since I first arrived in NYC I have taken advantage of the wonderful invention known as restaurant week. the one time of the year when I can actually afford to eat at these high end places that usually cost you $25 for a salad that's the size of a dinner roll. NYC has restaurant twice a year - once in the winter and once in the summer. as the name suggests, it should only last for a week but they should seriously consider changing it's name to restaurant month considering it always gets extended past the initial week anyway.
this year I am visiting the most amount of restaurants ever. 3 lunches and 3 dinners. and I've decided to share it all with you (aren't you lucky).
restaurant #1: Lure Fishbar
I had actually never heard of this restaurant before, but my friend, we will call her Funny Face, wanted to try it out since her boss frequents this restaurant so much that they should just keep a table open for him every night. it was totally with me to go because I am a lover of all seafood. after finishing our meal my overall impression of this place is that there are probably much better seafood restaurants out there to spend this kind of money on. I had oysters as my appetizers - definitely NOT a fan of those little suckers. yuck. I had some sort of white fish as the entree (I honestly have no idea what kind it was) and it was tasty for sure, but maybe a little too heavy on the cilantro. and then a chocolate cake for dessert - I can never say no to chocolate. however, I've had better chocolate cakes and surprisingly the best one I've ever had is at Nobu Next Door, a Japanese restaurant - interesting right? however, the bar at this restaurant was totally crowded and looked like a fun place to hang out. so if I ever return here it will just be for a drink and for the decor of this place (the whole place looked like you were inside a gazillion dollar yacht!).
restaurant #2: Norma's at Le Parker Meridien
I was forewarned before I sat down to eat at this restaurant. I was told that a) to avoid the orange juice at all costs, b) I must order the Waza, and c) there is no such thing as no waiting.
I followed advice #1 considering I saw the price of the o.j. on the menu before sitting down to eat and it was NINE DOLLARS for one glass. seriously?! and apparently they charge you that $9 every time you get a refill. no thanks. and besides, as a native Floridian, I don't really trust anyone else's o.j. I did not follow advice #2 because the Waza is a giant waffle topped with what looks like the entire fruit section of a Whole Foods. I hate waffles, this option was automatically out. and then I discovered advice #3 was 100% true. even though I had a reservation at 1:45, we didn't sit down until about 30 minutes later. I've personally never worked in a restaurant myself, but I've had plenty of friends who have and this just doesn't make sense to me. you have a list of people with reservation times and then have you have walk-ins as well. but I made my reservation almost two weeks ago! I honestly think this is just a management issue that needs to be addressed. it also didn't really make much sense because once we sat down, the service was very, very efficient (i.e. slow service was not the reason for the delay in our sit down time). and to top everything off, I didn't find out until I sat down that they don't participate in restaurant week during the weekends. awesome. (though I kind of had a gut feeling they wouldn't be... shoulda listened.)
however, the food was ABSOLUTELY delicious. at least the breakfast quesadilla I had. who knew that eggs, bacon, guac, and tomatoes would taste so good together?! it was a perfect meal too because all I had was the entree, no appetizer and no dessert and I was completely full after finishing (the good kind of full). so when I've saved up enough pennies again, I'll definitely be going back. :)
restaurant #3: A Voce Columbus
well life gets in the way and this restaurant didn't happen. I was supposed to go with people from work, but people's schedules change and it just did not work. however, I've eaten at this restaurant before so I wasn't heartbroken over not going (and neither was my wallet ;) )
restaurant #4: Dovetail
again, this one got nixed too. only because it was participating in restaurant week for lunch and not dinner. I hate when I don't pay attention to the fine print...
restaurant #5: SD26
I had been looking forward to this restaurant since I made all my reservations weeks before had. I had gone here a little over a year ago for Fabulous' birthday dinner. at the time her friend, the Belgian, had been the General Manager so got HOOKED UP. one of those dinners where it should have cost the seven of us probably $1,000 but only ended up being about $500 (including bottles of wine. yes, that was plural). so my friend, the Million Dollar Fundraiser, and I went for a Friday night dinner. we got there a smidge early and were going to sit at the bar, but ended up getting seated right away (this has a significance later on in the story). the restaurant now has something really cool and new, well at least new to me, you order your wine off an iPad. first you pick whether you want red, wine, sparkling, etc. and then you can sort by region, price, vintage, etc. it was really cool. (please excuse the bad quality of the picture as it was taken with my iPhone.) for dinner I of course had the "Uovo" soft egg yolk filled raviolo with truffled butter. this dish, granted it's just one giant ravioli, is quite literally one of the best things I've ever tasted in my life. I'm talking serious foodgasm here. you will seriously never taste ANYTHING like it. I was talking it up so much to my friend that she wanted to try it. I made her order her own though, because there was no way I was sharing this thing. I just can't even begin to describe how AMAZING this little ravioli tasted. 
