Restaurant Week in NYC

Very few things cater to my obsessions with delicious food and getting great deals like New York City's Restaurant Week and Toronto's Summerlicious. For about $20 ($30 at dinner), many of the cities' popular restaurants offer three-course meals where savvy diners have an opportunity to experience new places, often at a fraction of the typical price.

For New York City's Summer Restaurant Week, I invited my parents to join me for lunch on July 2 at Eleven Madison Park. Danny Meyer's restaurants (including Gramercy Tavern, Tabla & Union Square Cafe) are reknowned for their impeccable service, and they shine during RW when many other establishments offer sub-par service to customers who might be paying less than a meal in their restaurant typically costs. There were five selections for each of the three courses, as well as discounted bottles of wine on offer. The English Pea Flan's fresh flavor was surprising given its silky texture, while earthy morels and salty prociuitto highlighted the peas' natural sweetness. A cream sauce lightly covered the White Bean Ravoli, and the pasta gave just a slight resistance to the teeth before revealing the nutty, slightly smoky flavor of the beans. A selection of cookies for dessert included one with a delicate cream filling sandwiched between two crisp cocoa cookies has forever ruined my ability to eat Oreos, but I'm not complaining.