Sunday Game Plan – NYC Restaurant Week Summer 2025

NYC Summer Restaurant Week is back!! This year NYC Restaurant Week will be begin on Monday 07/21/25 to 08/31/25; not all restaurants will participate over the five week period. To date, 610 restaurants from the five boroughs will be participating. The price points for this season are $30, $45 and $60 for lunch/brunch and/or dinner depending on the restaurant.  What I will be doing differently this time is recommending restaurants according to neighborhoods where realistically I’ll be dining in based on convenience unless it’s something special that I’d go that extra mile (stay tuned to the end of this post).

LOWER MANHATTAN

To date there are 14 restaurants that are participating in this upcoming restaurant week. I’ve personally dined in 10 out of the 14 participating restaurants where 7 of those 10 restaurants were for restaurant week.

Before COVID-19, my friend and I dined in Morton’s The Steakhouse on World Trade Center for Restaurant Week dinner. Entrees were generous because I actually recalled my friend ordering the pork chop and only ate a third of her dish and took the rest home. What I appreciated it about this restaurant is their transparency of their portions by posting the calories next to each dish. One day, I’ll return to check out their power hour.

I’ve been to Manhatta twice for restaurant week, the first time was five years ago for lunch and the second time was last year when my friend treated me to an early birthday lunch. Both times I have had the privilege to dine with a view. Service, and ambiance was off the charts. Unfortunately, this restaurant week, the menu offers a variation of dishes that are served on their regular menu, which is not the same. Below are the dishes we had for lunch during restaurant week last summer; everything tasted so good and we got the olive oil cake for dessert, which I took home for the hubby because I had to head back to the office.

I have dined in Le Gratin several times, one for French Restaurant Week, after work to try their monthly special and more recently their golden hour. This restaurant is owned by Daniel Boulud and they like to change things up. The menu for this season’s restaurant week is a continuation of their menu for French Restaurant week.

Meal for One

Schilling – $30 pp lunch Monday thru Friday – Wiener Schnitzel/Apple Strudel

La Marchande – $45 pp lunch Monday thru Friday – Shrimp Cocktail/La Marchande Burger

My first visit to La Marchande was back in 2023 for lunch during restaurant week. Service was very slow given there were only three diners (including myself) in the restaurant during lunch. I was excited to try their popular French onion dumplings, but I was disappointed due to the portions being cut in half and not rich as I thought it would be given that it had truffles and gruyere. The French onion dumplings are going to be offered as a supplemental appetizer for this season’s restaurant week. Given the slow service, by the time I got my main entree, which was huge, I had to take it to go so I can get back to work within the hour lunch break. This salad took two day to finish. I’d like to return for another restaurant week lunch meal, but given the slow service, I need to plan it out where my I can stretch my hour lunch break.

Crown Shy – $60 pp dinner Sunday thru Friday until August 17th – Kibbeh Nayah, Lavash/Grilled Citrus Marinated Chicken and Hot Sauce/Satsuma, Toasted Marshmallow, Honeycomb

Almost four years ago, I have had the privilege to dine in this one-star Michelin restaurant under the leadership of the late Executive chef James Kent. I was seat in front of the open ended kitchen to watch all the action. I was blown away by the service, bread, appetizers and dessert that earned this restaurant a one-star Michelin back in 2021. Unfortunately, the pictures I have taken from this dining experience are in my old phone which I no longer have access to, but I did a Yelp review of this great dining experience. I’d like to return to indulge in the dining experience under the new leadership.

Vino & … Eataly NYC Downtown – $30 pp lunch Monday thru until August 17th – Insalata Cesare/Linguine al Pesto Genovese e Stracciatella

Meal for Two

Temple Court – $45 pp lunch Monday thru Friday: (1) Wild Arugula Salad/Leg of Lamb (2) Heirloom Grains Salad/Roasted Salmon

Two years ago my friends met up with me for a group dinner inside Temple Court. During that time, only the restaurant week menu was offered so everyone that dined had to order from that menu. Everyone was satisfied. I had to order the agnolotti after learning the techniques on MasterChef, the dish hit the spot and the roasted chicken was a huge portion, which resulted in leftovers for the hubby the next day. I ended the night with the blueberry cheesecake semifreddo. This time, this restaurant will also be offering agnolotti as an appetizer and the roasted chicken as a main entree for dinner. Personally, I may dine here for lunch, thankfully I have time to plan as Temple Court will be participating thru the end of August.

