Hard Times = Good Times

36 W 52nd St, New York, NY 10019 (map)

Michael Psilakis' haute Greek midtowner produces some of the most challenging, cerebral and complex food in town, but not everybody is willing to drop their Benjamins on unfamiliar cuisine. Instead, head to Anthos Upstairs, which serves simplified versions of the restaurant's dishes, from lamb belly pancetta with grapefruit, kefaloteri and fennel to oysters with pomegranate and yogurt.

181 W 10th St, New York, NY 10014 (map)

Since the day it opened, Bobo's menu has been overshadowed by its gorgeous room, considered a lead-pipe cinch for pomaded lotharios looking to close. But since installing James Beard award-winning chef Patrick Connolly, the menu has taken a major upgrade, and it's shown to best effect in the den menu, which includes small and self-contained but robust items like braised and fried salt-and-pepper ribs, a leek burger and the frighteningly self-explanatory marrow tots.

85 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011 (map)

The earliest and most successful of the recession rejiggerings came at Tom Colicchio's astronomically expensive steakhouse, which developed a Halfsteak lounge menu with cut-rate specialties like, yes, half-steaks, as well as burgers, chicken wings and other meaty treats. Oddly, many of these dishes are better than anything on the regular menu, a minimalistic document with little room for chef Shane McBride to improvise. His smoked wings with white sauce are masterful, and improvisations like a corned beef eggroll and a meatball casserole bring the food program at Craftsteak some much-needed pizzazz.

11 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010 (map)

Floyd Cardoz's widely admired Indian fusion cooking has many admirers, but it isn't the kind of thing that can always fill a room on a Wednesday night. So Cordoz has instituted Tabla Ten, a menu of rustic, Goan specialties, all of which cost less than $10. These aren't the polished, composed dishes of Tabla; they're what you might hope to find in the secret Jackson Heights Indian restaurant of your dreams.

43 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003 (map)

Veritas has gone in a different direction from most of its rivals. Where the competition has become more modern, new chef Gregory Putin has reached back to the Gallic collective memory and produced dishes like cassoulet, frog's legs and a very good chicken facon Basquaise, all of which appear on a new bar menu at the restaurant. These small portions are actually the perfect way to consume the classics. The portion size and variety make each item less filling and more exciting than if ordering from the regular menu.