The tantalizing, tentacled octopus salad appetizer at Esca, a Manhattan restaurant that Wendy once blogged about. A prix-fixe lunch there will cost only $24.07 next month.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

If you'll be in New York City the second half of July, and have an appetite, get your fingers ready to dial the phone or click the mouse.

Eateries participating in New York City Restaurant Week--during which scores of NYC dining establishments serve prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus at steep discounts--start taking reservations today.

When: New York City Restaurant Week runs July 12 -31. (We know: That's really two and half weeks.) Saturdays aren't included, and some locations don't participate on Sundays. Not all locations offer special menus at both lunch and dinner.

Where: All over Manhattan below 96th Street (there's one in Brooklyn, too). Check Open Table's Restaurant Week page for a list of participating spots.

How Much: You get an appetizer, entree, and dessert for $24.07 at lunchtime and $35 at dinnertime, not including drinks, tax, or tip. 

How to Book: Go to Open Table to make a reservation, or call each participating restaurant directly.

Learn More: The New York tourism group NYC & Company is on Twitter and will be tweeting about special deals and promotions during Restaurant Week at @nycgo.

Which to Try: Critics slam Restaurant Week, saying it's a time when chefs turn out sub-par fare to the fanny-pack crowd. New York Magazine's Grub Street blog usually posts a list of Restaurant Week must-eats as the date approaches, but hadn't done so yet at post time.

To help Perrin Post readers get a jump on the best tables, we asked our resident expert in all things culinary, Conde Nast Traveler's Senior Assistant Editor Mollie Chen, for a few choice morsels:

For Lunch
10 Downing Food & Wine: Less than a year old, this place has a beautiful interior, great light, and big windows facing Sixth Avenue. The West Village location makes it perfect for a shopping break.
Bar Boulud: At his wine bar near Lincoln Center, Daniel Boulud serves wonderful charcuterie.
A Voce: This lush Italian near Madison Square Park is fab.
Esca: In Hell's Kitchen, this Italian seafood place does a great job and is so serene during lunch (you might even spot a few Condé Nast Traveler employees there).

For Dinner
Anthos: The chef here does elegant modern Greek.
Apiary: Worth checking out for the new chef, hip East Village location, and a positive review from the New York Times.
Elettaria: Its talented, experimental chef weaves Indian flavors into interesting food combos.
The Harrison: This Tribeca spot is helmed by one of the best female chefs in the city and serves duck-fat fries.

Where Else: A number of cities across the country hold their own restaurant weeks. Check the locations and dates below for dining deals this summer and into the fall:

Charlotte, NC: Dinner for $30, July 10 - 19.

Atlanta: Dinner for $25, July 27 - August 9.

Hoboken and Jersey City, NJ: Pricing not yet announced. July 27 - August 7.

Baltimore: Lunch $20.09, dinner $30.09, August 7- 16.

Boston: Lunch $20.09, dinner for $33.09, August 9 - 21 (Saturday, August 15 not included).

St. Louis: Dinner $25, August 11 - 16.

San Diego: Dinner $20, $30, or $40, depending on restaurant, September 13 - 18.

Phoenix and Tuscon: Dinner $29, September 19 - 26.

Nantucket: Dinner from $25 to $45, September 28 - October 4.