Felice 15 Gold Street – $30 pp lunch for two Sunday thru Friday until August 17 – (1) Zuppa Contadina/Paillard de Pollo/Tortino al Cioccolato (2) Bruschetta/Fusilli al Ferretto e Burrata/Tiramisu

Felice 15 Gold Street – $45 pp dinner for two Sunday thru Friday until August 17 – (1) Zuppa Contadina/Pollo Milanese/Tortino al Cioccolato (2) Ricotta/Salmone/Tiramisu

Almost six years ago, I have had the privilege to have brunch at this restaurant. Portions were huge and I had to take leftovers home. Unfortunately, the pictures I have taken from this dining experience are in my old phone which I no longer have access to, but I did a brunch review on Yelp. In addition, I’ve dined in this restaurant two additional times for the holiday party also back in 2019 and 2021. After COVID-19 the quality of food and service was not the same as it was six years ago, which is why I have not yet returned.

Delmonico’s – $60 pp lunch for two Monday thru Friday – (1) Yellowtail Crudo/Faroe Island Salmon/Chocolate Symphony (2) Caramelized Bacon/Risotto/Cheesecake

Earlier this year, my friend and I met for a meal and the dining experience was great. It’s definitely worth the experience even though the clientele would be different. Personally I had the yellow crudo and chocolate symphony, both of which were very good. If I do dine, I’ll definitely try bacon, salmon and most likely I’ll take the cheesecake home.

Meal for four

Stout NYC Financial District – $30 pp lunch with pint of Stella/soda/juice Monday thru Friday – (1) Chicken Pot Stickers/Rustic Chicken Pot Pie (2) Vegetable Pot Stickers/Stout Burger (3) Sweet & Spicy Crispy Cauliflower/Double Stacked Stout Burger (4) Mac and Cheese Bites/Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Personally I have dined in Stout during my lunch break and there were no more than three diners there. I definitely had the Stout Burger, which was good. Service was very quick and I always came home with leftovers.

Meal for five

Brooklyn Chophouse$60 pp dinner (1) Chicken Lettuce Wraps/Filet Mignon & Broccoli/Vegetable Fried Rice/Chef Choice Dessert (2) Vegetable Lettuce Wraps/Salt & Pepper Shrimp/Bok Choy/Chef Choice Dessert (3) Bacon Cheeseburger Dumplings/Sweet Black Bean Beijing Chicken/Vegetable Fried Rice/Chef Choice Dessert (4) Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce/Ginger Beef and Scallion Noodles/Bok Choy/Chef Choice Dessert (5) Edamame Dumplings/Vegetable Flat Noodles/Bok Choy/Chef Choice Dessert

I’ve dined at this restaurant several times over the past six years. This was the last restaurant I have dined in right before COVID 19 shutdown in 2020. When the restaurants started reopening, an ex-colleague of mine and I would meet to dine outdoors. Last summer right after a successful accreditation inspection, we had a celebratory dinner for restaurant week. The chef choice dessert for the evening was a slice of red velvet cake.

THE SEAPORT

To date there are 8 restaurants that are participating in this upcoming restaurant week. I’ve personally dined in 6 out of the 8 participating restaurants where 5 of those 8 restaurants were for restaurant week.

Meal for One

Malibu Farm – $45 dinner – Homemade Ricotta/Chicken/Olive Oil Cake

I’ve dined in this restaurant for Winter Restaurant Week dinner and the options for that season is definitely better. I’ve also dined in for lunch two years ago and I got to watch the filming of a scene for Law & Order SVU.

The Fulton – $45 pp lunch Monday thru Friday – Crispy Calamari Salad/Simply Prepared Salmon

I’ve dined in this restaurant for Winter Restaurant Week lunch and they offered a 3 course meal for $60. Service was slow where I had to take my dessert home, which was ice cream and unfortunately I could not enjoy it as it melted during my long commute home. However, I did enjoy the Yellowtail Tuna Tartare and Ume Sesame Crusted Salmon that I devoured the entire dish. I also dined three more times to try their gruyere cheeseburger au jus, shrimp burger and spaghetti alla vongole. All three dishes were overall delicious and hit the spot. This season, only two courses are being offered and I have to plan according if I want to dine here for lunch.

