Help! Friday night family dinner, UWS

[sdiamond]

Hey yall,

So my group of 8-10 people are looking for a place to eat this Friday night (the 26th). We will be staying at 88th and Amsterdam, but a little bit (or a lot) of travel is not a issue.

Biggest hangup: varied tastes. We have a couple very adventurous omnivores, some adventurous vegetarians, some non-adventurous omnivores, yada yada yada. We need a place that can satisfy everybody. Flavor is a bigger emphasis than creativity, but creativity is nice, too. In addition, one of us is going to Southeast Asia the next day, so New American is preferred, and Indian/Thai/Vietnamese etc. is not.

(Of what I've found, Recipe seems to have a great menu for us...but we would take up half the restaurant)

Budget: entrees $20-$30. A little less atmosphere with a little lower price is totally OK, not much leeway on the higher end, though.

Thanks for all your help!

[JMJD]

I like Kefi for this....it's a big place so you should be able to get a reservation for a big group, and the menu has some plain things for the unadventurous. (I always have liked the pork dish with fennel and capers...and the meatball appetizer is also very good.)

I like Bettola but I think it's too small...Ouest is good but a bit pricer, and Landmarc (uptown) is just so-so. I feel like Dovetail is closest to recipe, food-wise, but more sophisticated. But I think it would be beyond the price range.

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Bettola
412 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

Kefi
505 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10024

Landmarc
179 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013

[sdiamond]

I was thinking Kefi yesterday, but I found some pretty divisive comments about it on another thread (which, of course, I can't find now). Also, the veggie options don't seem too strong. Thanks for the suggestions though-I'll totally check out all those places. Remember, we aren't tied to the UWS-just where we are staying. We'd be willing to go anywhere on Manhattan or reasonably deep into Brooklyn for the perfect place.

Thanks again yall. Keep 'em coming...

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Kefi
505 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10024

[XerxesAB]

Telepan might work for you. I do believe it will fit within your price range. You can also try Landmarc or A Voce in Columbus circle, the entrees will be under $30. Those are on the higher end of the price range.

For the lower end of the price range, you can try Nice Matin, Bettola, Kefi, or Spiga.

Take a peek at the menu at Bar Boulud and see if you think the veggie options are enough for you, as that is the reason I'm not gonna recommend them.

Finally, you can also look at the menu at Ouest, but I was afraid it may be slightly above the price range. Same with Nougatine.

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Telepan
72 W. 69th Street, New York, NY 10023

Ouest
2315 Broadway, New York, NY 10024

Bettola
412 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

Kefi
505 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10024

Nice Matin
201 West 79th Street, New York, NY 10024

Spiga
200 W 84th St, New York, NY 10024

Landmarc
179 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013

Bar Boulud
1900 Broadway, New York, NY 10023

Nougatine
1 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023

A Voce
10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019

[boredough]

Recipe is definitely too small for your group. Besides, at this late date, you'll need a restaurant that might still have room for you. I suggest you look at Rosa Mexicano (Lincoln Center) and see if that menu might work for everyone. You could call it New North American....

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Rosa Mexicano
9 E. 18th St., New York, NY 10003

[sdiamond]

Thanks!

I'm actually the family member that relocated to Los Angeles, so I've certainly had my fill of Mexican. It's on the short list, though.