Living Cheaply in New York City

I love to eat, and there are so many damn restaurants in New York, it's great. Read the rest of my guide for cheap eats.

On the more expensive side, I really enjoy going to Broadway plays and musicals.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

DO NOT RENT A CAR IN NEW YORK CITY. You do not want to fight traffic and look for parking spots. Please, just take the public transportation, which is great. Subways and buses are the cheapest (as opposed to walking), and taxis can get you there if you're really in a rush.

A token for the subway or a bus ride costs you .50. However, you can get an unlimited day pass for , which makes sense if you're going to make 3 or more trips.

Blondies is the best sports bar I've been to in New York. There's great service and good food. Granted, it's not gourmet food, but they have great burgers. There are plenty of TVs, and on a weeknight, if you want to catch an out of town game, it's a great place to go. As expected, it's bustling during big events like Monday Night Football, but no matter what, I've always had great service.

Don't miss the burgers and great waffle fries. To top it all off, get a pint of Ben & Jerry's.

It seems like there's 10 Italian restaurants per block in New York City, and it's so hard to distinguish what's good. Well, Zucchero is fantastic. The entrees are only around $10, and the free focaccia in the bread basket is magnificent. Try not to fill up on the bread. (Although, I always do...)

I suggest getting the Rigatoni Pollo Pazzo (Chicken and sun dried tomatoes in a vodka sauce) with pappardelle substituted for the Rigatoni. Delicious!

It seems that the Upper East Side is dominated by row after row of indistinguishable Italian, Japanese, and take-out Chinese restaurants. It's a bit hard to find unique, quality food at reasonable prices. However, Spice fits the bill.

Located at 2nd Avenue between 73 and 74th, Spice provides fantastic food at great prices. Most entrees are only $10 and only go up to about $15. I've eaten there many times and have always had great meals.

As far as lunch, Spice provides a prix fixed menu for about $10. The food is great, but I think the amount of food you get is a bit much for lunch. However, it's perfect if you're looking for a bigger lunch. The real value, however, comes at dinner time.

Here are some suggestions:
1. Start off with a Thai iced tea or coffee. They have a sweet blend of condensed milk and are amazingly refreshing.

2. For appetizers, I've had the warm duck salad, and it was great.

3. The pad thai, volcanic chicken (yes, it's on fire when it comes to the table) panang curry, crispy duck and salmon are all great entrees. Many of the entrees are served on a bed of warm vegetables, and all come with jasmine, brown or white rice.

Overall, Spice provides great food and great prices. A perfect spot for a casual dinner.

The Rock Center Cafe should be judged on two totally separate things: location and food.

The location of the restaurant is amazing. It is right next to the Rockefeller Plaza skating rink, and if you're lucky enough (as I was), you can sit at a table next to a huge panoramic window that is literally feet away from the rink. The restaurant offers great views of both Rockefeller Center and of skaters. As a matter of fact, it seems that half the fun of eating at the Rock Center Cafe is seeing which skaters fall the most!

Because of the location, this would be a great place for tourists or a romantic night out.

The food, on the other hand, did not live up to the views. I started with the saffron risotto crabcake on tomato salsa, which was quite nice. My entree, the seared sea bass with spinach and a garlic emulsion, was fairly mediocre. The flavors were bland, and the presentation was plain. My friend ordered a slice sirloin, which again, was an ok sirloin, but nothing special. The best part of the meal was actually the side order of garlic mashed potatoes. I don't know about you, but if I'm paying this much money, I should be talking about more than the garlic mashed potatoes.

The Rock Center Cafe offers amazing views at hefty prices. It's up to you to determine if the views are worth the price, because the food certainly isn't.

More information can be found at www.restaurantassociates.com

I had been to Mesa Grill (Bobby Flay's other restaurant), and I thought it was fantastic. So, I was very excited to experience Bobby Flay's take on Spanish cuisine, but I was left thinking: "Wow, that wasn't special at all." Can you say overrated?

I started with the chopped salad, which was good but not great. The entree, an almond crusted chicken breast with Tamarind glaze, was very ordinary. The best part of the entire meal was the dessert: an excellent coffee flavored flan.

I went during restaurant week and the menu was prix fixed, so maybe these weren't their best offerings. But, overall, very disappointing. If you're dying to try Bobby Flay, go to Mesa Grill.