New York Restaurants Need Not Be Expensive

Feeling the impact of a post-market-crash economy, New Yorkers are hunting for--and finding--great places to dine out for less than $15 per person, according to an industry survey.

“There is no need to eat badly in any price level,” said Punch In International, an electronic information service that surveys the travel, wine and restaurant industry.

“The good news is that the quality of food has improved--thanks to a health-conscious generation and the nouvelle movement.”

“An economy turned sour, a generation of out-of-work yuppies and the current influx of hot money from abroad have brought back the sorrily missed breed of wonderful ethnic spots, music and jazz haunts and bistros-cum-trattorias,” Punch In International said.

Italian cuisine is leading the ethnic pack, with the East Side’s Belladona proposing pasta dishes for only $6, with a bring-your-own-bottle policy surely helping to slash the check.

“It is a charming sidewalk cafe, BYOB policy and $6 pastas that can rival and even surpass the $20 variety offered by its competitors,” the survey said. “A three-course meal can be devoured for under $15.”

Arlecchino Ristorante Italiano, in the Village, is another Italian restaurant combining genuine atmosphere (though the chef is from Ecuador) and fine traditional cuisine, realistically priced.

New contenders on the New York ethnic scene are a string of Middle Eastern restaurants offering a variety of “sensuous, theatrical and appealing” cuisine, Punch In said.

Also in the Village is Lofti’s Couscous, named after the traditional North African dish made of grain served with lamb, chicken and vegetables in a spicy sauce, and described as simply “the best Moroccan restaurant to ever open in New York.”

Also getting high marks for good Middle Eastern cuisine combined with low prices is the East Side’s Sido Abu Salim, which rates rave reviews for its eggplant puree and tabbouleh salad.

When it seemed that nothing new could emerge on the crowded Chinese restaurant scene, Triple Eight, dubbed a “Chinatown extravaganza,” promises to deliver a spectacular traditional tea-lunch, delivering cart after cart of dumplings and appetizers for less than $15 per person.

Also from the Far East, and flourishing on the West Side, are numerous Korean barbecue houses, specializing in thinly sliced beef wrapped in spices and lettuce leaves. Ny Kom Tang Bul House is a name worth remembering, while its West 32nd Street rivals also deserve a visit, the survey said.

For true bargain-hunters and spice-lovers, the India Pavillion is the place to go on East 54th Street, with the check totaling not more than $10 per person.

And for low-calorie, low-budget diners, the Little White House brings Turkish delights such as grilled fish and meat--”New York’s best buy in a steak dinner for under $15”--although it is advisable for weight-watchers to forgo the extra-sweet deserts.

Good deals at French restaurants are hard to find anywhere in the world--including Paris. Punch In praised Les Sans-Culottes, on the East Side, with its distinct wallpaper depicting leading characters of the French Revolution, and hard-to-pronounce Pierre’s Les Douceurs de Paris, in the Village.

Often crowded is midtown’s Kennedy’s where a traditional Irish meat pie and a beer cost about $10. A few blocks away is Kavkazian, a Georgian restaurant which “may have some of the worst service in town,” but “the best fried chicken in town” and great Russian music.

Recommended: Belladona, 307 East 77th St., (212) 535-2866; Arlecchino Ristorante Italiano, 192 Bleecker St., (212) 475-2355; Lofti’s, 28 Cornelia St., (212) 929-3693; Sido Abu Salim, 81 Lexington Ave., (212) 686-2031; Triple Eight, 78 E. Broadway, (212) 941-8886; Ny Kom Tang Bul House, 32 West 32nd St., (212) 947-8482; India Pavillion, 240 West 56th St., (212) 489-0035; Little White House, 401 East 62nd St., (212) 223-1040; Les Sans-Culottes, 1085 2nd Ave., (212) 838-6660; Pierre’s Les Douceurs de Parisok, 170 Waverly Place, (212) 929-7194; Kennedy’s, 978 2nd Ave., (212) 759-4242; Kavkazian, 361 East 49th St., (212) 751-0416.