Los Angeles Restaurant Week starts again today, running through Friday and then again from October 11-16. Meaning you can get the special menus every day but Saturday. Over 250 restaurants have signed up, so there are plenty of deals to be had at some of the hottest restaurants around. Participating restaurants offer three course meals for lunch and dinner at a fixed price ranging from $16 to $44. Drinks, taxes and gratuity are not included. Go ahead and browse the hot list of who's in and what's for dinner here. Highlights include Asian spiced pork ribs and Mexican donuts at Asia de Cuba, chile rubbed mahi mahi and goat milk cajeta flan at Ciudad, and sirloin steak with honey poached Seckel pears at Nick & Stef's.

Strange thing about L.A. That very New York phenomenon known as "Summer Fridays" doesn't really exist here. Perhaps that's because we don't have to race out of our offices to get to paradise, because well, we already live there. (I'd add neener, neener, neener, but that seems a bit cruel.) Still, Asia de Cuba has a Friday-night special that tips its hat to the same concept: "Out of Office Fridays." From 1-4 pm, the fancy schmancy restaurant in the Mondrian is offering a $5 food menu, with $5 cocktails and $5 valet. This is a deal at any bar -- even more so at a place where the average appetizer is $28, and the entrees run as high as $76. Perhaps the temporary special is a tacit admission that even rich people are hurting from this recession too, poor dears.

JetBlue has launched a great contest for all the foodies out there. Basically they're going to pay for your dinner, but it's a whole lot sexier than that since they're teaming up with Restaurant Week in New York and sending you out for a night on the town.

Usually when summer rolls around, I find myself eating less as tiny string bikinis and Hampton-thin bodies dance in my head. But last night at the Taste of Summer -- a benefit for the Central Park Conservatory -- I had a taste of what my summer will be, and this summer will be delicious. Roughly a thousand foodies and Central Park enthusiasts banded together at the Naumburg Bandshell to kick off summer in the New York, a city that takes pride in her beautiful, distinctive park and the significant culture that talented chefs and colorful restaurants bring to her table. There was no actual table -- I'm using a metaphor unless you were a VIP ticket holder and had the pleasure of sitting in the cafe area hosted by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality group -- but there was food, glorious food. The event was held al fresco in a tent that happily shielded party goers, the silent auction goodies, and over 40 renowned chefs from the drizzly evening weather. I could name-drop the UES socials caught fork-in-mouth, but the star of the event was without a doubt the food. Here, my own top five picks of the evening's pleasurable nibbles from places I wouldn't normally think to venture to.

The owner of the flagship Pacha in New York on international clientele, the rough lifestyle required for nightlife connoisseurs, and flushing out the phonies.

When you're not partying at Pacha, where are you?
I always find myself at Sushi Samba on Seventh Avenue. I love the outdoor roof. It's a great place to entertain. I'm forever hosting people from South America and Spain there. They treat us well, and the food and the vibe is great. Asia de Cuba has great service, great food, and a great energy. I like Henry's End in Brooklyn at the end of Henry Street. The owners are real wine connoisseurs ... they search the globe and feature five reds that are unique. Just had a great meal at Dovetail, another great spot.

Everyone's got an office. For Mario Batali, it's the kitchen; for LeBron James, the court. And for BlackBook staffers, it's an actual office. But for the girls who work at Rick's Cabaret and Steakhouse, the office is something entirely different. It's the stage-to-ceiling brass pole, or the giddy lap of an Asian salaryman. But when daily tasks include gyrating your hips to a T-Pain banger or sipping bubbly with VIPs in the champagne room, what space does that leave for a regular nightlife? Last week, after a long day at our office (be sure to check out the raw source material), we decided to visit theirs to fulfill our journalistic duty by asking them the essential question: Where do you like to go out in New York?

We tried for a top 10, but settled for 5. After all, we are in recession, people. If Cup O' Noodle and sparkling cider is on your New Year’s Eve menu, may we suggest rolling out a blanket on Ocean Drive and 8th Street for some free-of-charge fireworks viewing. If, however you wanna be a baller, consider the following.

1. The Mondrian Miami hotel is teaming up with Tommy Pooch and Alan Roth to ring in "Recessison," a.k.a. NYE 2009. Two hundred bucks will buy you an entry into the Sunset Lounge, where a 20-piece orchestra will mix with tunes spun by DJ Tavin. Resident eatery Asia de Cuba offers a range of packages depending on your wallet and/or appetite.
2. If you're a reality TV junky, head on up to the Shore Club, where Kristin Cavallari is set to make an appearance. Organized by Skybar and New York’s Tenjune, live performances will include Busta Rhymes, Ron Brownz, and Pras. Mos Def spins while you pay -- $275 to be exact.

● Mondrian Miami (South Beach) - Glamorous, debauched dwelling where you least expect it.
● Asia de Cuba (South Beach) - Sexy Latin-Asian deliciousness definitely not on a budget.

Jeffrey Chodorow, owner of China Grill, Asia de Cuba, Kobe Club, Ono, and other esteemed global eateries, dishes on Schrager, disses on DiSpirito, then row-row-rows his colorful boat ashore.

Point of Origin: I was born in the Bronx, but my father died the year I was born, so my mother and I moved to Miami. I grew up in Miami Beach, where we lived with her sister. They were both manicurists in a Cuban barbershop, and they used to go to Havana for the weekend -- which, incidentally, is how Asia de Cuba eventually came to be. I opened China Grill because I knew the Asian and Cuban pantry, so it seemed like a natural. I grew up very poor in a very wealthy Miami area where we went through school drills, hiding under our desks during the Cuban missile crisis. Some friends built a bomb shelter in their property which was nicer than our apartment! This was before Castro came in.

Designeratti, this one’s for you. All Philippe Starck, all the time. Immerse yourself in this one-day uptown/downtown Starck tour of New York City -- a version that includes 18th-century paintings with moving eyes, floor-to-ceiling fireplaces, chairs fit for giants, and three-foot-high chess pieces. Look for a lot more from Starck in the upcoming decade, as he’s under contract to work exclusively with Los Angeles nightlife mogul Sam Nazarian until 2022.