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

You know who you are. You puzzle over everything on the menu. Debate the minutest detail. Ask your companion to choose for you. And then follow the server into the kitchen and change your mind – to only wish later that you went with the sole instead. Give yourself (and your companions) a break and head to one of these fickle-friendly establishments.

UPPER EAST SIDE
Park Avenue Winter
[100 E. 63rd St.] [212.644.1900]

What could be more fitting than a restaurant that changes its name, décor, and menu – as frequently as the seasons? The filet mignon sandwich at lunch is fantastic – and fish dishes are first rate. Plus, it’s a good thing your fickle nature doesn’t lend itself to getting too attached to things because it’ll be entirely different next season.

CHELSEA
Tia Pol
[205 Tenth Ave.] [212.675.8805]

Although we certainly miss Chef Alex Raij, her former kitchen is still turning out flawless Basque tapas. Order whatever is on the chalkboard and then supplement it with chorizo, head-on shrimp, croquettes, and several cod dishes. And as these are snacking sizes – your appetite will be able to keep up with your fickleness.

CHINATOWN
Ping’s Seafood
[22 Mott St.] [212.602.9988]

Try out this concept – carts of food roll by and you point at what you want. Before you even have time to change your mind another cart will be along with a whole slew of new options. At Ping’s the room is smaller – and food better than at some of the larger Chinatown Dim Sum halls. Come on the weekend when the selection is better – and be prepared to approach the steam cart yourself when it’s too crowded to wield it through the aisles.

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN
Zenkichi
[77 N. 6th St.] [718.388.8985]

Slip into a curtained booth and order the seasonal omakasi menu for two ($96) and sit back as each carefully constructed course is delivered. The only choice you’ll make is between the Pork Belly Kakuni (magically simmered for three days) or Yellowtail and Daikon – but really, is there actually a choice when pork belly is involved?

Going out to eat with a vegan typically consists of them scavenging the menu for the one “vegan” item and then praying it isn’t sitting atop a giant slab of meat in the kitchen -OR- going to a vegan restaurant where you have to pretend that the soy-flavored-cardboard is a fair replacement for chicken fingers. Take dinner back at one of these haute vegan eateries- you’ll be impressed that the food is actually food- and they, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice.

GRAMERCY
Pure Food & Wine
[54 Irving Place] [212.477.1010]

With a lovely garden, a kitchen that doesn’t cook anything over 118 degrees, and a highly-crafted delectable menu of “raw” food- your date couldn’t be happier than if Thumper was sitting on the table sharing his meal with him. Dishes are prepared with blenders, dehydrators, and good old fashioned knives and whisks. Even the vegan desserts (which normally are more a punishment than a reward) impress.

LOWER EAST SIDE
Teany
[90 Rivington St.] [212.475.9190]

Stop in for afternoon tea for two and sample scones and sandwiches (such as a BLT with tempeh bacon and veganaise.) Additional offerings include a wide variety or salads, sandwiches, and an amazing gazpacho with avocado and mango. For an additional sweet treat head 3 blocks south to Babycakes (248 Broom St.) to indulge in delightful gluten, wheat, dairy, egg, and soy free cupcakes (that are remarkably awesome.)

EAST VILLAGE
Counter
[105 1st Ave.] [212.982.5870]

Toast organic martinis featuring house-made vodka infusions (from herbs grown in their rooftop garden of course.) The room is warm and chic and the menu is far from your usual crunchy-granola fare. The cauliflower risotto, tornados of seitan, vegetable b’steeya, and “burger” (wild mushroom pate) are favorites and with hundreds of organic wines to choose from this date could go quite late into the night.

UPPER EAST SIDE
Candle 79
[154 E. 79th St.] [212.537.7179]

Settle into plush seats and romantic lighting and eat seitan, quinoa, and tempeh until your heart is content. And while cashew “sour cream” on zucchini enchiladas is certainly not the same as the real thing- you and your date with certainly appreciate the attention paid to all the extras. For dessert hope the vegan nutter butter ice cream is part of that night’s sorbet and ice cream tasting.