Your favorite recession-friendly restaurant

[kim e]

My husband and I are into trying a new place every friday night. Nothing too pricey (less than $50 per person w/o drinks). A few of our past casual dinner faves are: 'inoteca, stanton social (although i'm sick of that place now that i've taken every out town guest there), las ramblas, k-town places that i can't remember the names of, hell's kitchen, yuca bar, pylos. We need new ideas! We don't discriminate...we eat all types of food. :)

[babaganoushface]

sake bar hagi, lupa, blue ribbon, prune, aquagrill, bar jamon, les halles, phoenix garden...

[quizkiddonniesmith]

I had a really good meal last weekend at La Carbonara, a new italian restaurant that opened on W 14th. Their prices take recession friendly to a new extreme with pasta dishs at around $9 and entreess at around $14. If that werent enough, most of their wines are around $19. The food wasnt mind blowing or anything, but was far better than the price point would suggest.

[ExFlexitarian]

I'm still a huge fan of Apiary's Monday night special. A great meal for $35, and you can BYOB w/no corkage.

[HazeyB]

Also, Lassi for take out and delivery and Kefi and Almond!

[HazeyB]

I agree with Darth...$50/person w/out drinks is pretty easy. Pearl Oyster Bar and Chinatown Brasserie would be my picks. At Pearl you can have a glass of wine each, if you want for that kind of money. They have kept the prices pretty reasonable all of these years.

[LeahBaila]

I'm a sucker for L'Artusi, Nougatine and Dhaba.

www.thelunchbelle.com

[LeahBaila]

...And Felidia's "2 dine for $100," which includes appetizer, entree and a bottle of wine.

www.thelunchbelle.com

[DarthEater]

$50 without drinks isn't much of a challenge.
Hagi Japanese yakitori.
New Malaysia in Chinatown for Malaysian of course.
Alta for tapas.

[malibu]

I'm a sucker for Westville East. Crab cakes and smokey mac-n-cheese.

[Pan]

Kefi is cheaper and, in my experience, better than Pylos, but it doesn't sound like you hang out uptown. Another well-priced place uptown is El Malecon, which makes excellent Dominican rotisserie chicken.

Do you eat Chinese food? Lots of cheap restaurants. Great NY Noodletown, Chao Chow, Bo Ky, etc., etc., etc.

[kim e]

I'm actually Chinese, so YES! I do eat Chinese food...haha! This is really sad, but I have only eaten at probably a dozen or so restaurants in Chinatown (and fewer than that for just dinner) and haven't found any place that I'm happy with, so I've always resisted going back. Thanks for your suggestions...I'll try them out!

[scoopG]

Here's a start!

Amazing 66:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/340879

Cantoon Garden:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/589457?tag=search_results;results_list

What makes Manhattan’s Chinatown unique is our abundance of Fujian immigrants and the great cuisine they’ve brought with them: from delicately flavored, boiling hot soups and rich stocks to steaming seafood casseroles and stir-fries. My favorite is Best Fuzhou at 71 Eldridge Street. I’m also am fond of Best Fuzhou at 68 Forsyth Street.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/483902

Fujian immigrants have also opened up 5-6 homemade hand-pulled noodle soup shops where you can replenish your soul for $5.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/492376
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/504362

Other favorites, in alphabetical order include:

Big Wong King at 67 Mott Street, 10013.
Fuleen Seafood at 11 Division Street, 10002.
New Chao Chao at 111 Mott Street, 10013.
Shanghai Café at 100 Mott Street, 10013.
Yogee Restaurant at 85 Chrystie Street, 10002.
Yummy Noodles at 44 Bowery, 10013.

[kim e]

This is awesome! I've only been to Amazing 66 and Big Wong King out of this list. Thanks so much for putting this together!

[Pan]

I like Cantoon Garden very much and had a banquet there yesterday, but their portions are humongous, so it's a tough place for one person to eat. Even two people, ordering one dish, are likely to have leftovers.