is the most delicious reading any city guy or gal can do between bites of their weekend brunch. Everything about up-and-coming local purveyors, chefs, restaurants, markets, shops and tastemakers is included, accompanied by gorgeous food porn-esque photography. You'll probably buy a subscription for yourself - it's only natural. $35 for one-year subscription

9. Hudson Baby Bourbon Whisky: The perfect gift for the man that loves to watch Boardwalk Empire with a glass of something respectable in his hand. A single grain bourbon, made from 100% New York corn. This was the first whisky produced by Tuthilltown Spirits and the first legal pot-distilled whiskey made in New York since Prohibition. How does it taste? Mildly sweet and smooth with hints of vanilla and caramel. Sounds like the holidays to us. $45.00, Yorkshire Wines & Spirits, 1646 First Avenue @ 86th Street

10. Treatful E-Gift Cards: We know, gift cards aren't the most creative gift of all, but when you're redeeming a dinner at Gramercy Tavern or Buttermilk Channel, who can really complain about that? The way you gift a 'treat' is you select a restaurant from a large, quality list, set your gift price, and add a personalized message. Your e-card will be delivered instantly via e-mail.