By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — A new food tour of the Upper West Side promises to take foodies on a tasty journey to sample the neighborhood's beer, cheese and chocolate.
City Food Tours, which already operates an Upper West Side wine and dessert walking tour on Sundays, recently added the tour to its line-up.
City Food Tours President Joyce Weinberg said she couldn't reveal all the stops, but the itinerary includes Jacques Torres Chocolate on Amsterdam Avenue and West 73rd Street and George Keeley Fine Ales & Lagers on Amsterdam Avenue and West 83rd Street.
Weinberg said the tour is a fun, educational way to while away an afternoon.
Most people assume beer can't be paired with certain foods like wine is, but tour participants learn how to pick beers that will enhance food flavors and vice versa, Weinberg added.
Tour participants also learn more about how cheese, chocolate and beer are made.
"A lot of people just down beer and don't think about what they're downing, like they did in college," Weinberg said.
The tour showcases "lovingly made" microbrews and shows people what such beer ingredients as hops actually look like, Weinberg said.
She also teaches people how to move beyond basic cheeses like Brie and Jarlsberg by exposing them to more novel treats such as washed rind cheeses.
Aside from food, the tour is a chance to learn more about the history of the Upper West Side. Weinberg said even longtime residents will learn something new on the tour.
"They'll go into places they haven't been in before. If you think you're getting bored of the Upper West Side, go on this tour," Weinberg said.
The walking tour starts off at West 72nd Street and Broadway every Friday at 2:30 p.m. City Food Tours is offering a special discount in honor of Oktoberfest. During October, buy one ticket for $54.50 and get half off the second ticket.
