Restaurant Week NYC, Recommendations for the Best Deal
Sunday, January 13, 2013It's that time of year again for the Winter New York City Restaurant Week! It begins tomorrow, January 14th and lasts until February 8th. After that, you'll have to wait for Summer Restaurant Week, which usually starts in July.
My friends and I have always been fans of Restaurant Week. As new college graduates living in the Bay Area, Dine About Town in San Francisco (which also begins this week and lasts from Jan 15-31), we always made an event of picking out the best restaurants of the bunch and treating ourselves to a taste of the finer things in life. It helped expose me to fine dining and for that, I am forever grateful.
I like to think that nothing in life is ever truly free. We've all heard criticism of why Groupon restaurant deals aren't good for consumers - bad service from servers, limited menu options, etc. - well, the same can be said about menus during Restaurant Week. Check out this blog post from Serious Eats about why you should Skip Restaurant Week.
However, I'm an optimist who likes to think that sometimes, you can win and score a great meal for less. And you know what? I've only had great restaurant week experiences.
Best Restaurant Week Deals
- Restaurant Week Menu offers dishes that are pulled from the regular menu and not special dishes made for the cheaper price point.
- The prices of the 3 dishes combined on the regular menu comes out to more than the Restaurant Week price - this is supposed to be a good deal after all!
- Servers don't treat me like an underclass citizen for ordering from the Restaurant Week menu.
- Must have Dinner Menus - I can't take a 2 hour lunch to enjoy a three course meal, so a good deal is a deal I can participate in. However, a $25 three course lunch isn't a bad deal either.
1. Telepan
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Sunny Side Up Egg w/ Fried Green Tomatoes | House-Smoked Brook Trout w/ Corn Bellini | Beet Salad |
RECOMMENDED - Lobster Bolognese ($5 tasting menu supplement) |
Bucatini & Cherry Tomatoes, amatriciana-style, house-cured pork, red onion & garlic |
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Roasted Chicken w/ wild mushrooms & gnocchi | Codfish w/ lobster marinette | Heritage Pork & Baked Beans |
2. Park Avenue Winter/Summer
Park Ave has an amazing bar, look at the selections, I love the look of the bottles arranged like this! |
Park Avenue Summer, decorated with a more casual summer vibe. |
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Crispy Soft Shell Crab, avocado, strawberry & passion fruit | Potato Gnocchi, sweet corn and summer truffles |
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Grilled Filet Mignon, BBQ brisket & potato salad ($10 supplement) | Dr. Pepper Baby Back Ribs, Fresh Peach Slaw |
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Peach Panna Cotta, Basil Foam & Lemon Cakes | Chilled Banana Parfait, Chocolate & Banana Butterscotch Puree |
3. The Capital Grille
4. Some other recommendations...
Here's the complete list for your reference:
- Ai Fiori or Osteria Morini by Chef Michael White
- The Dutch or Locanda Verde by Chef Anderew Carmellini
- Perilla or Kin Shop by Chef Harold Dieterle (Top Chef Season 1)
- Maialino, a Danny Meyer Retaurant
- Red Rooster by Chef Marcus Samuelsson
- DBGB, Boulud Sud, Bar Boulud, DB Bistro, or Cafe Boulud by Chef Daniel Boulud
- The Lambs Club by Chef Geoffrey Zakarian (Iron Chef America)
- EN Japanese Brasserie
- Dovetail
- Empellon Taqueria
- Lincoln
- Nobu/Nobu Next Door
- Taboon
Readers - Are you going to participate in Restaurant Week this year or have you in the past? Did you have a good experience or was it something you would rather stay away from? Also, if you have any other recommendations, please comment below!

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