situeating

Oh Restaurant Week – both a blessing and a curse. At its best it is a time to check out a restaurant at what should be a fraction of the cost. At its worst it is an overworked kitchen pushing out a generic three course menu of salad, salmon, and chocolate cake that you wouldn’t have ordered in the first place. But lovely meals are to be had – and guaranteed any week at these restaurants.

UNION SQUARE
Devi
[8 E. 18th St.] [212.691.1300]

Dine with people that don’t mind you sampling their food – as you are going to want to try everything at this fine-dining Indian restaurant. The Manchurian cauliflower and grilled scallops are superb starters – while the Bombay-style halibut, tandoor-grilled lamb chops, and chole bhature will make it hard to decide a main course. Saffron bread pudding rounds out the meal.

LOWER EAST SIDE
Rayuela
[165 Allen St.] [212.253.8840]

Billing his cooking style as “estilo libre latino” (freestyle Latin) Chef Maximo Tejada creates dishes layered with flavor. The huevos rancheros at brunch are otherworldly. And his restaurant week dinner menu is a fantastic first introduction.

SOHO
Kittichai
[60 Thompson St.] [212.219.2000]

Because $12 Pad Kee Mao delivery is sometimes fantastic – it is hard justifying your limited spending on proper dinner prices for Thai cuisine. That logic fails when the chef is Ian Chalermkittichai of the Four Seasons Bangkok. Enjoy highly inventive dishes and artful presentation. Better yet- the pre-fix dinner menu has been extended through March.

UPPER EAST SIDE
JoJo
[160 E. 64th St.] [212.223.5656]

This lovely townhouse on the Upper East Side feels worlds away from any of the downtown restaurants in the Vongerichten canon. Treat yourself to a luxurious romantic meal. With two choices for each course it is perfect for a date. And the poached fig dessert with cumin-honey ice cream is splendid.

Featured Situeating restaurants participating in Restaurant Week: Amalia, August, Del Posto, and Park Avenue Winter

Pack your favorite ladies, some booze (where applicable), and a fight-worthy grab gift to partake in some real holiday fun (not the kind you have been pretending to have with your folks all week.) For a real treat trade up at one of these swap-happy restaurants where you can pass presents, drinks, and food.

LOWER EAST SIDE
Kuma Inn
[113 Ludlow St. - 2nd Fl.] [212.353.8866]

The delicious Asian tapas will keep you from fighting over the gifts (and have you fighting over the food instead!) The lengthy menu (and added specials) means there is no shortage of things to choose from and the drunken shrimp, Chinese sausage, and mussels in coconut curry are all top picks. Bonus- the b.y.o.b. policy will make sure you are passing the wine liberally as well.

EAST VILLAGE
Mercadito
[179 Ave. B] [212.529.6490]

Chef Patricio Sandoval devised tacos meant for sharing- agree to each pick a different one (at last count there were ten options plus specials.) Don’t skip the carne, carnitas, or camaron. Top it off with a couple orders of the guacamole sampler and as many rounds of margaritas as you can handle (made strong and with fresh squeezed juice.)

SOHO
Boqueria
[171 Spring St.] [212.343.4255]

The brand new location and hipper neighborhood will give your friends the wow factor – while chef Seamus Mullen’s (of Suba and Boqueria Flatiron) reputation ensures the food will be divine as well. Take over the large table and order the Paella Valencia and then add on whatever tapas strike your fancy. The Escudella, Txipirones, and Brandada de Bacalao should not be missed.

DUMBO, BROOKLYN
Superfine
[126 Front St.] [718.243.9005]

Okay, so the name alone would be reason enough to start a ruckus girl’s night out here. Luckily though the first-rate pork chop, house-made sausage, and well-constructed drinks do not disappoint. The pool table, live music, and cute bartenders mean that your party will continue (and potentially grow) even after you finish dessert.

Well maybe not the world… but Stephanie who up until a week ago subsisted off of some combination of bread, cheese, and sugar – discovered due to a yeast & mold allergy that she can no longer eat any of them (as well as no mushrooms, wine, vinegar, and a whole slew of other things that make eating, never mind eating out, seem like a rather impossible task.) Try the following restaurants for some delicious yeast-free eats (with or without Stephanie.)

MIDTOWN WEST
Better Burger
[587 9th Ave.] [212.629.6622]

With burgers and dogs made with 100% meat there is no chance of yeast-infected fillers in the mix. Skip the bun and top with soy American, red onions and zesty guacamole. Oven baked fries round out the meal- and an ingredient book makes is really easy to check which tempting condiments work for you. Additional locations include Chelsea & Murray Hill.

