Restaurant Week

Despite rats, crowded subways, persistent urine smells, and skyrocketing housing costs, reasons to love Manhattan still exist. One of these reasons is Winter Restaurant Week, running from Monday, Jan. 29th through Friday, Feb. 3rd.

Twice a year, over one hundred of New York's top restaurants (the list of participating restaurants reads like a Who's Who of fine dining and renowned chefs, including Bolo, Lenox Rooms, Commune, and Tropica) offer three-course prix-fixe lunches for around $20.00.

The exact price is set according to the year, with the prices over the past three years ranging from $19.99 to $20.00 to $20.01. The event supports City Harvest, a non-profit organization that collects leftover food and ingredients from area restaurants and bakeries and prepares meals for the homeless and hungry. American Express, The New York Times, Citysearch.com, The Metro Transit Authority, and Continental Airlines also co-sponsor the event.

The restaurants set the arrangements for this remarkable deal, with a complete list of participating restaurants and contact information listed at http://www.restaurantweek.com. The dining opportunities tend to book up quickly considering the very low price for high quality food, but if you have not already made arrangements to have at least one lunch, a few phone calls and a skipped class are worth it to experience the gastrological joy of Restaurant Week.