Power To The People In This Year's NYC Restaurant Week

January 12, 2009 at 4:00 PM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

New York can afford to be snooty with its Restaurant Week no longer; this winter's schedule of hot-to-trot foodie havens serving up prix fixe menus is larger than ever, and you can thank the economy.

Twice a year, gourmet-hungry plebeians tensely await the release of reservations for the two-week period during which 3-course lunches and dinners are served for $24.07 and $35, respectively, at the city's top restaurants from January 18-23 and 25-30. In the past, restrictions made the most coveted meals impossible to come by, particularly since the deal was only good on weekdays and some of the city's hot spots like Nobu and Tribeca Grill would sit out for a season. This year, however, the week has been stretched to include Sundays, and the list of available restaurants bulges at over 250. (Eater went so far as to say that a soft economy means 2009 is "New York's first ever Restaurant Year.")

So where are New Yorkers crazy about getting their munch on now that the diners have the power? As usual, the big few have been booked since day one; we're talking the culinary meccas of Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park and Cafe Boulud. (Nobu is only taking phone reservations, so they may still be open.) But now with the addition of Sunday and some restaurants deigning to offer the deal at dinner--look at Lever House--New York has more room for gourmands than ever. Snag one of the last lunches available at Morimoto, the Iron Chef's eponymous shrine in the Meatpacking District, or head to midtown for Chez Josephine, a French/Southern joint operated by the son of cabaret legend Josephine Baker.

If the economy worries you just as it does the restaurants, then we recommend sticking to the cheaper lunches; they're still three courses, and eating in daylight means taking advantage of stunning views (we're talking about you, Asiate and River Cafe). No matter what you choose, justifying further indulgence so soon after the holidays has never been easier than with Restaurant Week.

Related Stories:
· Winter Restaurant Week [Official Site]
· Restaurant Week Gets a Tasty Twist [Jaunted]

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