Chef Sal Lamboglia can think of no place he would rather be than in the kitchen. For the Chef-Owner at Bar Primi at East 2nd Street and the Bowery in the East Village, cooking is second nature.

The Bensonhurst, Brooklyn native’s Dad, Antonio, cooked and owned a restaurant in Little Italy for years. You can still see him in the kitchen at Bar Primi making his Tiramisu for customers who want something sweet for dessert.

"I really love food and of course Sunday dinners and being around family and stuff like that so, yeah this is definitely what I wanted to do,” said Lamboglia.

Bar Primi, which is part of noted chef Andrew Carmellini’s NoHo Hospitality group, is one of a record more than 570 eateries taking part in New York City Restaurant Week. This year due to COVID-19, there’s a new take on it.

It’s called Restaurant Week To Go. Restaurants in the five boroughs can order in lunch or dinner, entrees with a side, for $20.21.

"There have been a lot of restaurants around the city that are closed and many restaurants that have lost workers, so any and all business can really help boost the bottom line,” said Chris Heywood, Executive Vice President, Global Communications, for NYC & Company. The City’s Tourism and Marketing organization which puts together the event each year.

Bar Primi was closed for months during the spring and summer because of COVID-19 restrictions. They have an outdoor dining area and they've always had takeout and delivery, but they depend on those services now more than ever.

"Without it, it's even just tough to keep the doors open,” said Lamboglia, who hopes customers old and new will enjoy the chicken parmesan sandwich with potatoes they are offering up for the event. He says he appreciates New Yorkers standing behind the city's restaurants during these tough times.

"To see all the New Yorkers supporting and still coming out, I mean, it's been amazing,” said Lamboglia.

For information on NYC Restaurant Week, visit NYCGO.com/restaurantweek.