If you work in New York City or are planning a visit in the next week, it’s worth remembering that New York Restaurant Week is still active, running through Sunday, Feb. 4 (Saturday, Feb. 3, excepted).
Now in its 32nd year and with 640 restaurants participating, there is something for everyone – from bargain basement “holes in the wall” to golden oldies, plus that splurge at a big-name restaurant you’ve long been planning to visit. At each establishment, two-course lunches and three-course dinners are priced at either $30, $45 or $60.
To whet your appetite, here’s a handful of Manhattan restaurants taking part that I know and love – as well as some I would like to get to know and love:
This would be a good week, for instance, to investigate the Tin Building, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s eye-popping repurposing of the historic Fulton Street Fish Market at Lower Manhattan’s South Street Seaport. Among the building’s staggering 12 dining concepts are the Chinese-inspired House of the Red Pearl; the classic T. French brasserie; Shikku for omakase (chef’s choice), sushi and sake; and The Frenchman’s Dough,which describes itself as “a traditional Italian with Jean-Georges’ signature French twist.”
For yet more French fare, the long-established Marseille in Hells Kitchen is offering an unimpeachably classic menu with choices, including lobster bisque, coq au vin and baba au rhum. (With its crème diplomate filling, I’m always a pushover for a “rum baba.”)
Remember the Odyssey song, “Native New Yorker”? “Up in Harlem, down on Broadway”? Of course, you do. Well, up in Harlem, let me recommend two favorites of mine, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, for exceptionally plump, sticky ribs and Texas-style brisket, and a recent find, Amor Cubano (in East Harlem). This cozy spot is the place for great music, (live on Friday nights), mojitos and terrific Cuban home cooking.
Down on Broadway, meanwhile, there’s the Broadway Lounge at the Marriott Marquis, where the prix fixe menu almost plays second fiddle to the lounge’s great cocktails; and the ever popular, fully kosher restaurant, Mr. Broadway – which has recently relocated around the corner to 38th Street. Its Restaurant Week menu includes what it calls “the best matzo ball soup in town,” (and I’m not going to argue), followed by a schnitzel with mash.
Two hot new restaurants are also participating, both of which I’m aching to try. One is Bangkok Supper Club, the younger sibling of Fish Cheeks, transported to sleek, designer surroundings in the Meatpacking District. Their USP (unique selling point) is Thai cuisine inspired by Bangkok’s late-night food scene. (Can’t wait.) The other newbie, in the West Village, is Angie Mar’s Le B, formerly the Beatrice Inn, which erstwhile Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter originally revived to entertain folks from his little black book. With sophisticated dishes and sophisticated prices to match, this one would be great to visit this week.
For what would certainly be a splurge any time outside of Restaurant Week, I’m also taken with the idea of a visit to Dowling’s at the Carlyle, the hotel’s newest restaurant, named for Robert Whittle Dowling, who owned the hotel in the 1940s. Lunch and dinner menus are available throughout the week, with the dinner menu featuring two dishes that really take my fancy – a venison osso buco and a roast chicken for two, carved tableside, the roast chicken carrying a not unreasonable $15 per person supplement.
There are a handful of participants, too, in Hudson Yards, which is slowly establishing itself as a serious dining hub after the shakiest of starts. Excellent value choices at Japanese restaurant Suram include sushi, sashimi and ramen. And at Kyma, with its Mykonos vibe, and the highly regarded Estiatorio Milos – fish-based, so with an appropriate view of the Hudson River – they are wooing guests with their upscale (no pun intended) take on modern Greek fare. Note that Kyma in the Flatiron District and the original Estiatorio Milos in midtown are also Restaurant Week participants.
A fourth Hudson Yards contender and one of my faves in the space, Spanish Diner at Mercado Little Spain is offering the same menu at lunch and dinner. Croquetas de pollo (chicken croquettes) followed by fried eggs and sausages, as only the Spanish can fry them, would be my choice here.
Last but not least, there’s Restaurant Week ribollita (Tuscan white bean soup) at lunch and chicken with preserved lemon at dinner at Morandi, Keith McNally’s well-loved West Village trattoria, and one of my go-to Italian restaurants in the city. So many restaurants, so little time. So, make hay. The full list is here.
And mark your calendars: New York Restaurant Week’s next event – its summer edition – will take place in August.
For more, visit nyctourism.com/restaurant-week.
