I have three recommendations for great, authentic, inexpensive, but incredible restaurants in lower manhattan.

1) Benito's II in Little Italy, on Mulberry between Spring and Grand. Not to be confused with Benito's I across the street.
order:
1) Stuffed Artichoke
2) Baked Clams
3) Spedini (it's delicious)
4) Stuffed Mushrooms
5) Chicken Scapraelli with sausage over angel hair pasta with garlic sauce
6) Linguini White Clam Sauce

Second restaurant -
2) Joe's Shanghai. On Pell St. in Chinatown just off of Bowery.
They make these things called soup dumplings where they make pot stickers with hot soup enclosed in em. When you eat em, they explode with flavor.. I prefer the pork over the mixed (mixed is pork and crab.)

Lastly, for only a $15-$20 cab ride over to Brooklyn (from Soho, the cab ride should be cheap, your just going over the bridge), you MUST, MUST, MUST, MUST, MUST go to the best steak house EVER.. PETER LUGER'S STEAK HOUSE... It is simply amazing and worth the cab ride and wait..


Btw, all three of these restaurants are casual and affordable.

Good luck and let me know what you liked.
B

__________________
----------------------------------------------------------

"When two people agree on everything, one of them is not necessary" - Arliss