Four Friends, Two Boroughs, Seven Shared Tables

Emmett's on Grove, 4.3, is a small room where four people can take a corner and stay for two hours. Order wine and two plates rather than a full dinner. This is the night that decides whether the group will actually do the week.

Kitchen Cô Út at 85 Chrystie Street, 4.3 from 435 reviews, keeps the ordering simple enough for four people to agree on. A short menu, Vietnamese dishes meant for the middle of the table, and no second round of decisions. Ask what is available before you settle in.

Sal Tang's at 521 Hicks Street in Brooklyn, 4.2 from 122 reviews, is a neighborhood room that does not need a plan. Chinese-American comfort food, cocktails with an Italian accent, and a walk to the waterfront afterwards — the walk is the point.

Mint Bay Indian Cuisine at 7508 3rd Avenue, 4.5 from 184 reviews, gives the group a table with bread and shared mains. Order mild and hot on the side rather than choosing one for everybody. Nobody leaves hungry.

ABC Cocina on East 19th, 4.3, is built for passing plates across a table of four — order two rounds instead of one, and let the tortillas keep coming — the room is loud enough that nobody has to carry the conversation alone.

SIMÒ PIZZA on Sixth Avenue, 4.7, is the Midtown version of the group's downtown habit. Enter on 52nd Street, order whole pies, and eat before whatever the evening holds — it is close enough to everything that nobody needs a taxi.

Awaze on Frederick Douglass Boulevard, 4.7, ends the week with a table built for sharing: one platter, many hands. Order the combination and ask for extra injera. Four people is exactly the right number here.