Today is the first day of National Vegetarian Week (which appears to only be in the UK?) and World Vegetarian Week (here on Earth)—so if you want to celebrate by going meat-free for a week, we have some suggestions for dining out. Vegetarian dishes can go next level when the experts are preparing them. And going meat-free doesn't mean you can't have meat-like substances in your meals—they taste better than they sound, promise. Last year we gave you these six spots that serve up fantastic fake meat fare, from tempeh to seitan to soy protein-based meals. Below, some more dishes we've spotted on the meat-free menus around town. more ›

Frank Bruni at the Times really wants to love the newly renovated Oak Room (photos), but the food is so erratic that dining there amounts to a very costly coin toss. His review is nothing like Steve Cuozzo's recent excoriation, but in this economy, it's not what the Oak Room needed: "It has been meticulously and gorgeously restored. An acclaimed French-born chef was recruited to supervise the kitchen. And those developments combined, on the best of the nights when I dined there, to produce a lovely experience of a rarefied sort. more ›

This week in the Village Voice, Robert Sietsema has his turn with The John Dory (photos), the new seafood place from the owners of The Spotted Pig. He concurs that "the menu is sometimes shockingly expensive. On our first visit, a half-dozen oysters set us back $24." But some items are worth it, like the cod milt (fish sperm, $16), "a dish that defines just how far the menu will go to deliver novel seafood sensations. While this may conjure up images of ejaculating fish and hapless under-chefs running after them with paper cups, the semen comes in a sac that fries up like sweetbreads. For aficionados of weird food, it's delicious." And Sarah DiGregorio loves Bushwick's Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos, where "the tortillas are wonderful: thick, slightly chewy, and fragrant." more ›

In the year 2009, omelettes and their cheesy fillings will be delivered in vaporized streams emanating from subway grates like lasers; hickory bacon vapor will only be available through the Astor 6 subway grate closest to Starbucks. Pastrami sandwiches from Katz's will travel through the city's long-abandoned pneumatic tube system to old police call boxes. more ›

The curiously named Dirt Candy is a sleek and cozy new vegetarian restaurant on East Ninth Street, where chef Amanda Cohen presides over an open kitchen mere inches from her patrons. (As she tells us during our conversation, this sometimes results in some awkward involuntary eavesdropping.) About the funny name, Cohen explains that "vegetables are amazing. Made out of little more than water, sunlight, and dirt they wind up growing into a candy store full of color and flavor. And that’s what I want Dirt Candy to be: nature’s candy store." more ›

Vero Midtown: The little amber-hued nook seen here is nestled inside this warm and inviting wine bar on East 53rd Street that boasts a 2,200-bottle wine cellar. This is the second Vero location, and while the uptown original emphasizes panini, this iteration has a full kitchen serving dishes such as short rib tacos, gnocchi with foie gras and truffle sauce, and pan-roasted quail. The romantic scene is set by raw wood tables, Edison bulbs encased in pewter and antique glass pendants, mid-century inspired monochromatic art-work featuring '60s and '70s film stars, and lots of natural wood-framed mirrors. Vero also has its own in-house sommelier, Storme Woode, who has attained the elite "second level" of certified sommelier status. Also, per the publicist, "She is cute! And Storme can choose a wine for you by just looking at you." 1004 2nd Avenue at 53rd Street, (212) 935-3530. more ›