Conversation-friendly place for food and drinks with a group?

[ffranny]

I'm planning a collision of my various worlds for the weekend before Memorial Day (5/20-5/22) and need recommendations for a place where my online buddies, former co-workers, former co-workers' former boyfriends and other random acquaintances can interact.

The group could be anywhere from five to a dozen. Since many of them don't yet know the others (and I myself haven't met all of them face-to-face), a conversation-friendly atmosphere is more important than specific neighborhood. We all appreciate good food and beer... and reasonable prices.

And since it's springtime, the option to sit outside (with indoors as a backup) would be a plus.

What can you recommend?

Thanks!

[kathryn]

If the weather is nice and you don't mind a little bit of a wait, I like to do gatherings of fluctuating size over time at Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. Given enough people, you can just order a bunch of burgers, and push some tables together.

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Shake Shack
Madison Ave and E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

[ffranny]

Shake Shack was my very first thought, kathryn! But being a belt-and-suspenders kind of gal, I wanted a place with a roof to retreat to in case of rain. With the need to give everyone a specific time and place to meet well in advance of the date (some, including us, will be coming from out of town), any completely open-air venue just seemed too risky for me.

[Upperwestsider]

I am focusing on conversation, beer, outdoors, with reasonable prices; food seems to be secondary. First, uktali's suggestion of the Bohemiann Hall is a good one, but on the weekends there is sometimes a (long) line for late comers. Anyway, here goes: consider the 79th Boat Basin restaurant--very forgettable food, but lots of space, outdoor tables and cover in case of rain (W 79th @ the Hudson river). Next, think about Stone Street (the street, not the restaurant) where you will find outdoor tables, some picnic, some regular, the entire length of the block with about 10 restaurants participating. Again, no food to write home about (though Adrienne's pizza is excellent!), but lots of outdoor space, good conversational atmosphere and those 10 roofs to go under in case of rain. Both subway lines (1,2, 3 & 4, 5) take you within a five minute walk of the street. Street is WiFi'd.

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Boat Basin Cafe
W 79th St and Riverside Dr, New York, NY 10024

[ffranny]

Thanks, Upperwestsider. I think you have the parameters correct. Bohemian Hall would probably be great, but since I'm getting some resistance from my Manhattan friends to even going to Brooklyn, I suspect the wilds of Queens are out of the question.

I did look at several of the places on Stone Street, and as I recall, all their outdoor spaces were on the street and I'm really looking more for a patio. If there were just going to be two of us, or even four, that would be fine, but a larger group would probably get spread out over several tables streetside.

Can't get anything but a photo when I click the Menu link on the Boat Basin site. Menupages menu was much more helpful. That's more what I have in mind for food, given that *real* restaurants don't seem to have the other features I'm looking for. That could be our solution!

So, if a few of us showed up at 7PM or so, is that early enough to stake out some space on a Saturday night? Or would you recommend showing up earlier?

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Boat Basin Cafe
W 79th St and Riverside Dr, New York, NY 10024

[Upperwestsider]

I would think there is no prob with that, but they do host large gatherings from time to time, and that sort of thing can clog things up. Just call ahead a week or so in advance to check on that possibility. BTW you can reserve contiguous tables on Stone St (e.g. at Ulysses) by calling ahead. Wherever you end up, have a great time!

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Ulysses'
93 Pearl St, New York, NY 10004

[ffranny]

OK, I'm about to give up on the idea of finding a place with everything I want. I've scoured all the guides, websites, etc. I've tried every combination of search terms: patio, garden, outdoor, group, yadda yadda...

The places with good food have two tables on the sidewalk or a tiny patio that won't fit our group. The places with big gardens have bad reviews or ridiculous time limits or don't take reservations. The places that have good reviews have annoying websites. (And don't get me started on useless Flash intros that keep me from getting to the critical info, or menus buried three clicks deep.)

So now I just want to know which of the places on the river(s) with big outdoor spaces has the least boring/offensive food? We all love good food and beer, but the point of this exercise is to get together and talk for several hours. As long as there's room to hang in the fresh air, we'll put up with generic burgers and bottles of whatever.

Help!

[small h]

Have you considered Gigino? I haven't eaten there in a while, but I liked it fine. And it's on the water, with a big outdoor space. Unfortunately, the website *is* a little annoying, in that the a la carte menu has exactly one thing on it: olives. I'm pretty sure you can get other things to eat there.

http://www.gigino-wagnerpark.com/

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Gigino at Wagner Park
20 Battery Pl, New York, NY 10004

[ffranny]

Thanks, small h. Looked at Gigino. Couldn't get the menu on the website to load. Looks OK, if a bit formal based on details on Menupages. A possibility, but I'm looking for something more pizza-and-beerish rather than wine-and-pastaish if it's Italian.

[small h]

Oh. I saw no reference to pizza in your OP.

[ffranny]

You are correct, small h, I did not specify any particular type of food originally. But pizza would be one type of food that might be appropriate. My point with regard to Gigino was that *if* I were to choose an Italian restaurant, I would be more likely to choose a more casual one, such as a pizza place, than a more formal one.

[citykid426]

Your post reminded me of my old days hanging out at Max Soha, a restaurant near Columbia U. on Amsterdam Ave and around 122nd street. I used to go there all the time with friends (it's got a grad school/young professional crowd kind of vibe). Not sure if that's too far uptown for you, but it is such a chill place with great food that changes regularly. My favorite is their risotto. Also, they won Max Cafe two doors down, which has couches, snacks, man good coffees, a good wine selection, and great music (low volume). Best of luck!

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Max Soha
1274 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027

Max Caffe
1262 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027

[ukitali]

My favorite outdoor, casual option is the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden in Astoria. The food isn't great but they do have a good selection of cheap beer. In the city some of the outdoor places I've been to are B Bar in the East Village and The Frying Pan on the West Side (again can't vouch for the food) Also there's the Beer Garden at the Standard Hotel (never been because it's always super crowded with a line to get in) Another option is the rooftop bar at the Metro Hotel.

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B Bar & Grill
40 E 4th St, New York, NY 10003

The Frying Pan
12th Ave and W 26th St, New York, NY 10001

Hotel Metro rooftop bar
45 W 35th St, New York, NY 10001

The Standard Biergarten
848 Washington St, New York, NY 10014