Le Bernardin: Criticizing this restarurant is like analyzing rainbows...No matter what you say, you sound like a fool.

Food
Best Lunch Deal
Le Bernardin
155 West 51st Street
212-489-1515

Le Bernardin is not exactly priced like Howard Johnson's all-you-can-eat fish fry. But for $47, you can savor three courses of Eric Ripert's incomparable seafood, and the only regret you'll leave with is knowing that whatever you have for dinner won't be as wonderful.

Times Square Café at the AMC25 Theatre
234 West 42nd Street
212-221-9454

On the other hand, if it's a steal as much as a deal you're looking for, the Times Square Café is serving surprisingly fast, surprisingly fresh pastas, soups, salads, and sandwiches, with many of the desserts from the Little Pie Company. And for $19.50, you can get a dense minestrone or crisp salad, followed by either a spiky penne with vodka, a huge chicken-and-mozzarella sandwich, or a hearty chicken Caesar -- plus a movie ticket if you decide to play hooky.