A couple of old favorites dish up bargains—and memories on the side.

By Nancy Mandell, guest blogger

If you want the early bird special, maybe you should move to Florida! But if you don’t mind eating on the early side of a beautiful summer evening, there’s no shame in searching out a pre-theater, pre-fixe dinner—even if you don’t have tickets to a show.

Nor are these frequently gourmet meals limited to the theater district: these days, off-off Broadway might be anywhere from the lower East Side to the Upper West. (And if you have any favorite suggestions for our readers, please submit them in the comments section following this blog!)

I’m hardly in the business of promoting restaurants—or reviewing them for that matter—but recent experiences encourage me to share some surprising choices with you,   surprising because one of them may stir up memories of frugal first dates while the other may recall an anniversary or other special occasion you haven’t thought of for years. Yet their fixed-price dinner menus are only $5 apart!

In the modestly priced, first-date department is Chez Napoleon (cheznapoleon.com), the small, family-run bistro located since 1960 at 365 W. 50th St., near Ninth Ave. As it has been for the past 50 years, the kitchen is run by now octogenarian chef and Grand-mere Marguerite Bruno. The place seats only 40 diners, many of whom are there for the $30 prix-fixe meal of Provencal specialties—served throughout lunch and dinner hours…which is a good thing, because CN is a spot for leisurely dining and service.

At the other end of the reminiscence (and financial) spectrum, lies The 21 Club, the speakeasy-turned-restaurant that has occupied the famously jockey-guarded, gated townhouse at 21 W. 52nd St. for the last 80 years! Founded by cousins Jack Kriendler and Charlie Berns, the enterprise has a prohibition-era history that dates even further back, and farther downtown, but none of us could possibly remember that! What is really surprising, though, is that “21’s” prix-fixe (but not necessarily pre-theater) dinner is only $35, and there’s a prix-fixe lunch for $24.07. Although it can’t be combined with any other offers, you and your guests will be offered a complimentary cocktail or glass of wine through July 10 when you reserve via the restaurant’s website (www.21club.com).  If you prefer to phone (and forego the free drink), the number is (212) 582-2700.

Tags: consumer spending, dining out, Nancy Mandell, New York

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