YUM: One of by Land, Two if by Sea

This week in the City it was Restaurant Week. Something I have never participated in or really known about after all my years living here. As someone who loves food and trying new restaurants, this is a shameful thing to admit. There's so much I still don't know and haven't done here! I love that about New York. I knew Restaurant Week existed, I just didn't know what it was about or how it worked and I let other things take priority. Well, NOW I know and boy is it worth knowing about, 'cause I fine-dined at the most romantic restaurant in NYC this weekend, for cheap, cheap, cheap!

One if by Land, Two if by Sea was once Aaron Burr's carriage house (Burr is most famous for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel--yikes!). It has an on-site pianist, beautiful brick walls, open fireplaces aglow, warm chandeliers hanging from high ceilings, and an ambiance of class and romance the moment you step inside. We sat upstairs in what was once the hay loft and now overlooks the entire restaurant, bar, sitting area and piano. Beautiful!
Normally they only serve a prixe fixe menu of $78 per person, but during restaurant week it's $35! As you might guess, high end restaurants such as these don't often participate in Restaurant Week, but my roommate is always on the lookout to see if some are participating and she caught this one and made reservations immediately! Hooray! So Tom was big pimpin' for the night as he accompanied Lindsey, Meaghan and myself.

We feasted on three courses including desert: the ladies having the butternut squash soup and Tom ordering calamari, followed by steak for all of us, and then cheesecake for me and chocolate-banana mouse for the others. We also had brussel sprouts with bacon (sooooo perfectly done) and complimentary bread for the table that a waiter brought around whenever he noticed our bread dishes were empty. They even said "Sir" and "Miss". I loved it.

The food was delicious, and we were all so full after each course we weren't sure we could take on the next, but the pacing of it was perfect and we managed to indulge on every bite. I admit, this was the first time I've ever had steak without A-1 Sauce. I get it now.

The service was surprisingly personable and not at all snooty like we'd braced ourselves for. It was fun to dress up and spend such a nice evening indoors. It felt like we'd escaped everything else for a bit, like the raging wind waiting to blow us to bits outside.

If you're looking for somewhere special to celebrate or take your someone special to in New York, this should definitely make your list of considerations.