for my main course I had the sea bass and I don't ever do this at restaurants, but I had to send it back. the fish was just way too fishy tasting (I know it's fish and should therefore taste like fish, but this was just too fishy - if that makes any sense). but the waiter was so nice about it and I changed it out for a pasta. the rest of the dinner was great and the dessert was really delicious too. the waiter even brought us each over a glass of moscato (my fav wine!) as a sort of "I'm sorry" gesture. well let me tell you, it won me over! we sat there a little while longer and they also brought us over a little plate of cookies and biscotti. and the daughter (it's a father and daughter team that own the restaurant) even stopped by our table to say hello and see how everything was going. that's one thing that I love about this restaurant - the owners actually walk around and talk to their customers. the one time I was there before the father came by our table to say hello. to me, it's just a very Italian way of doing things but at the same time it gives your dining experience a nice, personal touch. another great thing I like about this restaurant (last one, I promise) is that they let you sit there as long as you want to enjoy your dinner/talk/relax/whatever. very Italian way. Million Dollar Fundraiser and I were there for about three hours! it's one thing I miss about Italy - the meals that last for hours at a time. it's definitely a sure bet that I'll be back to this restaurant. :)
restaurant #6: Park Avenue Winter
to be honest, I would have to say probably the only cool thing about this restaurant is that its decor changes with every season, as does its name. last restaurant week Million Dollar Fundraiser and I went to this restaurant, when it was known as Park Avenue Summer. this time around, really not much had changed. menu was still the same (it is apparently supposed to change with each season). to be fair though, both times we went on a Sunday for brunch and maybe that menu stays the same all year. what I do like about this place is that on Sunday's during restaurant week they actually serve brunch. most other restaurants either do lunch or dinner. not brunch. and seeing as how Sunday brunch is legit an institution in this city, it's nice to know you can have it for restaurant week too. so the atmosphere was nice (though I think I like Summer better) and the food was good - nothing too spectacular, but not horrible at the same time - but to be honest, I don't think I'll be returning to check out Spring or Fall. unless of course I decide to come for lunch or dinner - then hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised to see the menu change. :)
this year I am visiting the most amount of restaurants ever. 3 lunches and 3 dinners. and I've decided to share it all with you (aren't you lucky).
restaurant #1: Lure Fishbar
I had actually never heard of this restaurant before, but my friend, we will call her Funny Face, wanted to try it out since her boss frequents this restaurant so much that they should just keep a table open for him every night. it was totally with me to go because I am a lover of all seafood. after finishing our meal my overall impression of this place is that there are probably much better seafood restaurants out there to spend this kind of money on. I had oysters as my appetizers - definitely NOT a fan of those little suckers. yuck. I had some sort of white fish as the entree (I honestly have no idea what kind it was) and it was tasty for sure, but maybe a little too heavy on the cilantro. and then a chocolate cake for dessert - I can never say no to chocolate. however, I've had better chocolate cakes and surprisingly the best one I've ever had is at Nobu Next Door, a Japanese restaurant - interesting right? however, the bar at this restaurant was totally crowded and looked like a fun place to hang out. so if I ever return here it will just be for a drink and for the decor of this place (the whole place looked like you were inside a gazillion dollar yacht!).
restaurant #2: Norma's at Le Parker Meridien
I was forewarned before I sat down to eat at this restaurant. I was told that a) to avoid the orange juice at all costs, b) I must order the Waza, and c) there is no such thing as no waiting.I followed advice #1 considering I saw the price of the o.j. on the menu before sitting down to eat and it was NINE DOLLARS for one glass. seriously?! and apparently they charge you that $9 every time you get a refill. no thanks. and besides, as a native Floridian, I don't really trust anyone else's o.j. I did not follow advice #2 because the Waza is a giant waffle topped with what looks like the entire fruit section of a Whole Foods. I hate waffles, this option was automatically out. and then I discovered advice #3 was 100% true. even though I had a reservation at 1:45, we didn't sit down until about 30 minutes later. I've personally never worked in a restaurant myself, but I've had plenty of friends who have and this just doesn't make sense to me. you have a list of people with reservation times and then have you have walk-ins as well. but I made my reservation almost two weeks ago! I honestly think this is just a management issue that needs to be addressed. it also didn't really make much sense because once we sat down, the service was very, very efficient (i.e. slow service was not the reason for the delay in our sit down time). and to top everything off, I didn't find out until I sat down that they don't participate in restaurant week during the weekends. awesome. (though I kind of had a gut feeling they wouldn't be... shoulda listened.)
