UPPER WEST SIDE — Call it couture cuisine.
Lincoln Square restaurants are hoping to tap into the excitement of Fashion Week with a host of lunch and dinner deals at some of the neighborhood's more exclusive and popular spots.
"Fashion Plate," organized by the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District, launches on Sept. 5 as the first runway shows get under way, featuring prix fixe meals and drink deals.
"It's a win-win," said Monica Blum, president of the BID. "I think it's a tremendous boon to businesses."
The business improvement district claims the bi-annual Fashion Week events net $40 million for neighborhood businesses, with the discounts helping to entice models, designers and crews to explore the area.
"Clearly, [Fashion Week] pours money into this community, and excitement," Blum said.
Twenty-seven restaurants are participating in Fashion Plate, running through Sept. 12, from low-key spots like 'wichcraft to Jean-Georges Vongerichten's upscale Nougatine.
Lunches range in price from $16 to $35 and dinners from $16 to $49, with weekend brunch deals and drink specials sprinkled in as well.
The drink discounts, such as half-price bottles of wine at Bouchon Bakery, or glasses of wine or sangria for $7 at Andanada, are meant to encourage fashionistas to stick around at night after the shows are over, Blum explained.
Lunch is generally the most successful and "brings in a lot of extra people," she noted.
"The weather is still nice, and I'm sure we're going to see the outdoor cafes mobbed."
The deal is also for area residents, who "like looking at all these people — the 4-inch heels and the getups," Blum added.
"This is for locals, too, and some of [the prix fixes] are pretty good deals ... If it's a place that you might not otherwise go to, it's a great opportunity."
Additionally, the BID's deal offering discounts to crews working Fashion Week at nearby delis and takeout spots began on Aug. 15 and runs through Sept. 21.