The Fulton – $60 pp lunch Sunday thru Friday – Seafood Plateau/Branzino/Housemade Ice Cream/Sorbet

House of Red Pearl – $45 pp dinner Sunday thru Friday – Crunchy Lettuce Hearts/Glazed Shrimp/Mango Sago Pudding

Meal for Two

The Tuck Room – $45 pp dinner Monday thru Friday – (1) Short Rib Bao Bun Sliders/Lobster Mac and Cheese/Concord Chocolate Cake (2) Crispy Shrimp Spring Roll/Salmon/Fresh Fruit Tart

The Tuck Room, located inside the iPic theatres was my fun go to spot for happy hour over 6 years ago. The first time I went was at the holiday party for work in 2017, but I was not impressed with the food. My friends took me out to celebrate my engagement for happy hour/pre game after work in 2019. I may come for happy hour and a restaurant week meal.

T. Brasserie – $30 pp lunch Monday thru Friday – (1) Country Pate/Faroe Island Salmon (2) Endive Salad and Snap Pea Salad/Gruyere Cheeseburger

Two years ago I saw a photo of the gruyere cheeseburger and I just had to try it for lunch. This burger took a while to make so even though I enjoyed every bite of it, I actually only ate half of it and took the rest home for the hubby to have for dinner. He loved the burger despite the richness because it was different.

The Frenchman’s Dough – $30 pp lunch Monday thru Friday (1) Caesar Salad/Chicken Parmigiana (2)Fried Mozzarella/Bolognese

Industry Kitchen – $30 pp lunch Sunday thru Friday until August 17 (1) Atlantic Salmon Ceviche/Miso Glazed Atlantic Salmon (2) Truffle Potato Wedges/Pan Seared Chicken Francese

Whenever I dined in Industry Kitchen, I have to order the truffle potato wedges. The first time I had these wedges, there were to die for because of its curly texture with the parmesan cheese and truffle oil. Over time, the wedges changed shape which now look like steak fries but the texture and taste is still there. I’ve also had the lamb chops and I did not care for them because they were unevenly cooked.

Meal for Three

Carne Mare – $45 pp lunch Monday thru Friday (1) Crispy Calamari/Ora King Salmon (2) Brooklyn Burrata Con Panna/Sweet Corn Agnolotti (3) The House Wedgini/AC’s Famous Prime Rib Sandwich

I actually had the Brooklyn Burrata Con Panna as my appetizer for winter restaurant week lunch where they offered a 3 course meal for the same price. This appetizer was so filling that I was only able to enjoy half of my main entree (I took the other half home) and for dessert, I only had two bites because I was so full.

During my commute since 07/17/25, I’ve developed a bucket list of restaurants I want to dine and support new restaurants especially the ones with the best deals. Unfortunately, I won’t be participating as much as I would have liked due to the life and priorities. Here’s the my wish list for this season’s restaurant week outside of Lower Manhattan and Seaport neighborhoods.

  1. Tuome
  2. Ishq
  3. Naks
  4. Golden K Burger
  5. Park Ave Kitchen by David Burke
  6. Dhamaka
  7. Nuet-Et Midtown
  8. Momofuku Noodle Bar
  9. Koloman
  10. Cafe Boulud
  11. Baar Baar
  12. Central Park Boathouse

I may hit up other restaurants in Queens because it’s more convenient and definitely worth exploring. I’ll definitely be hitting up at least three of the restaurants on this list. Stay tuned.

Social Saturday – Andaz Kitchen and Bar – Wall Street

Happy Saturday and I’m counting down the days until I’m able to eat food with refined/processed sugar again. As I stated in my last post, I gave up sugar except for the natural sugars in fruits and vegetables for 40 days for Lent. It’s been really challenging and hard especially this last 10 days with the gatherings for St. Patrick’s Day.

Ten days ago I’ve have had the privilege to see a preview of the food and drink at the revived Andaz Kitchen and Bar at the Andaz Wall Street Hotel in Wall Street. Previously named Dina Rata, which I learned was an Indian name meaning moon. It was deceiving that a place with that name was serving Italian food. Anyways, I preferred the new name.

When I arrived, I was greeted with champagne which I did not drink due to the sugar content. However, I settled for the Chianti which has low sugar, thanks to one of the general managers who suggested the wine as he also gave up sugar. The wine went well with my selection of crudites containing fruits, and vegetables with no hummus, dressing and/or dip to avoid the possibility to ingesting sugar.

I was impressed by the food display and presentation. I loved the color of the vegetables indicating that it is fresh. I also liked the cheese and cold cuts selection.

Next, the passed food samples from the menu, which included a variety of dishes inspired from different cultures including Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Italy and Vietnam.

