Don’t go on holidays and get out of the city. At least not yet. New York’s restaurant week has started and, as always, makes our mouth water just looking at the menus. For those working in Midtown or who are just around this location we have helped you to go through all the 90 restaurants that are part of the event. Here is a list of our five favorite spots where you will be able to delight in New York’s finest and tastiest.

Artisanal
A French restaurant with its interior decoration reminding a lot Parisian bistros, and the cheese menu keeps up with the best of all expectations. All that might sound like déjà vu and nothing special for restaurant week. But wait till you know who’s the chef, the famous Terrance Brennan, one of America’s most regarded and renowned restaurateurs, also a frequent guest on the Today Show. The Sauteed Skate Wing with its blood orange grenobloise leaves us full of excitement, and it’s without even mentioning that the famous French crème brûlée that is awaiting for the end.

Milos
Mediterranean cuisine and elegant designs, this is the moment to take advantage of fancy restaurant and dress up without the fancy price that goes with it. Besides, its brags about having the best fish and seafood. What is always the most expensive item on menus is made affordable for a short period of time. Octopus, loup de mer, salmon, tuna burger or lobster, ravish your palates in a white decor with an ancient amphora in the entrance to give you a foretaste of what is to come...

Fig & Olive
As in all good European diet, olive oil is used everywhere instead of butter to make you travel in space for a few minutes and immerse you into the heart of the mediterranean region. Green rosemary and olive trees are part of the decor while all your senses are in alert - taste, smell and eyesight - when looking at the terrific menu offer. Their crostinis are like heaven in your mouth, and the truffle mushroom croquettes will make you fall flat on your back. Even better, if you are not in Midtown, it has two other locations in Manhattan. Oh we almost forgot to mention... The wine list includes over 30 varieties of wine from the South of France, Spain and Italy.

Le Colonial
Restaurant week is the perfect time of the year to discover new cuisine and Vietnamese could be a change from your usual Japanese sushi cravings. Mastering the wok tradition that comes from South-East Asia, Le Colonial proposes duck, seafood or chicken cooked with marvelous dressings that you have never tasted anywhere else. Large chairs and tables that will transport you in the Vietnamese tropics of the 1920s and palm trees that gives a nice romantic oasis feeling to a three meal course where the staff will be pleased to offer suggestions and help you navigate this foreign menu.

The Russian Tea Room
To continue our change of scene restaurant tour, continental cuisine seemed perfect. Seldom you would hear that Russian cuisine is very refined but the Russian Tea Room is a New York landmark and has been founded by members of the Russian Imperial Ballet in 1927. Standing for more than 80 years now, both actors and politicians often come there, making it an exclusive enclave. Be wild and try the Borscht as a starter and go on with the  Chakhokhbili or the Vareniki for the main course. If you get lucky you might even spot Dustin Hoffman or Woody Allen having a peaceful rest outside of the city’s rush or chit-chatting about their next movie shooting.