Restaurant Week 2008

There are two types of restaurant here in the city: go-to restaurants and want-to-go-to restaurants. Go-to spots are those you can pop into at the last minute after a Saturday of shopping or meet your best friend in when one of you urgently needs advice. These tried-and-true places always provide a good meal, quality service, and allow you a little treat that doesn’t cut too deeply into your budget.

Want-to-go-to restaurants, however, are a bit different. These are the places that you eye every time you pass them by, yet only venture out to for a special occasion. They require reservations at least a few days in advance, and you typically start to consider the outfit you will wear to them about that far ahead as well. Dining in a want-to-go-to restaurant will be a memorable experience, but it will cost you a bit more. Except during Restaurant Week, that is.

Running January 21 through 25 and January 28 through February 1, NYC’s Winter 2008 Restaurant Week offers the opportunity to try those restaurants that you’ve always wanted to go to but have been saving for a major birthday, anniversary, or other significant celebration. This week and next, some of the city’s best restaurants are offering prix fixe lunch menus for $24.07 and dinner for just $35. And I took full advantage last night when I met my parents at Nino’s, the upscale Italian restaurant on First Ave. between 72nd and 73rd Streets.

From Nino’s substantial prix fixe menu, I chose a beef carpaccio salad with potatoes and gorgonzola cheese; a pasta dish with shrimp, fresh tomatoes, basil, and garlic; and a piece of smooth chocolate mousse cake for dessert. My selections were carefully prepared and absolutely delicious, as were those of my parents (I was sure to sample my dad’s fresh salmon and my mom’s tiramisu). Topped with Nino’s classy décor, excellent service, and live music from a talented keyboardist, our $35 meals were quite a bargain.

Some of the other want-to-go-to restaurants on the UES participating in Restaurant Week include Arabelle, Café Boulud, The Carlyle Restaurant, Frederick’s Madison, JoJo, Maya, Orsay, The Post House, and Zoe Townhouse. For more information about Restaurant Week and a full list of participating restaurants, click here.