What restaurants, bars would you recommend? We are staying in Murray Hill, but will be all over Manhattan for some theater shows. We are going to see Jersey Boys at 8pm on Friday?
We are going to one special meal on Saturday at River Cafe.
By bmorematt
on Feb 1, 2010 02:24 PM
Video
How to Quickly Cook Pasta in a Frying Pan
Video
How to Make a Crazy Striped Omelet
Story
Does Capital Grille Discriminate?
Story
Servers: Eat in Secrecy, Please
Story
The Dark Side of Backyard Chickens
Story
McDonald's Gets Burned on Twitter
View »
You will not get much useful advice unless you are much more specific. There is a wealth of information already on this board, so some research would help you to ask more specific questions. Knowing your budget and cuisine preferences would also help. Do you want to eat before or after theater? Pre-theater reservations on such short notice may be tough. Opentable may help in narrowing down theater district restaurant availability. Also, be aware that many restaurants will be serving special V-day menus this weekend, usually at higher prices, and you will need to inquire with each one to find out what they are doing.
Permalink | Reply
My wife and I are into steaks, italian, and seafood. Budget is normal, not expensive. I would like to eat before the theater show. I have already lined up reservations with Thalia Restaurant, Blue Water Grill, Gotham Bar, Carmine's, Keen's, Strip House, Bar Americain and Trattoria Trecolori. Which one out of those restaurants would you recommend for lunch or dinner?
Permalink | Reply
I would drop Blue Water. If you want good seafood, Aquagrill would be a better bet. Lure Fishbar gets a lot of good mention on this board, but I have not been there so can't vouch for it. Why Carmines? How about Orso instead? Or for a more leisurely Italian dinner, if you are not limited by theater times, Convivio is wonderful. Marseille is another favorite of mine in the theater district. I've only had drinks at Thalia, but my impression is that it's nothing special. Keen's is great, not to be missed. Strip House I have not been to, but it gets high marks too. Gotham is fine but for the price I'd prefer SHO. Aldea, Perilla or Scarpetta would be great, but I think you may be too late to reserve. Scarpetta does take walk-ins, though.
Permalink | Reply
I second everything rrems says here. Definitely drop Carmine's - it's mostly a tourist joint that serves decent family-style old-school-American Italian in huge portions at huge prices; I'd do Vice-Versa or Insieme instead myself, which are only a couple of blocks from Jersey Boys, but Orso is another good choice, and there are a million and a half other great Italian places in NYC. Ditto Bar Americain, which is great as a business lunch place (i.e. when someone else is paying) but is worth nothing like the prices they charge and has zero intimacy; if you're already going to Keen's there's nothing that Bar Americain does better, and with all of NYC at your fingertips it just doesn't make sense blowing another meal there. And as rrems says, Aquagrill is miles better than Blue Water.
I'm not personally a fan of Gotham, but my out-of-town in-laws love it, so maybe it's just not a New York thing.
Frankly, if you're looking for good food and are starting from a pretty neutral place, I would look up RGR's Lower East Side walking tour for a great flavor of NYC, especially if it warms up at all in the next two weeks (*curse you, groundhog!*).
Permalink | Reply
Aquagrill is best for their raw bar -- I've found the cooked dishes to be hit or miss. Lure is weaker in the raw bar arena but makes up for it in atmosphere. I also really like the burger there.
Permalink | Reply
Thanks again for the help and recommendations. I am having trouble narrowing down the restaurants. Which two would you pick for the birthday dinner Keen's Steakhouse, Scarpetta, Aldea, Dovetail? Any recommendations on what to get at River Cafe for appetizers, main entree, and desert?
Permalink | Reply
Never been to River Cafe, sorry.
In terms of birthday dinner, what are you looking for? Scarpetta has younger, buzzier atmosphere and is a neighborhood that has a lot of food traffic and people. But it can get pretty loud. Aldea is a little more calm, and the space can feel a little narrow/long but if you can get the chef's counter, that's a plus. Or maybe you want to sit upstairs and have more privacy. Keen's is a little less hip but soaked in history and dependent on where you are, it can be amusing, since each room at Keens has a different theme.
They're all really different restaurants.
Permalink | Reply
I am staying in murray hill, so Keen's will be the closet. River Cafe is in brooklyn. Here is the link http://www.rivercafe.com/ It is a good restaurant. I think we will pick Aldea if I can get the Chef's counter and sit up stairs for more privacy
Permalink | Reply
The chef's counter at Aldea is not upstairs. It's at the rear of the street level dining room. Here's a set of photos I took the first time we had dinner there. There's a shot of the interior where you can see the kitchen at the rear. Though you can't see the counter, it's directly in front of the kitchen.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157622007408728/
If you go to Aldea, be sure to have the signature arroz de pato.
Keens is our favorite NYC steakhouse. In addition to delicious food and excellent service, there is the unmatchable Old NY ambiance.
Photos from our most recent dinner at Keens, including photos of the interiors, can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157623279345424/
We have also been to Scarpetta and Dovetail. Both have superb cuisine and professional service. Scarpetta is a far more spacious restaurant than Dovetail with more comfortable seating, At Dovetail, they've jammed way too many tables into the space.
Scarpetta photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157622038539682/
Dovetail photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391...
We have not been to the River Cafe, but it's famous for its spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline. As far as the food goes, the consensus is that it's good but not great.
Permalink | Reply
River Cafe is a great place for a special dinner. I don't remember what I've had there, but the food was very good; the view and locale are what you will remember...Aldea, first-rate food, great cocktails!...I love Dovetail and have not felt crowded in there at all. I find it calm and intimate...I also very much like Gotham -- totally differerent food and cavernous setting...Vice Versa is a great choice for pre-theater with an incredibly reasonable pre-fixe...skip Carmine's as others have chimed in already.
Permalink | Reply