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I also like Le Zie on 7th Ave b/w 20th & 21st (212-206-8686), although I haven't been in a couple of years. I used to love the rigatoni w/ rosemary veal ragout ($10.95). They have a sister restaurant, Via delle Zoccolette on Ave A & 6th (212-260-6660). If you just order the grilled ribeye with white truffle oil ($15.95), you don't need to eat anything else.

Cacio e Pepe on 2nd Ave b/w 11th & 12th (212-505-5931) is also good, although their average prices may be a titch too high to get 2 courses + glass of wine for $25. The restaurant is full of Italians (staff and guests), always a good sign. Bar Veloce (212-260-3200) across the street is similar, though not as good as, 'inoteca, with a salumi/cheese/panini menu.

We also recently discovered Uva on 2nd Ave b/w 77th & 78th (212-472-4552) and had a nice brunch, and the rest of the menu looks intriguing.

I don't know if this counts as "neighborhood," but the best cheap Italian place in my book is Otto on 5th Ave & 8th St (212-988-1188). Their spaghetti carbonara is the most authentic I've had in NYC (no cream!), and for only $9.

Reviews of all of these restaurants here.

If you are willing to wait for a table, the fried chicken at Blue Ribbon on Sullivan St. is terrific. Same with Sascha in the Meatpacking District (downstairs bar, not the dining room). I also like the take-out fried chicken from the butcher Lobel's (Madison & 81st), which I write about here.

Lunch at Jean Georges is a true bargain for a lunch with stellar food, service and atmosphere -- particularly when you're comparing $36 for a 3-course lunch (including dessert for $8) against the $95 at dinner. And whenever my husband and I go (which unfortunately isn't twice a week) we tend to skip dessert b/c between the food, the fantastic bread and all the mignardises they bring w/ dessert (homemade marshmallows and chocolates), there's no need.

One thing I must ask your friend: I notice the menu at JG, lovely as it is, doesn't seem to change much. Does he never get sick of the food?

My JG review (edited 7/12/06 to change link)

Yikes. We went to the Rack & Soul on Broadway this afternoon at around 4:30 for fried chicken and it was, well, utterly atrocious. It seems like it was cooked to order, as it came out a good 5-10 minutes after we ordered it. The skin was not at all crispy; 'soggy' would describe it. The chicken was dry. It also had no taste. Too little salt in the batter was the least of the problems afflicting this chicken.

We've been to Gus's in Memphis three times in the past several months -- actually, we pretty much planned a trip to Memphis around it and ate there two nights in a row several weeks ago. It was sublime. Indescribably amazing. Our quest to find something remotely approaching it anywhere in between nyc and philly has so far been unsuccessful. Maybe we'll try Blue Smoke next.

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Mei Lai Wah at 64 Bayard Street has pork buns for $.70 each and a big bun for $1.40. The pork buns are available steamed (my favorite) or baked. The big bun is only available steamed, but it's good.

Mei Lai Wah at 64 Bayard Street has pork buns for $.70 each and a big bun for $1.40. The pork buns are available steamed (my favorite) or baked. The big bun is only available steamed, but it's good.

Mei Lai Wah at 64 Bayard Street has pork buns for $.70 each and a big bun for $1.40. The pork buns are available steamed (my favorite) or baked. The big bun is only available steamed, but it's good.

Mei Lai Wah at 64 Bayard Street has pork buns for $.70 each and a big bun for $1.40. The pork buns are available steamed (my favorite) or baked. The big bun is only available steamed, but it's good.