Dining Out in NYC

If making dinner reservations in NYC, you can use Opentable.com to earn points which can be redeemed for dining gift certificates (2,000 points will get you a $20 certificate, 5,000 points will get a $50 certificate, and you can get a $100 certificate for 10,000 points). Standard reservations earn 100 Dining Reward Points each. You can also earn Bonus Points -- just look for "1,000-point" reservations on the site.

In addition, twice a year (usually in January and July), there is a unique opportunity to experience some of NYC finest restaurants for a fraction of the usual price. Throughout the city, restaurants participate in "Restaurant Week" where they offer a three-course lunch for $24.07 and dinner for $35. Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to try out a restaurant that may usually be out of your budget, or test some new restaurants with a little less financial risk. You can also use Opentable.com to make your Restaurant Week reservations. The next Restaurant Week is coming up (July 12 - July 31, 2009) so make your reservations early.

Finally, check out Restaurant.com where you can purchase dining certificates for listed restaurants at a discount. For example, you can get a $25 certificate for only $10. If you google promotional codes for Restaurant.com, you can purchase those certificates for even less (I previously have gotten $25 certificates for only $3 using promotional codes).