Yes, you read the title correctly. I’m going to write about Winter Restaurant Week. I know, I know, summer restaurant week is just around the corner but I think it’s good to note that there are both GOOD and BAD experiences associated with dining during this promotion. Not to mention I can’t afford to eat at half these places, so at least I can pretend that I can afford it by participating in restaurant weeks.

Don’t hate. I am a true food-enthusiast. I’m just not able to allocate my disposable income to eating at great restaurant establishments.

Perry St.
176 Perry St.
New York, NY 10014

My friend, Joanne, and I went to enjoy some fine dining at Perry St., one of Jean-George’s restaurants. It’s located all the way by the west side which overlooks Hudson River, in a real quiet area. The exterior of the restaurant looked so sleek, I think we both hesitated before entering. Oh yes, I made sure I looked presentable versus wearing a sweatshirt and jeans.

After being seated, we were seated (not by a corner mind you!) and they were very nice. They knew we were there for restaurant week, but didn’t look down upon that at all. Joanne and I ordered completely different things for each course, which was perfect since we could taste each other’s dishes.

They started us out with an amuse bouche to start out our meal. They served a watermelon soup, which was surprisingly good. I remember it having a very unique distinct taste…and I finished it all.

My appetizer is homemade mozzarella topped with basil, olive oil, and some fruit…(sorry it’s been a while since I ate there) It was real good. The mozzarella was light and all the flavors worked together well. Yummmm.

My main entree featured salmon with arugula and topped with crisps. The salmon was done well, not too dry and moist in the middle. Definitely enjoyed the texture and flavors of this dish.

And for dessert…
And to end off the great meal, White Chocolate and Meringue with Yuzu sorbet and mint. It was really good! Nice and light, and the sorbet with the meringue simply melted in my mouth. Oh how I love dessert…

Conclusion: Overall, I had a great experience there. No one was snobby, very accommodating, and had good American Nouveau food. I would say that it’s a great place to take a date as well. Dim lighting, beautifully-plated food, and awesome company. What more can you ask from a meal?

Montebello
120 E. 56th St.
New York, NY 10022

I came here with co-workers, and found out that they normally have a prix fix menu so it wasn’t anything special. It felt like a typical Midtown-italian restaurant…had a relatively homey feel, but there were enough suits in there to make you feel like you should start whipping out some business cards. Oh corporate america…

This was their seasonal soup. Nothing extraordinary.

This dish was their Pollo Portobello Chicken breast in a portobello mushroom sauce with white wine. It was good, but I couldn’t finish the whole piece of chicken breast.

The dessert - Ricotta/Mascarpone Cheese Cake. Light and sweet. A good way to end dinner.

Conclusion: I’m just glad that I had a nice get-together with my co-workers. I wasn’t dazzled by the food overall, but it’s hard to do italian real well in my opinion. If you plan on having decent, okay-italian food you can try out Montebello, though I would personally skip out on it.

As for the upcoming restaurant week, I’m looking forward to eating good food…or at least going to restaurants that I probably can’t afford normally. =)