Restaurant Week: Part 1

New York Restaurant Week is a two week event that occurs twice a year during which over 250 of the city's top restaurants offer 3 course prix-fixe meals at a highly discounted rate. This is obvi an amazing way for people who may not have otherwise been able to afford these restaurants to experience some of the city's amazing upscale culinary cuisine. Perfect for broke-ass wannabe-cultured entertainment professionals like myself. Prices for the prix-fixe meals are $24.07 for lunch and $35 for dinner.

Megan's personal Restaurant Week tip: Many restaurants have identical menus for lunch and dinner, so go for lunch to get an even better value.

I took my own advice to heart and took myself on a lunch date to Smith & Wollensky (49th Street and 3rd Avenue). I've been wanting to eat here ever since Andi threw Miranda Priestly's unwanted steak from S&W in the sink in The Devil Wears Prada movie. It looked so delicious, what a waste. I would have kept it for myself and savored every bite of that magnificent steak that I special ordered and picked up at 10:30am before the restaurant even opened, silently telling my job and my boss to go eff themselves... But oh yah, the real life food.

I opted to upgrade my lunch to include Smith & Wollensky's own Restaurant Week wine offering: $30 for the regular prix-fixe plus a glass of wine from a limited list. My chosen meal consisted of a glass of cabernet sauvignon, a caesar salad, filet mignon, and a slice of cheesecake. The wine portion was generous and with the Restaurant Week price significantly cheaper than normal at $6 (compared to S&W's cheapest wine by the glass at $11). The salad was refreshing with a delicious caesar dressing, and the bread basket included a variety of different breads and a flavorful whipped butter. The filet mignon was just as perfect as the steak in my daydreams. The 10 oz fillet was tender and cooked to a perfect medium-rare. I don't typically use steak sauce, but Smith & Wollensky's own sauce was a perfect compliment to the filet providing a subtle smokiness and great flavor. I'm also not much of a dessert person but do love a good cheesecake, and S&W's delivered with it's almost mousse-like creaminess. The waitstaff was extremely attentive and conversational without being overwhelming, and I left Smith & Wollensky feeling relaxed and gluttonously happy, the perfect sophisticated break from the workday.