Visit www.nycvisit.com for the restaurants participating in Restaurant Week, which begins today. At nycvisit.com, you’ll find RW menus and links to opentable.com to make rezzies. Many places are probably booked up, but have at it! Ya never know.
I’ve always had reservations about Restaurant Week (no pun intended). I think that at some restaurants, RW is a fantastic opportunity to sample some wonderful dishes at a fab price; however, at other restaurants, RW is also a great opportunity to swindle money out of the hands of unsuspecting tourists and food enthusiasts alike.
As Matt reminded me, I’ve always felt that the prix-fixe menus offered during RW are “hacked to pieces” and often don’t offer any of the restaurant’s signature dishes. Instead, you end up eating a green salad, a mediocre piece of chicken, and a trio of sorbet for $35.00 (plus tax and tip and the copious amounts of wine you had to drink to swallow the idea of having paid so much for so little). But this year I am enthusiastic. I am optimistic. I hope for the best…and I keep in mind that, if worst comes to absolute worst, there’s always a la carte dining. Yes, even if you tell them you’re there for RW when they seat you, you can change your mind.
Some tips to not make dud RW choices:
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Do some research. Check out the restaurant’s regular menu. Is paying $35 to be locked into a set menu worth it? Maybe dining a la carte at that restaurant wouldn’t be more (or much more) than $35 anyway. Check out reviews. What are their famous/noteworthy/ signature dishes? Are they on the RW menu? This leads to tip number two which is to…
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Examine the RW menu closely. Are there dishes on the menu you’d actually enjoy or would you be “settling”? (”I hate foie gras and smoked salmon so I suppose I could have the beet salad as a starter…at least I got to say I dined at [insert name of well-known, popular restaurant]!”) Don’t dine somewhere just to say you dined there. The menu should inspire excitement and salivation. Also, compare the lunch and dinner RW menus (if the restaurant is offering prix-fixe menus for both). The restaurant may be sneakily offering the exact same dishes for both meals but at $24.07 for lunch and $35 for dinner (like at 21 Club…those scam artists).
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Make multiple reservations. Keep a few different places in mind. Shop around for good dining times and pick out 2 or 3 restaurants, even if you’re not sure you’ll be able to go to all of them. I know someone will kill me for saying this, but if you’re not sure if your friend is free to eat at a restaurant on a particular night or at a particular time or whatever else might stop you from making the rezzy, book the timeslot anyway. If your dining companion punks out, you’ll be able to find someone else, I guarantee it. But if you cannot make it, MAKE SURE YOU OFFICIALLY CANCEL AT LEAST 8 HOURS AHEAD OF TIME. No show-ing is not cool restaurant etiquette.
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Don’t just go for the big name restaurants. You know what restaurants I mean, the Nobus, the Eleven Madison Parks, and the Smith and Wollenskys of the world. If this is your only chance to participate in RW EVER, then consider the classics. But if it’s not, try the places you may not have heard of a million times in the past 10 years. Go on a limb. Be adventurous. Just remember tips #1 and #2.
Here is my upcoming RW schedule:
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Alfama - Portugese Cuisine, Monday, January 21st, 8:45pmCancelled due to unforeseen circumstances [insert sad face]
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Chinatown Brasserie - Chinese Cuisine, Friday, January 25, 10:15pm
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Butter - American/Eclectic Cuisine, Monday, January 28th, 6pm
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Centrico - Mexican Cuisine, Friday, February 1st, 7:30pmCancelled due to two other disappointing RW experiences
Fork in hand and hoping/praying for the best,
Sherry
