Lunch Break: No Foolin'
It's April Fool's Day, and you've had a tough week. Treat yourself to a nice Friday lunch, and end the week with a smile. - Yvo Sin
Marea
240 Central Park South
New York, NY 10019
(212) 582-5100
marea-nyc.com
Two Michelin stars for lunch isn't exactly inexpensive - $42 for two courses, to be exact - but that's why this is called a treat. Enjoy people-watching through the large windows facing Central Park South with the sun spilling into the open, airy dining room, and don't miss the astice (pictured) for your antipasti course; it does bear a $6 supplemental charge, but contains Nova Scotia lobster, burrata (a creamy, mild cheese related to mozzarella), eggplant al funghetto and basil. Lobster and cheese may sound so wrong, but here, it tastes so right. Michael White certainly knows his way around pasta, as well; for your secondo, both the very popular choices of sea urchin & crab spaghetti and octopus & bone marrow fusilli are available for lunch as well. Indulge.
Related: Best Romantic Meals & Restaurants In NYC
Le Singe Vert
160 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
(212) 366-4100
lesingevert.com
Another way to end the week pleasurably: this French bistro in Chelsea, cutely named The Green Monkey. Choose from classic French fare - nicoise salad, pan bagnat, croque, French onion soup, moules frites in three styles, all items you'd expect at a French bistro. Try the steak tartare, described as "raw chopped beef filet mignon bound in a spicy cocktail sauce, French fries, quail egg yolk and watercress-mustard dressing," and be amazed by just how delicious completely raw beef can be, each component melting together to bring your mouth to new levels of happiness. For true decadence, be sure to add on an order of their truffled hand cut french fries.
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Leo's Bagels
3 Hanover Square
New York, NY 10004
(212) 785-4700
leosbagels.com
One of the greatest joys of being a New Yorker is the great bagels. However, working in the Financial District doesn't always allow for easy access to those bagels - until Leo's opened in 2009. Boasting some truly wonderful bagels, Leo's also offers a lovely menu featuring sandwiches made on these same great bagels, and plenty of spreads and deli meats to satisfy any true New Yorker with a schmear. The name of the game today, however, is excess, so it's easy to pick out the most expensive item at Leo's; a specialty bagel sandwich by the name of Orchard Street (pictured). Featuring Nova Scotia salmon, sable fish, plain cream cheese, tomato and Bermuda onion, all piled onto the bagel of your choice, this bagel sandwich would convert anyone... Bagels: not just for breakfast anymore.
Related: Best Bagels In NYC
Yvo Sin is the founder and head writer of The Feisty Foodie.
