Bucatini has been on my list for a while. It stealthily opened not too long ago, and unfortunately my partner was not asking for Italian restaurant choices for many weeks. This week surprisingly was an exception, and we were able to go visit this restaurant. I made a reservation a few days in advance very easily for a 5:30 PM outing on a Friday evening. Note that when I looked at reservations prior to January, it wasn’t as easy, so I suspect maybe this is the low season for many restaurants except for the most popular ones.

Dubu Haus has been on my list for a while since it opened. I really enjoy homemade tofu, especially the medium+ firm kind. What also appealed to me about this restaurant was the bossam wraps. I’m also a fan of wrapping pork belly with vegetables in general. I felt like this would be a very decent Korean homemade type of restaurant that wasn’t centered on BBQ. I was able to make a reservation for 2 a few days in advance without any issue.

Palladino’s Steak and Seafood is owned by Joseph Palladino, who was a former NYPD officer and opened Nick and Sam’s Steakhouse in Dallas 20 years ago. He wanted to bring this restaurant type back to his motherland city, NYC. This restaurant recently opened in Grand Central Terminal, just opposite of the Apple store in the main concourse on the second level. I was able to make a reservation for 2 very easily for 5:45 for the dining area that has fantastic views of the main Grand Central floor and its beautiful ceiling.

We’ve heard of Lillie’s Victorian Establishment, and it’s been on a list for a while because it’s a very festive restaurant. It’s always difficult to get last minute reservations, but fortunately as we won theater lottery on a cold single-digit weather, there was not a lot of tourist or foot traffic at all in the Times Square area. I was able to make a reservation for 2 for 5:30 PM very easily just a few hours in advance. As you can tell from the picture, there was a lot of snow, and the exterior was already decorated with a lot of winter ornaments.

When we ate at Ogawa, we were talking to the restaurant manager in Miami, and he said his old friend ran this restaurant in NYC. Apparently this restaurant originally existed in Queens, but it moved into Manhattan. At last, we had a Friday where didn’t really have any plans, so I suggested this restaurant. I was able to book a table for 2 for 6:00 PM on a Friday evening a few days in advance without issues. This restaurant is known for their yuzu flavored ramen.

Four Twenty Five is a contemporary, elevated restaurant from Chef Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. This restaurant was open on Christmas Day, and it was on our list for a while. They offered a tasting menu which mostly resembled items off their normal menu. The day prior, I was very easily able to book reservations without any issues for 2 at 4 PM. We arrived about 15 minutes early, and they had us wait in the bar area while they prepared our table.

Santi is a fine-dining Italian restaurant starring Chef Michael White. What was most noticeable for me was that he co-opened Marea, which ended up getting multiple accolades, including a coveted 2 Michelin Star. This restaurant is located very close to the 5th Ave and 53rd subway, and reservations were quite easy to get a few days in advance. The outside seemed different in that it felt like it was a side entrance into a place on the side a building.

Moono is yet another Korean restaurant that has been on my list for quite a while. Its allure for me was uni rice and Pyongyang cold noodles. I finally got a chance to book this restaurant, and it was easy to book for 2 for 6 PM on a Friday evening. This restaurant is a new project by Chef Kim from Jua. When I learned this, I had higher expectations of what I was to experience. When you arrive at the restaurant, it’s located in this interesting 3-story building.

Elephant Ear, an interesting name for a Thai restaurant, has been on my list for quite a while. In this area near the theaters, there is an ongoing rotation of Thai restaurants. We happened to catch a Broadway show, so I made a reservation for two people at 6 PM. When we went to the restaurant after our show, they mentioned that there’s a 1.5 hour limit for dining.

From the Quality Branded restaurateurs comes another restaurant in a similar vein to popular hits like Bad Roman, Don Angie, and Zou Zous. The cuisine for this restaurant is Mexican-inspired and has all the snazzy colors to indicate this could be fun. This restaurant is near the Hudson Yards area, and it was very easy to make a reservation for 2 for 6 PM on a Friday night. This restaurant is about 1 block away from the E-train exit off 34th.