Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood

Restaurant Week is coming up here in New York, and I gotta tell ya- I am pumped! Robert, Amanda, and I usually eat in during the week so we can save our dollars for some weekend treats. Since restaurant WEEK(s) is exactly what it sounds like, I'll have to make an exception- especially since my friend Jonathan and I are planning on having dinner at Orsay.
New York is overwhelming when it comes to dining out- there are just SO many places from which to chose. How do you know what's really worth the money? What's to say it's not going to be anything more than an overpriced pasta joint? Luckily, Jonathan has yet to make a bad restaurant recommendation, so I'm sure I will not be disappointed. Although, I'm the one who chose the restaurant. Oops. But it looks good, no? And at $35 for a three course meal that would normally run me probably 3 times that amount, I'd say it's a deal.
Ideally, I'd like to hit up at least one more way-too-out-of-my-price-range joint during restaurant (2) weeks. Perhaps a 3 course fancy lunch? That'll run me $25.