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.

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.

Restaurant Week is notorious for it’s multi-course offerings that feature items that aren’t on their respective restaurant’s menus. Here’s a fun tip. Steak places are typically a really good bang for the buck as they typically offer you things on their menu. As a way to chill out and celebrate solo, I went to Benjamin Prime. I walked in on a Friday around 4:30 PM without any issues alone. They asked if I wanted a table for 1 or sit at a bar, and I asked for a table which they accommodated. This location is a very close walking distance from Bryant Park.

Raon is a new Korean tasting restaurant from Chef Soogil Lim and his wife, Sasook Youn. Their other restaurant, Soogil, is located in the East Village, and they’ve wanted to open a more intimate fine dining type of restaurant. One of the key features that attracted me to this was that they would a tasting menu centered around kimchi. When we went to Meju, we simply adored it. So we wanted to see how this would compare because both restaurants emphasize that kimchi is a key part of the experience. I was able to book a 5:00 PM reservation for a Saturday without much issue. I’m assuming it’s because the restaurant is still fairly new. The restaurant is very close to the N/W train off of Lexington and Bloomingdales.

Monkey Bar is a restaurant from the same people that are behind Au Cheval and 4 Charles in NYC. The Monkey Bar has a rich history dating back to the 1930s, where it formerly served New York City’s upper social class. In 2022, it reopened under the ownership of the 4 Charles team, and they created a menu that was very similar to the aforementioned restaurants. I was craving for prime rib, so I wanted to give this a try since I am reluctant to snipe 4 Charles reservations.

We were craving for an early Italian dinner before seeing a Broadway show. Osteria Delbianco actually has two locations: one on 49th and another closer to Bryant Park. Both locations are really easy to get to. We were able to walk in without reservations at around 5 PM on a Friday early evening. The one appeal to me about this restaurant was that it seemed like a local Italian restaurant, and these typically can be hit or miss. The prices seemed reasonable, so we decided to try.

This restaurant is a fairly close walk east of Rockafeller Center. I stumbled onto this restaurant as I was looking for something new and solo-friendly for a Saturday. It turns out that this restaurant has a Friday/Saturday prime rib prix-fixe menu, which has my attention. For $65 per person, you get 3 courses: a caesar salad, prime rib with french fries, and a choice of dessert. That doesn’t seem like a bad deal to me. We were able to make a reservation for 5 PM on a Friday night with no hassle.