Below are images of the food created by Executive Chef Pietro Consorti from the event:

Crudites

Cheese and charcuterie display

Tasting plate of cheese and cold cuts

Tasting plate of fresh and colorful vegetables

Bread, butter and anchovies

Jerk Pork Sliders

Toasted prosciutto and baguette

Puntarelle e stracciatella

Panzarella red snapper and green olives

Beef Peccadillo plantains

Fruit berry tart

Rum babba

Flan de leche

Liquid Lab mixology interactive cocktail session setup

It was obvious that I did not eat everything due to the 40 day sugar sacrifice. As a result I did not try anything containing bread and dessert. However, my favorite even from just looking at the menu was the Beef Peccadillo plantains.

Thank you to the management team at Andaz and Andaz Kitchen and Bar including Executive Chef Pietro Consorti for making me feel welcomed. I can’t wait to return and sample the remaining dishes.

Big shout out to the Liquid Lab team for a great demo on making the cocktails, which I could not participate. I do look forward to seeing them in the future.

Stay tuned for more.

Flashback Friday – Chinese Noodle Soup Adventures

Since the temperature plummeted last week, I’ve been having cravings for noodle soup made from Chinese handmade noodles or homemade ramen specifically.  What I love about these noodles is that I don’t have the knowledge that the noodles are processed, what I mean is that it does not contain the durum wheat, which has been documented as a source for weight gain and obesity.  In addition to the healthy appearing noodles, the broth is made to perfection especially on a cold winter night.  

Below are places I’ve had ramen and or homemade Chinese Noodle soup that it’s worth the money spent and it’s filling. 

Mixed Lamb Noodle Soup $8 Uncle Zhou Elmhurst

Spicy Chicken Ramen Soup – $6.95 Cafe Water Water Street NYC

Beef Stew Hand Drawn Noodle Soup – Lao Bei Fang Dumpling House – Elmhurst

Wonton Hand Drawn Noodle Soup – Lao Bei Fang Dumpling House

Kuu Chili Ramen $14 with House Sake $6 during happy hour – Kuu Ramen – Financial District NYC

Mixed Lamb Noodle Soup $8 – Uncle Zhou – Elmhurst, NY

Spicy Beef Knife shaved noodle soup – Uncle Zhou – Elmhurst NY

Knife shaped noodles – Uncle Zhou – Elmhurst NY

Throwback Thursday – National Sandwich Day

Happy Thursday! First I want to congratulate the Chicago Cubs for finally breaking the curse and winning the World Series after 108 years. Anyways back to food it is National Sandwich Day. 

As I was watching world series history, the commercial for Subway came up with their promotion of buy 1 sub and drink get 1 free sub.  With all due respect to the bargain eats and listing of calories promoted by Subway, I am going to share two different sandwich experiences. 

Both sandwiches were purchased in the Financial District during lunch both were under $10 and it feels like eating a meal for two. Both sandwiches is a perfect quick meal as you consume protein, vegetables, with or without calcium and carbs in one shot. 

The first sandwich I had was a vegetarian sandwich from Num Pang, a Cambodian sandwich shop. There are six locations throughout the city. The shop had a great variety of sandwiches along with rice balls and drinks such as watermelon juice and Vietnamese coffee. All their sandwiches consist of freshly made semolina or quinoa baguette with pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro and chili mayo.  One of their cheapest sandwiches that appeared to be healthy yet very tasty was their Spicy Organic Tofu ($7.95). The sandwich was freshly made and served warm. The sandwich had a perfect balance of the firm tofu and vegetables, well worth the price.

Recently I was exploring Eater’s top 60 cheap eats in New York city right now. One of the restaurants listed was Grotto Pizzeria and Restaurant also located in the Financial District. This hole in the wall restaurant has been around since 1985. You have to go down a several stairs. As you enter the place looks like a regular pizza takeout spot where pizzas and sandwiches are separated and ordered separately. The guy behind the counter pointed me in the right direction to the sandwiches. I went with the sandwich suggested by Robert Sistema and Eater, which was the the sausage, broccoli Rabe and mozzarella sandwich. I waited and ate half of this filling sandwich ($9.75 with tax). This sandwich has to be eaten with all its components in it as it had the bitterness of the broccoli Rabe, the saltiness of the sausage and the creaminess of the cheese on a fresh roll. 

Although I am not a sandwich person, I do enjoy a really good sandwich once in a while especially from Katz, Carnegie or Russ and Daughters. Definitely want one check out other cheap eats listed on the Eater’s top 60 cheap eats.