davidburke & donatella
Kicked off restaurant week with a Monday lunch. Great restaurant in the Upper East Side. Really cool red and black decor, great service. Started us out with good bread and butter, and some watermelon with lemon juice - very good. Appetizer was Lobster Bisque & Crispy Lobster Roll - awesome. Main course was Salmon over mashed potatoes and spinach. Dessert was Butterscotch Panna Cotta - awesome. Huge meal. I was totally stuffed. The restaurant week menu had the same items from their regular menu.

Price paid: $24
Regular price: $55
Would pay: $50 (but I would go for dinner)

Il Cantinori
Cute Italian place in the East Village. Some nice outdoor seating, indoor banquet room, full bar. AC was broken! Ouch. Appetizer was Misto di Terra (combination of vegetables) - surprisingly tasty. Entree was breaded chicken with salad. Dessert was tiramisu. Food was good but nothing special. There are too many great Italian places in the East Village where you can eat for much less to ever go back to this place.

Price paid: $35
Regular price: $55
Would pay: $25

Payard
Beautiful restaurant in the Upper East Side. Great service. Known for their pastries. Appetizer was Tuna Tartar - awesome! Entree was Chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms - good. Dessert was any select from their pastry area, got some chocolate raspberry cake thing - good. Overall a nice meal and great atmosphere.

Price paid: $35
Regular price: $51
Would pay: $40

Overall a great start. One exceeded my expectations, one fell short, and one was right on the money.