• Houston Street is an important artery in lower Manhattan.new-york city image by Pierre-Emmanue Bayart from Fotolia.com
  
  With multiple lanes of traffic in each direction, Houston Street is an important artery in lower Manhattan. It stretches across the island from the West Village to Lower East Side and serves as the dividing line for the hip New York City neighborhoods of SoHo and Greenwich Village. The street was named after William Houstoun, a champion of the American Revolution and a member of the Continental Congress in the 1780s. Today, the street is home to a growing number of sidewalk cafes and notable restaurants.
  
  

Nolita House

• Located just north of Manhattan's Little Italy neighborhood, Nolita House has received praise from the New York Times, Time Out New York and New York Magazine. The restaurant serves American cuisine and offers a lunch menu, dinner menu and an artisan cheese menu that features five different cheeses plus drinks and desserts. As of March 2010 most dinner selections cost less than $20, including the grilled shrimp tacos, blue corn crusted salmon and beer-blessed turkey chili. Nolita House hosts happy hour on weekday afternoons with discounted tacos and alcoholic beverages, and its weekend brunch service is complemented by live bluegrass music. Patrons can follow Nolita House's Twitter account to stay up to date on the restaurant's latest specials.
  
  Nolita House
  47 E. Houston St.
  New York, NY 10012
  212-625-1712
  nolitahouse.com
  
  

Prem-On Thai

• In 2005 Chef Prakit Prem-on opened Prem-On Thai, his 5th restaurant in the city. Prem-On serves authentic and modern Thai dishes in a relaxed, modern atmosphere. Lunch at Prem-On is very affordable, with an appetizer and main dish combination costing less than $10 as of March 2010. The dinner menu includes noodle and rice dishes, salads, curries and fish and seafood entrees. The dessert menu features such tempting selections as banana fritters with ice cream, chocolate soufflé and crème brulee with Thai tea. Take advantage of the restaurant's online reservation service for faster seating.
  
  Prem-On Thai
  138 W. Houston St.
  New York, NY 10012
  212-353-2338
  prem-on.com
  
  

Oliva Restaurant & Bar

• Oliva is a Spanish restaurant that began serving the Lower East Side in 2000. The restaurant creates an energetic vibe with live bands every night of the week playing popular Latin styles like flamenco, bossanova and Cuban salsa. Oliva's dinner menu includes seafood dishes like paella, Basque clams and calamari bravas, as well as vegetarian options like grilled artichoke and plato de queso. The lengthy drink menu offers numerous tequilas, beers, wines and margaritas, including the house specialty, Mama Juana. Most food items are available for takeout and delivery.
  
  Oliva Restaurant & Bar
  161 E. Houston St.
  New York, NY 10002
  212-228-4143
  olivanyc.com