Sometimes you want The Usual. (For us, this would be Anything McNally with a side of fries.) Other times, you want to do it up a bit. In case you're feeling the latter in the next couple of weeks:
1) Members of the Tribe among you can attest to the fact that breaking the Yom Kippur fast in NY can get a bit dicey. If you don't find someone who has called ahead for the Zabar's spread of bagels and lox, or someone whose UES parents have, you're settling for pizza. Which is why the folks at Mo's, with their 1st Annual Break-Fast Bagel Boogie at Mo Pitkin’s, may be onto something. For $35 you get an unlimited buffet (Pasta Varnishkes, Smoked Salmon Kreplach and home-made blintzes as far as the eye can see), open bar and enough schmaltzy music to deafen an un-bar-mitzvahed child. [Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction; 34 Avenue A, (212) 777-5660; TONIGHT, 7-10PM; $35]
2) Either you like Halloween, or you don't. If you do, and you'd rather have a meal than go to a club and watch the college set cover themselves in Saran Wrap and pin-on deviltails and drink their faces off, perhaps a roaring 20s-themed bash at the Biltmore Room is up your alley. Gary Robbins has designed a five-course prix fixe menu of throwback dishes like Roast Muscovy Duckling (ancho-sage-crusted duck breast with a sauté of chanterelles, turnips, and pancetta, cranberries popped in sweet port, and ginger-whipped butternut squash). Staff will be in flapper dresses and top hats, lucky them; for you, costumes are optional. [Biltmore Room; 290 8th Avenue, (212) 807-0111; Monday, October 31st; $85)]
3) Aroma Kitchen & Winebar opened over the summer, but aside from noting that it was worth trying, we've done nothing by way of getting ourselves there. But, for that matter, neither have you. Which is why their Winemaker Dinner has caught our attention. It is billed as an evening of great wine served with a four course fall menu, all set in Aroma's new chef's dining room. Background on Aroma is that they're going for Roman wine bar, a type of venue that is a welcome addition to any New York neighborhood, especially as fall sets in and you make the switch from French vodka to French Boudreaux. So that you know who to ask for, owner/operators are Alexandra Degiorgio and Vito Polosa. [Aroma Kitchen & Winebar; 36 East 4th Street, (212) 375-0100; Wednesday, November 9th, 7pm; $85.]
