2006 is the 15th year of Summer Restaurant Week, a dining version of bargain shopping—not because the food is all picked-over but because it’s worth a lot more than what you’re paying. Sure, the onion in your French Onion Soup didn’t cost the restaurateur as much as s/he’s charging, but you’re really paying for a labor of love, not to mention a chic setting and an attentive waiter. Three-course prix-fixe lunches at $24.07 serve as a reminder that New York’s still the city that never sleeps, and the $35 three-course dinners are a way to remember that our country’s founding fathers thought being 35 years old made you competent enough to be president. Not really, but foodies will tell you it’s a decent price to pay to celebrate the city’s finest dining. Keep in mind you’ll have to pay extra to celebrate with vino—beverages (and tax and gratuity) aren’t included. To keep it reasonable, just choose a cuisine and/or neighborhood to narrow down the list of 200 participating restaurants, each committed to bringing you in for their food “bargains.”

July 10-14; July 17-21. Make reservations online at www.nycvisit.com.