Tasting menu/molecular gastronomy and wine under $150

[zammdogg]

I am traveling to NYC in August for the evening and I am looking for a phenomenal restaurant where the bill, with wine and tip included, will cost around $150. Ideally, something with a tasting menu or an element of strangeness or molecular gastronomy. What do you have in mind? Is Eleven Madison around this range? If the place has a varied and reasonably priced wine selection, all the better.

[quizkiddonniesmith]

Torrisi Italian Specialties isnt molecular gastronmy, but definetly worth checking out, and would fit exactly in your budget (50 for food, 25 for the wine pairing).

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Torrisi Italian Specialties
250 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012

[thew]

degustation - love that place

[thegforceny]

Would Corton meet the OP's request? $115 summer tasting menu.

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Corton
239 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013

[nmprisons]

$115 + $10 tax + $25 tip means no money for drinking, which OP appears to want to do. I agree that the food is quite good, though.

[zammdogg]

$150 total for two. My partner, who is paying, is not very invested in going whole hog for one dinner but tries to meet me, the gourmand, halfway! Any of the Momofukus a possibility?

[nmprisons]

You could do noodle bar for $75 a pop, probably ssam bar as well, but you would be a bit limited in what your ordered. It really depends on what you all drink. A bill can go from $150 to $300 might quickly if two people order a few rounds.

[Asumnuthin]

You could prob make stanton social work...
the drinking part will be tough anywhere I think

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Stanton Social
99 Stanton Street, New York, NY 10002

[kathryn]

Sales tax in NYC is 8.875%, tip is usually closer to 20%, so $150 for two people is sadly not that much if you are drinking wine.

$150 for 2, minus tax and tip leaves only $58pp for food AND drink. You won't be able to do a tasting menu on that budget unless you do Degustation's 5-course (which is one of the cheapest in town at $55) and SKIP the wine.

A la carte or prix fixe (3 or 4 courses) would much better fit your budget as a tasting menu is not really in the cards.

We were at Momofuku Ssam Bar last night and with 1-2 drinks each, were just over your budget of $75 including tax, tip, cocktails. You could order much more carefully than we did (and do a bottle of wine instead of cocktails), and stay in your range, though.

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Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

[thegforceny]

HUGE difference. No WAY are you getting a tasting menu AND wine for that.

[thew]

ssam bar would easily fit in your budget

[nmprisons]

not "easily" but could work. i have been there a number of times and never stayed under $75 unless I was with a group and was conscious about what I ordered or it was a work night and I wasn't drinking.

[Bkeats]

I think if you stick with the prix fixe or order carefully and have 1 drink, you can make Ma Peche work. It will be tight. You would have to stay away from oysters which I can't ever seem to do. Or you could just say what the heck and order the plateau for two, have a cocktail and then go get a burger somewhere else.

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Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019

[nmprisons]

You could do EMP for lunch, but not dinner for that price (though "molecular gastronomy" is not their strong suit).

The tasting menu at WD-50 is also out of your price range, but you could eat there, enjoy cutting edge techniques, and have a cocktail or two (theirs are great) for about $150 if you ordered responsibly.

There are places with which other posters have more experience (Vandaag comes immediately to mind) that might be good choices, and perhaps a bit less expensive. I'll leave it to them to fill in the blanks in this category.

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WD-50
50 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002

Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010

Vandaag
103 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

[orthorunner]

You could do an alternative at WD-50 and get an app and a main (or, to try more of the more interesting dishes, just order a few apps a la carte) and then go with the dessert tasting menu. I haven't been since Stupak left, but it appears that the dessert tasting menu has remained at a high level of execution since.
While not molecular gastronomy, Degustation has tasting menus that have interesting dishes that may pique your interest, and one of the best deals in the city at $50 or $75.

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WD-50
50 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002

Degustation
239 E 5th St, New York, NY 10003