Restaurant Week at Riingo

My friend, her fiance and I deliberated for quite some time between the regular lunch menu and the Restaurant Week meal at Riingo today. The prospect of dark chocolate mousse and green-tea donuts was the deciding factor, and we all ordered the special $24.07, three-course lunch. "Can I please have some of your green-tea donuts if I order the chocolate mousse?" I pleaded.

"Well, we're not going to have to try each other's entrees," my friend said wryly. She, her fiance and I were all equally interested in the miso-glazed mahi-mahi. At least we'd all ordered different appetizers! Her fiance ordered the bacon-accented potato soup ("Tastes just like a rich, creamy mashed potato," I opined), she went for the salmon avocado roll, and I chose the walnut-sprinkled and caramelized pear frisee salad with Roquefort crumbles. I couldn't resist ordering a few pieces of sushi - salmon roe with a hint of citrus, and a slab of pearly pink yellowtail.

We're so accustomed to the sweet miso black cod served at so many establishments that it took us a minute to get our palates around the soy-flavored mahi-mahi. Once we did, we appreciated the meaty fish with its sides of smoky gingered bulgur and steamed greens.

I groaned. "I wish I hadn't eaten so much of the garlic edamame spread that came with the rolls." (I hope someone decides to mass-produce this spread... it's better than any hummus I've ever eaten.) My groaning was short-lived, as the green-tea-marmalade, sugar-sprinkled donut holes arrived, as well as my star anise ice cream with chocolate mousse: a cylinder of dark chocolate enveloping three layers of ganache, mousse and cake.

As I was taking my last sip of roasted rice green tea, the waitress brought by three gift certificates for $24.07! Try to get into Riingo by Friday (the last day of Restaurant Week) and you'll also be treated to a complimentary future meal.

Riingo: 205 East 45th St., (212) 867-4200. East 45th Street, which also boasts Sakagura and Sushi Yasuda as well as Riingo, is now so tempting that I almost can't handle it anymore.

Hasaki

Since 1984, simple, casual Hasaki has delighted lovers of traditional Japanese cuisine. And now that Takino is a thing of the past, Hasaki is one of the few places where you can order tempura-by-the-piece: gingko nuts, shishito peppers and much more. A rock shrimp/mitsuba tempura is often on the daily special menu, and it's highly recommended. Also delicious is the unsauced fried white eel.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy Hasaki is the $20 "twilight dinner," which is only served until 6:30. Last night, I was about to order the grilled salmon in miso-basil sauce, but I also craved the excellent tempura. The twilight dinner was the perfect solution! This very filling meal included: rich red miso soup with tiny tofu cubes, a mesclun/frisee salad with creamy miso dressing, cold grilled eggplant, sliced crunchy lotus root, hijiki tofu salad, a luscious square of rich, fatty, salt-crusted grilled salmon, delicately sliced salmon, tuna and whitefish sashimi, and a healthy portion of tempura - two jumbo shrimp, a shrimp ball, shishito peppers, eggplant and carrot! And to top all of this off, there was a beautiful dessert plate of intricately sliced melon, orange and kiwi.

I bet Hasaki will be around for another 23 years!

Hasaki: 210 East 9th St., (212) 473-3327.

Pala Pizza Romana

A regular hangout for patrons and musicians from nearby Rockwood Music Hall, Pala bustles with activity. As the hours go by, you'll see many a guitar and bass come through the front door. But you'll probably be more focused on the luscious appetizers, pizza and dessert!

After catching a few shows at Rockwood (there's a new band every hour, starting at 6 p.m.), I walked into Pala with three friends. We were overwhelmed with the display of innovative pizzas (fior di latte mozzarella with leeks, pork sausage, sundried tomatoes and hot pepper; pumpkin-pancetta, Gorgonzola with asparagus, fior di latte mozzarella and tomato sauce).

Each oval pizza contained four slices, so we decided to order two pizzas and three appetizers. Appetizers were divided into fritti and salads. Crispy calamari and four plump zucchini blossoms stuffed with buffalo mozzarella and anchovies were our choices. "What are these!" exclaimed a newly-converted zucchini blossom addict. The blossoms were more heavily battered than the ones at Novita and Five Points, but still very tasty, with a hint of saltiness from the anchovies inside. We also ordered the slightly charred artichoke salad with large shavings of parmigiano, and eagerly scooped up every last bite with focaccia squares.

Soon the magnificent pizzas arrived. First was the buffalo mozzarella with intense cherry tomato sauce and fresh basil (there's nothing like melting fresh mozzarella) and then we enjoyed the Gorgonzola with asparagus. The asparagus was a bit limp, but the combination of melting Gorgonzola with that mozzarella was almost too pleasurable to describe! Both pizzas had a satisfyingly chewy crust, and the slices were so large that we were each satisfied with two pieces.

Of course, that satisfaction did not replace the need for dessert. Homemade tiramisu and a dense flourless chocolate cake were a lovely end to our lively evening!

Pala Pizza Romana: 198 Allen Street, (212) 614-7252.

Stand Burger

Here's some stiff competition for Better Burger NYC! Stand, a trans-fat-free burger joint which recently opened on East 12th Street, serves up juicy 7-ouncers (try the decadent bacon & egg cheeseburger), Atlantic sea-salt sprinkled hand-cut fries, fresh blackberry soda, and ricotta-pistachio milkshakes. Top it all off with a melted brownie and bowl of Il Laboratorio Del Gelato sorbet.

Although prices are more Midtown than NYU, I predict that the owner's plans to franchise will be successful. (My first New Year's prediction! I hope it lasts longer than my resolutions.)

Stand: 24 East 12th St., (212) 488-5900.