Affordable fine dining in Manhattan.

[RGHelmcamp]

My friend and I are going to New York in October, and we are looking for a really great place to eat a nice dinner around $60 a person. I'd prefer a three course meal for around that price, and we're definitely open for prix fixed menus. I just want a memorable place with AMAZING food. Any suggestions?

[nmprisons]

Why not do lunch? Assuming your $60 includes tax, tip, and drink, it is going to be really hard to have "AMAZING food" at a "fine dining" restaurant "in Manhattan" for that price. At lunch, you could do Jean Georges and have a great experience.

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Jean Georges
1 Central Park W, New York, NY 10023

[kathryn]

Are you willing to do a prix fixe lunch?
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/753248

I don't think you'll get NYT four star, excellent, blow you out of the water good, fine dining at that price but you can get some excellent meals ordering a la carte. Usually when people write 'fine dining' they mean places like Jean Georges, Daniel, The Modern, Le Bernardin, Per Se, etc.

Some similar threads with good ideas:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/782361
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/781349
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/809199

Some prix fixe options:
- Public's Sunday supper is only $50pp.
- Marc Forgione has a similar Sunday supper deal, I think $39 for three courses.
- Torrisi has a nightly $50pp prix fixe but it's not really fine dining

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Public
210 Elizabeth Street, New York, NY 10012

Marc Forgione
134 Reade Street, New York, NY 10013

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

[sgordon]

It's doable. It may not be "white-tablecloth" fine dining but you can certainly have a decent meal.

But it depends - does $60 include tax & tip? $60 pre-t/t is around $45 menu price. And what about drinks? A glass of wine can knock ten bucks off that, easily

[RGHelmcamp]

Alcohol is not an issue, because were both 19.

[sgordon]

What about tax & tip? Are you including that in the $60? There's a big difference in options between a $45 menu price and a $60 one.

[RGHelmcamp]

I'm good with a $60 menu!

[Riverman500]

La Grenouille has a three-course pre-theater menu for $60.

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La Grenouille
3 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022

[biondanonima]

We just had a really wonderful dinner at Tocqueville - you might check out that menu. They offer a $55 "greenmarket" three-course prix-fixe, or you could possibly stay under $60 (before tip and tax) if you ordered carefully from the regular menu and split a dessert. They also do a $44 pre-theatre 3-course menu.

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Tocqueville
1 East 15th Street, New York, NY 10003

[Wilfrid]

Aldea is one of the few really notable restaurants in the city where you can stay in that budget. Just.

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Aldea
31 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011

[Cheeryvisage]

I like The Modern Bar Room for French/Alsatian cuisine. It's one of my favorite restaurants.

Aldea is also very good. Lovely Portuguese restaurant downtown.

Ciano is another good option, well-liked for its Italian food.

And, maybe Ma Peche, as well. Though, the restaurant is too "hip" to be called fine dining.

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The Modern
9 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019

Ciano
45 E 22nd St, New York, NY 10010

Aldea
31 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011

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

[uwsister]

I think they would be leaving the Modern Bar Room pretty hungry to come in under $60 - but it could be that I'm a glutton ;)

If the OP is open for lunch, Del Posto is another option.

IMO you should definitely consider lunch - to come in under $60 at dinner at a fine-dining restaurant, you would not be able to get the restaurant's best/signature dishes in most cases. Sure, you could order plain green salad, chicken, and whatever (I'm making it up) and pay less than $60, but what's the point? Do fine-dining at lunch - many places serve same, if smaller-in-portion, dishes as dinner (e.g. Jean Georges) and charge a lot less. Go to some of the city's many, many casual, affordable, and delicious restaurants for dinner.

[Cheeryvisage]

lol. At The Modern Bar Room, I generally spend around $50 if I only drink water and I get stuffed. Then again, I do eat two pieces of bread because I like their mini-baguettes and butter. :)

[uwsister]

$50 including tip and tax? Wow - I wish I had that kind of restraint, ha. Thank goodness for high metabolism!

[rrems]

Great suggestions here. I would add La Silhouette.

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La Silhouette
362 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019