Restaurant Week makes choice eats financially palatable

As winter break comes to a close and students are inundated with countless syllabi, there is always one beacon of hope—NYC Restaurant Week. Yet, with so many restaurants on the list, choosing just the right one can be daunting—the atmosphere and food are essential. On the Upper West Side, there are three exceptional choices that offer $24.07 lunches and $35 dinners that call out to the Columbia students, encouraging a trip down the red line and away from John Jay.

Dovetail

Dovetail, at 103 W. 77th St., is John Fraser’s first venture as both proprietor and chef. Yet, the restaurant’s look and menu indicate the hand of an experienced restaurateur. Ultimately, the restaurant’s minimalist style—with its wood panels, brick columns, and tables covered with plain white linens—highlights the fantastic platings. Between the lunch and dinner menus, dinner choices appear superior. For an appetizer, rabbit mille-feuille presents something never offered around campus eateries. Duck confit with curry squash and hanger steak with Hen of the Woods mushrooms make picking a main dish difficult. Dessert has options such as almond bread pudding. It seems unlikely that Dovetail will disappoint adventurous eaters.

A Voce

As winter break comes to a close and students are inundated with countless syllabi, there is always one beacon of hope—NYC Restaurant Week. Yet, with so many restaurants on the list, choosing just the right one can be daunting—the atmosphere and food are essential. On the Upper West Side, there are three exceptional choices that offer $24.07 lunches and $35 dinners that call out to the Columbia students, encouraging a trip down the red line and away from John Jay.

Nougatine

Winter Restaurant Week suggestions would be incomplete without mentioning Nougatine, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant at 1 Central Park West. Vongerichten has designed a menu sure to please both lunch and dinner crowds. For dinner, Nougatine deviates from the typical three-course prix fixe, featuring four courses with choices such as butternut squash soup, cheeseburgers, baked free-range chicken, and Vongerichten’s warm chocolate cake for dessert. While lunch has three courses, its menu offers more variety, including options like goat cheese fondue with pear and crystallized pecan salad and pan-roasted cod. With such a distinguished chef, visitors will likely leave satisfied.