It sounds implausible, but believe me when I say it is possible to eat very well at New York's world-class restaurants for little more than you'd spend at a diner. The answer is lunch. Seek out terrific-value prix-fixe lunch deals (we've listed six of the best) and you'll feast on the finest dishes for a fraction of what they cost at dinner time. Bon appetit.
JEAN-GEORGES
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Simply outstanding. Jean-Georges Vongerichten's chic, eponymous restaurant at Columbus Circle is a testament to the wonders of impeccable standards and Gallic good taste. Three Michelin stars reflect the restaurant's quality. The prix-fixe lunch – US$48 ($62) for two courses – feels like a gift from the chef to his loyal diners, who otherwise would have to splurge US$128 ($165) on the dinner prix fixe. Seasonal dishes of the freshest and finest ingredients change regularly. Right now, enjoy hamachi sashimi, sauteed gulf shrimp, roasted sweetbreads, Arctic char and more. An approachable wine list of lovely drops by the glass is a welcome touch.
jean-georges.com; 1 Central Park West (at Trump Hotel Central Park); +1 212 299 3900
GOTHAM BAR AND GRILL
A terrific option for a business lunch meeting or any special occasion, Gotham Bar and Grill is known for its classic American fine dining. The US$35 ($45) Greenmarket prix-fixe lunch is excellent value with three choices of three courses, all made with the best produce available at market and in season. The second course will require some consideration to avoid food envy, with three tempting dishes to choose from: crisp hake, or pappardelle with braised veal shank or an elegant arrangement of roasted autumn vegetables. Chocolate lovers need look no further than the signature Gotham cake, served warm with salted almond ice-cream.
gothambarandgrill.com; 12 east 12th Street; +1 212 620 4020
LE BERNARDIN
It would take an entire page to list the many accolades bestowed upon this three-star Michelin restaurant, presenting exquisite seafood to New Yorkers since 1986. Many regard it as the very best in New York. Perfection comes at a high price, and dinner at Le Bernardin is no exception. Revel instead in the City Harvest lunch menu, offered exclusively in the Lounge area. A three-course prix fixe for US$49 ($63), of which US$5 is donated to the city's poor and hungry through City Harvest, is terrific value. The menu changes weekly. In recent weeks, it has featured saffron-mussel soup with Maine lobster, poached skate with sea beans and organic salmon laced with yuzu butter sauce. Reservations are not accepted in the Lounge and diners are urged to arrive early to avoid disappointment.
le-bernardin.com; 155 west 51st Street; +1 212 554 1515
AI FIORI
Ai Fiori, chef Michael White's celebration of Italian and French Riviera cuisine, has twice been awarded a Michelin star and in 2012 was lauded as the No. 1 new restaurant in NYC by the respected Zagat guide. Canny diners can enjoy a memorable two-course lunch for US$45 ($58), with choices of starters, pasta and mains. Wrestle with choices – the pan-roasted chicken or the seared sea scallops; the duck confit risotto or the blue crab spaghetti – or make a pact to return over several days and sample more of the menu. A four-course dinner prix fixe is available for US$97 ($125).
aifiorinyc.com; 400 5th Avenue (at Langham Place Fifth Avenue hotel); +1 212 613 8660
BOULEY
The most expensive prix-fixe lunch on this list – US$55 ($71) for five courses – is still a steal. Chef David Bouley, who says he follows a French approach to purity and integrity, but does not follow recipes, wows them at his Tribeca fine-dining restaurant with inventive seasonal menus. This season, prix-fixe lunchers can choose organic Long Island duck, slow braised Kobe-style beef cheeks and Bouley's signature chook baked "en cocotte". Save room for the hot Valrhona chocolate soufflé. So Frenchy, so rich.
davidbouley.com; 163 Duane Street; +1 212 964 2525
DEL POSTO
An Italian feast awaits at Mario Batali's Del Posto: US$49 ($63) for three courses and a bounty of delicious choices. I could have eaten the pumpkin cappellacci with brown butter and slivered almonds three times over. The sliced lamb with gnocchi alla Romana, warm figs and pistachio gremolata is hard to go past for second course, while sweet tooths will be torn between the ricotta with honey, grilled semolina cake and butterscotch semifreddo.
delposto.com; 85 Tenth Ave; +1 212 497 8090
HOW LOW CAN THEY GO
There are cheap lunch deals in the Big Apple, then there are restaurants where you'll get lunch and change from a $20 note.
Kin Shop, chef Harold Dieterle's acclaimed contemporary Thai spot on 6th Avenue, does a US$15 ($19) Express Lunch Set. Offerings change regularly and include a starter (green papaya salad with candied tamarind, for example), a main (drunken noodles or braised goat massaman curry) and a side (crispy roti is a stand-out).
Perpetually busy, Vanessa's Dumpling House is a Lower East Side staple for the hungry penny-pincher. Beef noodle soup for US$3 ($3.90), chive and egg pancake for US$1 ($1.29) and the famous dumplings, in a variety of flavours, 10 for US$2 (2.58).
David Chang's momofuku milk bar has gained an international fan club with its drool-worthy crack pie (google it), soft-serve ice-cream that tastes like birthday cake and pork buns to rival the best yum cha. They even sell Mexican Coke. Meal deals here are great value: US$7 ($9) for a bagel bomb, side (chips, pretzels, cookie) and drink; US$10 ($12.90) for a pork bun, side and drink.
GETTING THERE
United flies daily from Sydney and Melbourne to New York City via San Francisco and Los Angeles, united.com
STAYING THERE
Located near the Upper West Side's 72nd Street subway and Central Park, Hotel Beacon has spacious rooms with fullyequipped kitchenettes. Room rates start from $US245 ($315) plus taxes. 2130 Broadway (at 75th Street); +1 212 787 1100; beaconhotel.com
EATING THERE
Prix-fixe prices listed do not include tax and tip. Sales tax of 8.875 per cent is always added to the bill. Tipping in the US, while not mandatory, is certainly expected. Most people recommend leaving a tip of at least 15-20 per cent of the bill.