SOHO
The Yoghurt Place
[71 Sullivan St.] [212.219.3500]

Greek yogurt! It’s thick, creamy, delicious and due to live cultures – totally acceptable to eat (don’t ask me why yeast running around in one thing is bad and cultures running around in another is good but it works.) Replace your ice cream fix with yogurt topped with nuts and honey. It’s truly lovely. And while you are there pick up some tzatziki for home.

UPPER WEST SIDE
Café Viva
[2578 Broadway] [212.663.8482]

Pizza. Yes, Pizza. Luckily for Stephanie their Pizza Pura is made with a yeast free, dairy free & wheat free crust and is available “Naturale” topped with organic tomato sauce, miso tofu, eggplant, zucchini, red pepper & spinach or “Vegetarian” topped with organic tomato sauce, onions, broccoli, and soy cheese (hold the mushrooms.) And luckily for you, it’s quite tasty as well.

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN
Chai Home Kitchen
[124 N. 6th St.] [718.599.5889]

Forget Stephanie- head here for fantastic peanut dumplings, curries, and an excellent duck tamarind. And because most Thai dishes are rice based and soy sauce free it just happens to be generally yeast-free (but double check with your server to make sure!)

Not that booze makes talking about books better- but a large table, a leisurely meal, and the b.y.o. policy at these restaurants offers the perfect environment for a book club date. So finish up those last couple chapters, pick up a bottle of wine, and head on over and join the discussion.

LOWER EAST SIDE
A Casa Fox
[173 Orchard St.] [212.253.1900]

Claim the large wooden table and then order one of everything on the menu. The empanadas are phenomenal- order the full size versions and split them rather than the sampler (the filling to crust ratio works better.) Try the pulled pork, spiced beef, or chorizo. The fried manchego, risotto croquettes, and crab cakes serve well to round the meal. Bring a bottle of rum and buy a mojito start-up.

SOHO
Ivo & Lulu
[558 Broome St.] [212.226.4399]

Enjoy French-Caribbean fare at this budget bistro (with entrees around $15 and no corkage fee.) Don’t be surprised if they bring your party back outside to the storefront next door- it will give you more room (and fill up by the time you are ready to leave.) Pack a few bottles of wine and indulge in duck confit, boar and sage sausage, and smoked mussels.

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN
La Superior
[295 Berry St.] [718.388.5988]

Pick up beers on the corner, push a couple tables together, and start ordering mouth-watering Mexican street food. Street style quesadillas, tacos, gorditas and awesome salsas will have you totally addicted. And the super-friendly staff is more likely to pull up a chair and join the discussion than try and rush you out the door.

CARROLL GARDENS, BROOKLYN
Lucali’s
[575 Henry St.] [718.858.4086]

Superb thin-crust pies make the at times lengthy wait worth it. Put your name in and head around the block to pick up a couple bottles of wine. Or use the time to jump-start the book talk- or accept that once the pizza comes all responses will be reduced to “mmmmm.”

This is for the friend you almost killed during the forth of July fireworks because while everyone else said “ahhh” she said “strontium carbonate! barium chloride!” Impress her with some molecular gastronomy (she’ll like the phrase even if the following chefs do not) and prepare to listen to her gush excitedly as she dissects what lasers, chemical powders, flash freezing, and “glue” went into each course.

LOWER EAST SIDE
wd-50
[50 Clinton St.] [212.477.2900]

Wylie Dufresne’s cutting-edge cooking is what got New York in such a tizzy over beakers in the kitchen in the first place. But rest assured, he is certainly more chef than chemist and the odd combinations while head-scratching are generally delightful (popcorn soup!) Indulge in the tasting menu or choose your courses by ingredients that strike your fancy just don’t second guess if they go with what they are paired with (somehow, they always do.)

SOHO
Tailor
[525 Broome St.] [212.334.5182]

Sam Mason, former dessert chef of wd-50, struck out on his own blending sweet, savory, and all sorts of tricks at his soho eatery. The combinations may seem absurd (mango ravioli, mustard gnocchi, marrow beads) but when it works it really works. The pork belly with miso butterscotch is heavenly and the crumble cocktail (brown butter, rum, and cloves) almost makes me wish for cold weather.

UPPER WEST SIDE
Jean Georges
[1 Central Park West] [212.299.3900]

Executive pastry chef, Johnny Iuzzini, does way more than just cookies. Utilizing everything from sugar to hydrocolloids and whisks to medical equipment he creates such inventive desserts as rhubarb noodles and Meyer lemon flexi-curd.

EAST VILLAGE
PDT
[113 St. Mark’s Pl.] [212.614.0386]

Your friend may just have to change what she’s mixing after tasting Jim Meehan’s cocktails (bacon-infused bourbon, really? genius.) This secret bar is accessed through a vintage telephone booth in Crif Dogs. Even better, you can order off their menu- pair your cocktail with the Wylie Dog (complete with deep-fried mayo, freeze-dried onions, and tomato molasses) and thank your chemistry teacher.