Bar Boulud is just one of the 300-plus restaurants participating in NYC's Restaurant Week. Credit: ZagatBuzz.

By Erin Behan

January is a great time of year to visit New York–if you don’t mind the cold, that is. Hotel rooms are generally discounted, Broadway plays often have open seats and—of course—the post holiday sales are in full force. There’s one more reason to visit New York in January, and it has to do with a famous New York City pastime: eating out. The city’s twice-annual Restaurant Week runs Monday through Friday from Jan. 16 through Feb. 10, and 2012 is the 20-year celebration of the event that gives discounted prix fixe meals for lunch ($24.07) and dinner ($35) at more than 300 of the city’s top restaurants.

Reservations are a must, and I’d suggest snapping up a few of the best before every one else does. If I only had one reservation to make, it’d be for lunch at Bar Boulud in the Upper West Side. The three courses include a terrine de porc, a cassoulet of lamb and duck confit and a lime tart (all that for $24.07!). Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster in Harlem, also serving lunch, tempts me with its menu of elevated American comfort food. In Midtown for lunch, I’d hit up Mario Batali’s Esca, as I can’t get enough of his southern Italian fish-centric menu.

Further downtown in the West Village, Po (another Batali creation) serves both lunch and dinner. My ideal Restaurant Week meal there would move from a salad of fennel, oranges, black olives, pickled red onions and ricotta salata to a grilled guinea hen. I’d finish off with a dark chocolate terrine. It’d be hard to go wrong at either Chiantown Brasserie in Noho or Colicchio and Sons Tap Room in Chelsea, both serving both lunch and dinner.

Saving money at restaurants in New York is grand, of course, but so is saving money on New York hotels. The downtown bon vivant on the cheap should consider the Hilton Garden Inn New York/Tribeca, while The Lucerne in the Upper West Side or the Belvedere Hotel in Midtown are great values for travelers looking for a cheap New York hotel.

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Erin Behan is a freelance writer and editor out of Brooklyn, N.Y., who counts good food, intoxicating drink and adventurous travel among her favorite things.

Farm fresh produce for a healthy summer meal. Credit: NatalieMaynor.

By Derek Brown

I can still smell the fresh street fair food from my weekend trip to New York City.  Grilled summer corn, fresh fruit carts and lots of greasy deliciousness are summer scents that are hard to resist, but I managed to just enjoy the aroma.  It’s a good thing, too.  There are so many chefs creating amazing meals with the freshest ingredients right from the farm.  Here are 3 New York City restaurants where the focus is on healthy, sustainable and delicious dining.

PRINT Restaurant at Ink48

1. PRINT
PRINT, a farm-to-table restaurant, at Kimpton’s Ink48 Hotel gets rave reviews from diners and awards from the critics.  The full-time forager is constantly seeking out ingredients from local farms.  Rise and shine to a nutritious day with a seasonal omelet, local vegetables, toast and roasted potatoes.  You’ll know every farm where the food is coming from.

2. The Green Table
Inside Chelsea Market is The Green Table where the menu is dictated by the current harvest.  Even the beer and wine are made using sustainable practices.   The current menu, from July 6^th, has plenty to taste for lunch.  Start with the Harvest Salad made with local cheese, nuts and Hudson Valley fruit.  Then try the Roasted Organic Chicken Breast that’s braised with local greens, buttered spatzle and thyme jus.

3. Blue Hill New York
For dinner, indulge at this family establishment, Blue Hill New York, and celebrate seasonal American cuisine.  There’s a neighborhood restaurant atmosphere in the former “speakeasy” building, and service is quite attentive.  Among the highlights of the current menu is an appetizer of first of the season string beans and grilled peaches.  One entrée to consider is the Block Island Tilefish with sugar snap peas, leeks,and pistachios.

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Derek Brown, a member of the Orbitz editorial team, is looking forward to several other fantastic food & wine experiences planned for this summer, including a trip to Napa.

Cheap New York hotel: Free airport shuttle, free Wi-Fi and free continental breakfast make the Clarion Hotel at LaGuardia Airport a smart pick among cheap New York hotels. Rates at the Clarion Hotel at LaGuardia Airport start at just $77 a night March 31 – April 1, and when you book by March 16 you can save an additional 15%.

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