New York Eats: The Food Shopper's Guide to the Freshest Ingredients, the Best Take-Out and ...

New York-based writer Levine has eaten his way through nearly every byway of that metropolis, and the result is a comprehensive food shopper's guide to the city. The author makes his gargantuan subject digestible by breaking it into bite-size categories such as smoked fish, pasta and gourmet takeout. Purveyors are listed by neighborhoods (14 in all), and each entry scrupulously details the establishment's must-eats and missablesplease stet . Highlights include the secret addresses for what he calls ``New York's great eating experiences,'' from the city's supreme egg cream to its best bagel. Levine's palate is refreshingly democratic: acmes of his gustatory wanderings run from the humble (40-cent hot donuts at Georgie's Pastry Shop on West 125th Street) to the haute (a gossamer mozzarella at DiLuca Dairy). Interviews with Gotham's unsung culinary heroes, as well as its recipes, are sprinkled liberally throughout. But what really distinguishes this odyssey from other encyclopedias of the edible is Levine's enthusiasm: ``I regard every walk from a bus or subway as an opportunity for food adventure.'' Photos not seen by PW. (Mar . )