L'Impero   (Photo: Shanna Ravindra)

bär-bō-nē
186 Ave. B, nr. 12th St.; 212-254-6047.
Choose from a five-course tasting menu for $40 or a five-course pasta one for $35 at this hearty Italian restaurant.

Charles' Southern Style Kitchen
2837 Frederick Douglass Blvd., at 151st St.; 212-926-4313.
The famous fried chicken alone is worth the price of the $11.99 all-you-can-eat buffet.

Chestnut
271 Smith St., nr. Degraw St., Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn; 718-243-0049.
Chef Daniel Eardley offers a Tuesday and Wednesday $25 prix fixe that feels like a gift.

L’Ecole at the French Culinary Institute
462 Broadway, at Grand St.; 212-219-3300.
A classic fallback: five courses for $39.95—prepared by students in their final stages of training.

L’Impero
45 Tudor City Pl., nr. 42nd St.; 212-599-5045.
A relatively rustic, $42 set menu of four courses is on offer Sunday evenings only.

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