Eat Out 311

Gabriella Gershenson at Back Forty

Photograph: Roxana Marroquin

Gabriella Gershenson
Eat Out editor
If you’re going to fine dine, do it at lunch. Quite often, the celebrity chefs that charge big money at dinner do an affordable daytime prix fixe using the same ingredients and talent. Some destinations that come to mind are Jean Georges (Trump International Hotel & Tower, 1 Central Park West at Columbus Circle; 212-299-3900), which offers $28 for two courses and $14 for each additional course. If you insist on hitting the fancy spots for dinner, take the 5:30pm slot. It’s not prime time, but you’ll enjoy your meal that much more (no going to sleep with a belly full of rich and tough-to-digest foods). Plus, the emptier dining room means that more attention is lavished on you and your food.

Once you become a slave to fashion, it’s over. I’m not saying you shouldn’t try the compost cookie at Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar (207 Second Ave at 13th St, entrance on 13th St; 212-254-3500)…eventually. What I am saying is, go someplace good that’s not necessarily trendy. A restaurant should never be an affirmation of how cool you are. You are there to eat, aren’t you? If I’m in the mood for a gastropub, I’d be more likely to go to Back Forty (190 Ave B between 11th and 12th Sts, 212-388-1990) than The Spotted Pig (314 W 11th St at Greenwich St, 212-620-0393). For Asian comfort food, I’d consider Yakitori Totto (251 W 55th St between Broadway and Eighth Ave, 212-245-4555) before Ippudo NY (65 Fourth Ave between 9th and 10th Sts, 212-388-0088). You get it.

“Order the cheapest bottle on a good wine list, the priciest bottle on a bad one.” Okay, I learned this tip from a friend, and I really use only half of it—the first half (I’m not about to buy expensive wine at a crappy restaurant!). As a rule, a good restaurant will not serve a bad wine. Why damage its rep? I’ve tested this philosophy multiple times, most recently at A Voce (41 Madison Ave, entrance on 26th St between Madison Ave and Park Ave South; 212-545-8555), where I enjoyed a $30 bottle of wine with a $200 meal. If it seems antithetical to pinch pennies at that price point, test out the theory just for fun—you’ll only be out around $40.

BYOB when you can—the minor or nonexistent corkage fee will save you money (the more you can spend on food). A bring-your-own destination I enjoyed recently: La Sirene (558 Broome St between Sixth Ave and Varick St, 212-925-3061). Toting a bottle to the tiny French bistro just adds to the place’s hole-in-the-wall charm. And you can impress your date with a thoughtful selection.

Since becoming a professional diner, I started to notice a disturbing trend: Often, a meal peaks with the appetizer and dessert and fizzles during the entrée course. So why order the entrée at all? If you’re not bringing your own booze, skip the main and treat yourself to a cocktail instead. Or a taxi ride home.

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