Tax-time and money talk may find you holding your wallet a little tighter these days. But there are lots of great deals out there that won't bust your budget. At Table 8, for instance, chef Govind Armstrong offers a Monday–Friday "Recession Concession" three-course tasting menu for $38, along with an "Inflation Libation" deal in the lounge, where $20 gets you a glass of wine or beer plus two menu items.

Another way to get more tuck for your buck is with spots from the Zagat Top List of Best Buys. Check out:

• Apple Pan
• Asahi Ramen
• Cha Cha Chicken
• El Tepeyac
• Philippe the Original
• The Stand

Sure, everyone loves to hear about hot new restaurants, but equally intriguing are sleepers – those lesser-known gems that folks in-the-know like to keep to themselves in order to keep the crowds at bay. Whether it’s a cozy little corner, an out-of-the-way swingin’ spot or just a friendly place with fantastic food, the sleepers on the following list can help rouse you out of the dining doldrums.

On the list: Sapori

Gennaro’s Ristorante

1109 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale; 818-243-6231

Dress up, relax and mangia at this quiet Glendale Italian that’s dripping with old-world elegance.

Les Sisters Southern Kitchen

21818 Devonshire St., Chatsworth; 818-998-0755

This Chatsworth Southerner may be a hole-in-the-wall but you won’t be telling the aim-to-please owners to kiss your grits after savoring their fried chicken, jambalaya, buttermilk pie and other Gulf Coast dishes.

photo: Michael J. Fajardo

An old Irish saying goes, "Take the world nice and easy and the world will do you the same." Whether you're looking for a place to take it easy with a pint or a spot to celebrate St. Patrick's Day on Monday, here are some Irish pub picks.

• The Auld Dubliner
• Cat & Fiddle
• Father’s Office
• Finn McCool’s
• Lucky Baldwin’s
• Molly Malone’s
• Tam O’Shanter
• Tom Bergin’s
• The Whale & Ale
• Ye Olde King’s Head

The cast of Top Chef Chicago

photo: Courtesy of Bravo

This Wednesday, Bravo's Top Chef returns to the airwaves for its fourth season. This time around, the action has been shot in the Windy City, where hosts Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi, Gail Simmons and Ted Allen will winnow down a new crop of 16 cheftestants down to one Top Chef.

While watching the toques compete in Quickfire Challenges (such as last season's mise en place relay race or the Bombay Sapphire cocktail competition) and Elimination Challenges (such as catering a yacht party )provides plenty of amusement, you might yearn to actually taste their creations – at least the winning dishes. Since licking the TV screen never satisfies, the best option is to eat at the restaurants where the cheftestants either currently or most recently worked. Here in LA, you can find Antonia, who spent six years at Spago, working as a chef at Foxtail, the glam newcomer in WeHo. And here's where to find them in the other cities.

If you didn't get your fill of New Year's festivities a few weeks ago, take heart. The Lunar New Year, often called Chinese New Year, starts on February 7th, when the Year of the Rat begins. The celebrations continue for a week, including the annual Golden Dragon Parade down North Broadway in Hollywood on February 9th. We've pulled together a list of 10 places where you can usher in the New Year by digging into some authentic Chinese dishes:

• Din Tai Fung
• Empress Pavilion
• Macau Street
• NBC Seafood
• Ocean Seafood
• Ocean Star
• Sea Empress
• Sea Harbour
• W's China Bistro
• Yang Chow

Where will you be when the New England Patriots and New York Giants face-off in Arizona on February 3rd? If you aren't watching the Super Bowl at home or on your buddy's enormous new HDTV, consider checking out these prime viewing places.

• BJ's
• El Torito
• Ford's Filling Station
• Outlaws Bar & Grill
• The Shack
• Tony P's Dockside Grill
• Typhoon
• Village Idiot
• Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill
• Yard House

Grab a healthy sandwich in the new year at M Café de Chaya.

The new year is coming, and you know what that means: broken resolutions. But maybe this year will be different, right? This year you really will work off all that gorging you did over the holidays. We think you can do it, but just in case you need a little push, here are some healthy restaurants around town to keep you on track. Your body will thank you.

• A Votre Sante
• Jack Sprat's Grille
• M Café de Chaya
• Real Food Daily
• Urth Caffé

Pasadena's new Green Street Tavern serves midpriced comfort food right off Old Town's main drag.

photo: Alen Lin

The East Coast might win on New Year's Eve what with its earlier time zone and Times Square ball drop, but the West Coast definitely takes the first day of the year thanks to the Rose Bowl and its century-old Tournament of Roses parade, a two-and-a-half-hour, flower-filled jaunt through Pasadena watched by millions each year.

If you're planning to go and watch the roses roll by, might we suggest a few popular nearby eateries to head to after (and, in one case, before) the parade has passed?

• Green Street Tavern
• Il Fornaio
• Melting Pot (breakfast only)
• Mi Piace
• Saladang

25 degrees is now going all night long.

photo: 25 degrees

Despite its reputation for bustling nightlife, late-night dining in the City of Angels isn't always easy. Some even joke that you can starve to death at four in the morning. But that is changing.

Downtown newcomer Mode, which debuted on Halloween, is serving French bistro fare 24 hours a day, seven days a week (916 S. Olive St.; 213-627-4888). And the Roosevelt Hotel's chic burger bar, 25 degrees, is now operating nonstop for those craving pricey patties at ungodly hours (7000 Hollywood Blvd.; 323-785-7244).

If that's not enough to satisfy your inner insomniac, check out these 24-hour spots:

• Canter's
• Fred 62
• Lift*
• Original Pantry Cafe
• Pacific Dining Car
• The Standard

* Lift starts its 22/6 service in mid-November – it will be closed from 4–6 AM Tuesday–Sunday and all of Monday.

Veggie sandwiches at M Café de Chaya

Good vegetarian food can be hard to find, even in a city as veggie-friendly as Los Angeles. In honor of World Vegetarian Month (October), here's a list of the top five rated vegetarian restaurants in the City of Angels according to the new 2008 Los Angeles/Southern California Restaurants Survey:

• M Café de Chaya
• Native Foods
• Real Food Daily
• Urth Caffé
• Inn of the Seventh Ray