Who would have thought that the recession would give us more reasons to go out to dinner? Certainly not me, but with great deals from so many different restaurants in town (from hot dogs to high end French cuisine), there is actually something to celebrate. So, turn a blind eye to your flagging 401K, and maintain your restaurant addiction even during these difficult economic times. Here are the listings I have so far. Please write me if you know of others at therestaurantaddict@gmail.com:
Sunburnt Cow and Bondi Road - I love the brunch at both of these Australian spots (they are sister restaurants), and they have extended the hours on their "endless brunch." It's now from 11AM-5PM on Sat and Sun. That means more time for more bottomless drinks and great food for only $18.
Ikea - Ok, it probably doesn't qualify as addictive, but it does win some quirky points, and given the state of the economy, this might be more appealing than it once was. Ikea has a rib night every Wednesday. You get half a rack of ribs and two sides for $7.99. I've heard it's much better than you would expect.
Craft Steak Their new bar menu includes lots of great items in the single digit range. Astonishingly, the following items are only $6.50 each: fried mac and cheese (which I tried recently - thumbs up.), foie gras & bacon croquette, and sliders w/ balsamic onions & truffled pecorino .
Shorty's 32 - I recently had dinner here for the first time, and it was solid. They are offering a 3 course prix fixe dinner menu for $25.
A Voce - A great restaurant that I have yet to review that now has a bar menu that includes smaller portions of many of their main entrees at lower prices (most under $10).
Daniel is offering a three course dinner for $98 that includes wine pairings (would normally cost over $130). Yes, there's a catch: It's only for reservations that are made between 5:30 and 6:30 Mon-Thur, but hey, it's the mother ship of Daniel Boulud's empire, and it's often ranked in the top 5 restaurants in the city.
Possibly my favorite recession special so far: Free bottle of wine on Mondays until the Dow hits 12,000. Just make a reservation at a table for a Monday night, and you get a bottle of wine for the table for free.
Beacon - that's a link to review I wrote on a different site
They no longer have the 20% off recession special, but they've retooled their menu to showcase items that are (generally) less expensive. They also have a $30 wine list (that's for a full bottle, ladies), so you can eat and drink for a song. $29 prix fixe lunches as well.
I've really enjoyed my last few meals here, and they offer from 5:30-7:00 Sun-Fri. Get your sceniness on, even during the recession.
You won't find a more addictive lunch special than Perry Street's $24 prixe fixe 3 course orgasm. Exceptional, high end cuisine at a truly recession-friendly price.
Anthos Extending restaurant week lunch special - $24 for 3 courses. They also have a $35 dinner special from 5PM-7PM daily.
$35 four couse meal. Any day but Saturday. This seems like an UNBELIEVABLE deal. I'm a huge fan of the food here, and I'm trying this special next week.
Mondays are all you can eat for $25; Tuesdays are 2 for 1 drinks.
$26 three-course Tuscan menu. Sun-Thur after 10:30PM. It's amazing that one of our most beloved restaurants is offering a special like this.
All you can eat tacos for $21. This special is available all evening on Sunday and Monday and after 11PM all other nights. These are possibly the best tacos in the city (if you like corn tortillas), so for Pete's sake take advantage of this deal.