The New York Equivalent of Paris's E Dehillerin?

Oh, and along with J.B Prince, you should check out Kitchen Arts & Letters -- a bookstore dedicated 100% to cookbooks (on the Upper East Side).

There's also Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks (The West Village) which honestly, has a much better location (the Upper East Side is fairly... boring. But if you happen to be up there for the Metropolitan Museum of Art then by all means, go to Kitchen Arts & Letters).

Lastly, I swear there's a 3rd cookbook store in the city that's tucked away up in an office building like J.B. Prince but I can't recall the name. Am I crazy? Does anyone else know the store I'm talking about?

Butterfly, you will definitely not go hungry around the Bowery. That stretch of it is at the intersection (or very close to) of a number of neighborhoods -- The Village, The East Village, NoHo, SoHo, Nolita, The Lower East Side, Little Italy and Chinatown. You can take that list of restaurants and post it to the Manhattan Message Board of Chowhound.com along with some criteria to assist in narrowing the suggestions and you'll be inundated with suggestions.

Also, I don't know from pastry, but if you're looking for a nicer meal, Peter Hoffman, a locavore who's had a restaurant on the Bowery end of SoHo for the last 20 years, just closed his flagship restaurant, Savoy, and reopened it as Back Forty West. It got written up in this week's NYTimes and got 2 stars (which is high praise from the Times). It's likely swamped at dinner but it happens to be open for lunch (and even breakfast) as well.

Thank you so so much for all the recommendations - I'm in shopping heaven. And there are people who prefer shoe shopping? Really? I appreciate it. My week in New York on holiday now appears far too short!

Here's an article from the NYT about JB PRince:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/29/dining/j-b-prince-sells-chefs-professional-culinary-equipment.html

there is also a to the trade shop that is open to all called JB Prince, on East 31st street. It's actually on an upper floor in an office building and doesn't have a street level storefront. I don't know how it compares to Dehillerin, but it is an interesting place. I bought some Gray Kunz spoons there last time I was in NY. Nothing like the cluttered Bowery or Broadway Panhandler - it's more sparsely stocked, but I would stop in.

Great recommendations - and I agree about poking around the restaurant supply shops on Bowery - you'll discover items from ingenious to unfathomable. (Another world from shopping at, e.g., Williams Sonoma or Sur la Table.) Also, good for cheap 'seconds' of restaurant dishes, glasses, serving pieces, etc. - btw, if you're after that stuff, there's also Fish's Eddy, a bit uptown on B'way and 19th.)

But about eating nearby -don't know the place you mentioned, but yes, there are tons of options. Off top of my head, Prune and Pulino's, but it's also by the Lower East Side, East Village, Chinatown...you won't go hungry. (If you specifically want pastry, Veniero's on 1st Ave. at 11th isn't too far and is authentic old school - has tables too.)

Thank you so much - The Bowery sounds like FUN! There are some restaurants/pastry shops in the vicinity right? Cause I think I've seen street signs for it in a recording on Food Network - either Kid in a Candy Store or Sweet Treats.

As mentioned, Broadway Panhandler in the Village is the best kitchenwares store downtown. Zabar's Upstairs is the best uptown. (We have a few Williams-Sonoma and one Sur La Table as well. Yawn.) Bowery Kitchen Supplies in Chelsea Market (which should be a destination for you anyway) has a lot of fun stuff but really, you should head to the Bowery itself and peruse their many restaurant supply stores. There are maybe 3 or 4 dozen of them strung out along a few blocks of a street called The Bowery. They start at Houston Street and head south from there.

Many specialize in something specific like chairs or meat slicers or glassware. Don't be intimidated by their cluttered nature or the lack of friendliness -- just walk in and poke around. They'll all be happy to sell to you.

Keep in mind, this is restaurant grade stuff. Not pretty to look at but made to last and inexpensive compared to Willams-Sonoma and such. And besides, where else can you get a 16 quart mixing bowl or a 2' long wooden spoon? ;-)

It is not in. New York, but Philadelphia, which isn't far. Fante's in the Italian area is a great place to browse.

Bowery Kitchen Supplies in Chelsea Market. Not the cheapest, but good for gazing, including star gazing (Food Network is upstairs).

Zabar's uptown, Broadway Panhandler downtown (I haven't been to the latter in years, but I imagine it's still as good as eve!)