however, the food was ABSOLUTELY delicious. at least the breakfast quesadilla I had. who knew that eggs, bacon, guac, and tomatoes would taste so good together?! it was a perfect meal too because all I had was the entree, no appetizer and no dessert and I was completely full after finishing (the good kind of full). so when I've saved up enough pennies again, I'll definitely be going back. :)
restaurant #3: A Voce Columbus
well life gets in the way and this restaurant didn't happen. I was supposed to go with people from work, but people's schedules change and it just did not work. however, I've eaten at this restaurant before so I wasn't heartbroken over not going (and neither was my wallet ;) )
restaurant #4: Dovetail
again, this one got nixed too. only because it was participating in restaurant week for lunch and not dinner. I hate when I don't pay attention to the fine print...
restaurant #5: SD26
I had been looking forward to this restaurant since I made all my reservations weeks before had. I had gone here a little over a year ago for Fabulous' birthday dinner. at the time her friend, the Belgian, had been the General Manager so got HOOKED UP. one of those dinners where it should have cost the seven of us probably $1,000 but only ended up being about $500 (including bottles of wine. yes, that was plural). so my friend, the Million Dollar Fundraiser, and I went for a Friday night dinner. we got there a smidge early and were going to sit at the bar, but ended up getting seated right away (this has a significance later on in the story). the restaurant now has something really cool and new, well at least new to me, you order your wine off an iPad. first you pick whether you want red, wine, sparkling, etc. and then you can sort by region, price, vintage, etc. it was really cool. (please excuse the bad quality of the picture as it was taken with my iPhone.) for dinner I of course had the "Uovo" soft egg yolk filled raviolo with truffled butter. this dish, granted it's just one giant ravioli, is quite literally one of the best things I've ever tasted in my life. I'm talking serious foodgasm here. you will seriously never taste ANYTHING like it. I was talking it up so much to my friend that she wanted to try it. I made her order her own though, because there was no way I was sharing this thing. I just can't even begin to describe how AMAZING this little ravioli tasted. for my main course I had the sea bass and I don't ever do this at restaurants, but I had to send it back. the fish was just way too fishy tasting (I know it's fish and should therefore taste like fish, but this was just too fishy - if that makes any sense). but the waiter was so nice about it and I changed it out for a pasta. the rest of the dinner was great and the dessert was really delicious too. the waiter even brought us each over a glass of moscato (my fav wine!) as a sort of "I'm sorry" gesture. well let me tell you, it won me over! we sat there a little while longer and they also brought us over a little plate of cookies and biscotti. and the daughter (it's a father and daughter team that own the restaurant) even stopped by our table to say hello and see how everything was going. that's one thing that I love about this restaurant - the owners actually walk around and talk to their customers. the one time I was there before the father came by our table to say hello. to me, it's just a very Italian way of doing things but at the same time it gives your dining experience a nice, personal touch. another great thing I like about this restaurant (last one, I promise) is that they let you sit there as long as you want to enjoy your dinner/talk/relax/whatever. very Italian way. Million Dollar Fundraiser and I were there for about three hours! it's one thing I miss about Italy - the meals that last for hours at a time. it's definitely a sure bet that I'll be back to this restaurant. :)restaurant #6: Park Avenue Winter
to be honest, I would have to say probably the only cool thing about this restaurant is that its decor changes with every season, as does its name. last restaurant week Million Dollar Fundraiser and I went to this restaurant, when it was known as Park Avenue Summer. this time around, really not much had changed. menu was still the same (it is apparently supposed to change with each season). to be fair though, both times we went on a Sunday for brunch and maybe that menu stays the same all year. what I do like about this place is that on Sunday's during restaurant week they actually serve brunch. most other restaurants either do lunch or dinner. not brunch. and seeing as how Sunday brunch is legit an institution in this city, it's nice to know you can have it for restaurant week too. so the atmosphere was nice (though I think I like Summer better) and the food was good - nothing too spectacular, but not horrible at the same time - but to be honest, I don't think I'll be returning to check out Spring or Fall. unless of course I decide to come for lunch or dinner - then hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised to see the menu change. :)
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