How to Eat: West Village

There are two ways to eat out in New York City - spontaneously or not.

The spontaneous bunch are romantics. They go where the city takes them exploring the shops, galleries and restaurants each new street brings. That's how I found Fish at 280 Bleecker St. It's one of the best seafood places I've been to in the city which isn't surprising considering its owner supplies 60% of the city's fish needs. Delicious, transcendental, price-y and totally worth it.

There is, however, a very, very dark side to spontaneous food adventures. Let hunger, pickiness, and indecision set in and suddenly you find yourself at a random Indian place you walked past three times too many. One mediocre meal later, you're considering breaking up with the picky boyfriend that forced you in there, and, Yay!, you're still hungry.

Here are two websites I use to prevent such catastrophes.

1. For West Village restaurant ideas, I would start with nymag.com/restaurants. With each restaurant page, New York Magazine includes their critic's review plus all the information you'll need - price range, cuisine type, special features. Best of all, their search is easy and comprehensive. Ask the guide for a decently priced Italian spot in the West Village, and it gives you a list of 22 different restaurants. From that list, I choose a handful of Critic's Picks and start looking for a second opinion. The problem is nymag.com/restaurants doesn't offer more than a handful of reader reviews.

2. That's when yelp.com comes in. Cross reference your Critic's Picks with thousands of New Yorkers' reviews. Is the place overrated? What was service like? What are its best dishes? Once you've filled in the blank spots, the search is over. Take your pick of the place that sounds best and head out the door. No need to break up with your boyfriend tonight.