Every six months or so, some of the best restaurants in town fling open their doors and prix-fixe menus, making it easy for the city’s foodies to check out their fare without spending serious coin (lunch is a gratifying $24.07, dinner is a can’t-miss $35.00). And even if you are committed to spending serious coin, think of Restaurant Week as an excuse to splurge on that bottle of vintage wine as an extra treat. Today, we’re surveying New York’s neighborhoods for the best of 2012 Winter Restaurant Week, which runs from January 16 to February 10.

Come, all ye who hunger: 21 Club is participating in this year’s Restaurant Week.

FINANCIAL DISTRICT

Best Pick: SHO Shaun Hergatt. Set in The Setai Wall Street, this French and Asian fusion restaurant offers a fantastic blend of each cuisine. Check out the foie gras sandwich and the deep fried rice balls in squid ink. Lunch & dinner | 40 Broad Street, 2nd floor

Other options: Delmonico’s Steakhouse, BLT, Cipriani Wall, Bobby Van’s

TRIBECA

Best Pick: The Harrison. This posh eatery’s Restaurant Week dinner menu includes options such as house-cured salmon, coq au vin (chicken simmered in red wine and onions), truffled orzo. Their lunch menu for Restaurant Week includes their entire regular prix-fixe lunch offerings. Lunch & dinner | 355 Greenwich Street

Other options: Tribeca Grill (Robert De Niro’s wine-heavy spot)

SOHO

Best Pick: L’Ecole. Also a classical culinary school that’s trained up the likes of Bobby Flay, Momofuku’s David Chang, and Dan Barber, this restaurant serves upscale French fare that is at once modern and traditional.  Lunch only | 462 Broadway (btw Broome & Grand)

Other options: Lure Fishbar

WEST VILLAGE

Best Pick: One If By Land, Two If By Sea. This beautifully historic restaurant, laden with chandeliers and exposed brick, calls to mind colonial times (hence its name, for those of you who remember your Revolutionary War history). The food, though traditional, maintains a firm grip on modernity with its more restrained presentation. Dinner only | 17 Barrow Street

GREENWICH VILLAGE

Best Pick: Perilla. Top Chef winner Harold Dieterle cooks up culinary gems in this cozy restaurant. Prix fixe options such as steamed Prince Edward Island mussels, house-made papardelle with mushrooms and kale, and spiced braised goat with eggplant puree and yogurt are sure to entice for another visit beyond Restaurant Week. Dinner only | 9 Jones Street

Other options: Strip House

MEATPACKING

Best Pick: Morimoto. With this kind of sushi in town, you’ll be rendered unable to just order from anywhere afterward. Incredibly fresh fish, sliced and served artfully, yields tasty, tasteful dishes that delicately melt on your tongue. Lunch only | 88 10th Avenue

UNION SQUARE

Best Pick: Tocqueville. Romantic, intimate, and serving up intricately created New American and French fare, the staff at this centrally located restaurant will make your Restaurant Week bucks feel as if they’ve gone so much further. Lunch only | 1 E 15th St.

GRAMERCY

Best Pick: City Crab & Seafood. If wearing a large bib while chowing down on two quarter-pound lobsters with a side of corn appeals to you, then make reservations now. Starter soups and desserts are equally rich and satisfying. Lunch & dinner | 235 Park Ave. South (at 19th St.)

FLATIRON

Best Pick: Aldea. This Portuguese eatery combines rich Mediterranean sensibilities with haute cuisine execution. Chef George Mendes, having trained under the likes of David Bouley and Alain Ducasse, creates ethereal seafood dishes and rich desserts. Lunch only | 31 West 17th Street

MIDTOWN WEST/MIDTOWN EAST

Best Picks: 21 Club and Le Cirque. Simply because of their classic Manhattan status, these two restaurants are not to be ignored. Traditional dishes such as 21’s steak and Le Cirque’s pan seared scallops are expertly prepared, served, and set in a high-end atmosphere. Bring your jacket, and be prepared to spend more on the excellent wine selection. Lunch & dinner | Le Cirque: 151 E 58th St | 21 Club, 21 W. 52nd St.

UPPER EAST SIDE/UPPER WEST SIDE

Best Picks: Dovetail and David Burke Townhouse. Both of these Michelin star winners serve unique takes on classic New American cuisine. Not to be missed at David Burke are the cheesecake lollipops for dessert (and the cote d’boeuf, if you feel like adventuring outside of the Restaurant Week menu). Lunch & Dinner | David Burke Townhouse: 133 East 61st St. | Dovetail: 103 West 77th St.

For all Restaurant Week participants, visit www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek