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

If you’re in a more-the-merrier mood, saddle up with strangers at one of these communal tables. The environment is noisy, casual, and full of unpredictable encounters. And with diners in all stages of their meal you can conveniently check out their food (or ask how it is) without the awkward neck craning.

LOWER EAST SIDE
Kampuchea
[78 Rivington St.] [212.529.3901]

Start with a few of their Cambodian small plates (the pork belly and baby back ribs are both stellar) and if you are a pair split the Num Pang sandwich tasting for two. The sandwiches are served on a toasted baguette and topped with pickled carrots, cilantro and chili mayo – pulled oxtail, catfish, and coconut tiger shrimp are favorites. And happily, pickled vegetables pack a punch and accompany most dishes.

MIDTOWN WEST
Bon Appétit Supper Club & Café
[221 W. 57th St.]

Give Chipotle a break, for two weeks only (October 23-31) Bon Appétit will open a restaurant to cure your midtown lunch woes (the suppers are by invitation only). So grab a seat with a co-worker at one of the large communal tables brought in just for this occasion and enjoy Charlie Trotter’s leek soup, Mario Batali’s chorizo empanda, and Michael Psilakis’ greek salad (check out the full menu). As if you needed an additional draw there will be chef demos, Q&A’s, and book signings.

UNION SQUARE
Republic
[37 Union Square West] [212.627.7172]

The super-sized communal tables and quick turn over allows this trendy Thai restaurant to keep their prices low (with nearly everything around $10). The cold beef noodles, pad thai, and curry duck noodles are all sure bets. And the fried wontons and coconut shrimp are fantastic accompaniments.

WILLIAMSBURG
DuMont Burger
[314 Bedford Ave.] [718.384.6127]

Head to the offshoot of DuMont for a good burger, a beer, and 30 new friends- grab a seat where you can and enjoy some tasty comfort food. The burger is solid, and if you aren’t in the mood the pulled pork and mac & cheese are more than suitable substitutions.

For some people, a meal without dessert just isn’t a meal. And for others (apparently nursed on Karo syrup) a walk, a block, or a talk without eight small cookies is unbearable. Pacify them with one of the following quick sweet stops, which are sure to satisfy (at least for the moment.)

UPPER WEST SIDE
Bouchon Bakery
[10 Columbus Circle] [212.823.9366]

Oh the glorious, glorious “Nutter Butter.” It’s massive! It’s heavenly! And it’s apparently made with Skippy peanut butter (check out the recipe.) But yes, Thomas Kellar’s Time Warner Center bakery turns out some delightful treats. And the saucer-sized Nutter Butter is a perfect place to start.

LOWER EAST SIDE
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
[126 Rivington St.] [212.995.1960]

While the cupcakes are tempting (and justly so, they are delicious) once you have the banana pudding there is just no going back. So enjoy all the pistachio, pumpkin, and red velvet cupcakes you can before making the switch. There is just something so addictive about the combination of pudding, ‘nilla wafers, bananas, and cupcake parts that makes other treats seem less sweet.

EAST VILLAGE
Dessert Club (AKA: Chikalicious Puddin’)
[204 E. 10th St.] [212.475.0929]

Who doesn’t appreciate when fancy dessert gods tackle the common sweet? And while Chikalicious Dessert Bar has delightful mutli-course treats- it is their outpost across the street that churns out the perfect portable pick-me-up. Try the brioche bread pudding – it’s lovely.

UNION SQUARE
Wafels & Dinges
[14th St. & 3rd Ave.] [646.257.2592]

Just try walking past this dessert truck without giving into the wafting scent of warm Belgian waffles. Choose your waffle and your “dinges” (strawberries, whipped cream, nutella, dulce de leche, maple syrup, and chocolate syrup) douse with powered sugar and enjoy. Additional locations include Midtown, Williamsburg, and Fort Greene.