Daikaya

For another option with an extended restaurant week special try Daikaya. Chef Katsuya Fukushima has once again built a restaurant week menu around food, film, and pop-culture, this time honoring Francis, the beloved pup who passed away last year and was the star of the popular YouTube channel “Cooking With Dog.” For $40 per person, the five-course menu will feature the poodle’s greatest recipes like sugaki (oysters marinated with ponzu sauce, daikon oroshi, and ichimi) and spicy tebasaki chicken wings that are deep fried and tossed in a slightly tangy ginger-soy sauce.

Before the pandemic, crowds would swell at this Chinatown ramen joint, forcing hungry guests to wait patiently for a seat in the small downstairs dining room. This spot offers six kinds of Sapporo-style ramen, and they take authenticity seriously: Their noodles are imported from Japan, made from a recipe developed specially by Daikaya, and the nuanced Chintan stock takes more than 16 hours to make. Fans of something with a little heat can opt for either the spicy miso or super spicy shoyu bowls, both packed with chilies.