Fine Food Alternatives in New York City

Okay, so the places I'm about to suggest aren't exactly the cheapest things out there, so when you think of cheap, think more like "Restaurant Week" cheap. Do you know what I mean? These options may not help your contributions to your IRA, but they will allow you to taste the subtle delicacies of a master chef's creation for prices you couldn't dare find at your average 4 or 5-start restaurant in New York City.

Brooklyn Star - 33 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn, New York, NY 11211
Our first location brings us to Brooklyn, where the food is just as interesting as the culture. That's why Brooklyn Star fits right in, because it isn't your typical mom and pop American diner, nor is it some overly crowded venue in the middle of nowhere. Instead, Brooklyn Star is the creation of a chef with more in mind than just serving up delicacies and French cuisine. Instead, Chef Joaquin Baca opens your stomach to the idea of eating southern-inflected dishes, such as Dr. Pepper Ribs, fried pig-tails and country fried steak. To top it off, they serve you warm and fluffy biscuits with honey butter, just in case the Sweet Tea Chicken Wings don't give you the itus-or better yet, a heart attack! But based on the few times I've been here, I'd say the food is worth the risk.

Porchetta - 110 E. 7th Street, New York, NY
Yes! That's right! An entire restaurant dedicated to the delivery of pork to the masses-or at least to residents and visitors of the East Village! Either way, Porchetta brings the love of pork and mastery of wood-burning ovens back from the depths of Italy's finest kitchens to give Manhattanites a taste of Tuscany's greatest creation. And if you're a fan of pork (we're a dying breed, I know), then you certainly won't want to miss out on what Porchetta is cooking up. With nothing more than 8 pork-influenced items on the menu, Porchetta serves up one of the tastiest, finger-licking pieces of swine you will have ever tasted. Porchetta, technically a gutted, boned-out, heavily seasoned and restuffed whole pig, hails from street festivals in Rome and Florence-it's like the hot dog of Italy! And if you can remember just how much that first Coney Island Dog changed your life, then can you even imagine what this delectable, spicy, moist, organic, tender pig loin with melting bacon bits and garlic potatoes could do to your entire perception of the pig? Yeah, it's that good!

Piola - 48 E. 12th Street, New York, NY
Located in Greenwich Village, just below Union Square, Piola is truly a welcomed addition to the plethora of Italian offerings in New York City. Of course, why stop at Italian? Why not add the flavors of Brazil to the menu? Well, that's exactly what they did at Piola, combining to make one of the best thin crust pizzas in the world-and I mean that literally, as they have locations all across the globe! First of all, you must try "Lucky Gnocchi Day" on the 29th of every month, when you can get various kinds of gnocchi served to you in churrascaria fashion! And the other 29 days of the month are just as interesting, with an assortment of heavily-topped pizza's to choose from, including the Mantova (carpaccio, brie, arugola and mozzarella) and the Sau Pauloa (Brazilian cheese and tomato sauce). People who love pizza swear by this place. So for those of you who don't think you can find a good piece of pizza in Greenwich Village, think again!