Daughter's 20th birthday - looking for a restaurant that would be fun & have great food

[mustangman]

Will be taking my daughter and her friend out for dinner in Manhattan for her 20th birthday. They want to go to a place that's "fun", and also is a bit special and has great food (American, New American, Eclectic, not too into seafood / tired of Italian). Casual or upscale casual is OK, but not "stuffy"....did I mention they want it to be fun :-) ?

Kind of at a loss on this one...any suggestions definitely appreciated! Thanks.

[uwsister]

I'd consider Beauty & Essex too. Food is surprisingly good, and it's still pretty hip.

[goldrush]

buvette or breslin

[mustangman]

Thanks for the tips, and sorry I was a bit short of info in my post. She goes to college in the Bronx, and has gone to most of the Arthur Avenue and vicinity restaurants which explains why they wanted a change of pace from Italian.

I know they've gone to The Cafeteria and had a good time (food was OK). Closer to school, they like Pasquale's Rigoletto for atmosphere and food (although she likes the food at Zero Otto Nove better).

I'm pretty flexible with budget, probably up to about $350-$400 for the 3 of us (no liquor / wine should make this do-able).

Any suggestions / updates are welcome!

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Cafeteria
119 7th Ave, New York, NY 10011

[Barcelonian]

Beauty and Essex, ABC Kitchen, La Esquina, Minetta Tavern, Locanda Verde, Peels, Casa Mono (not sure how fun that one is but it's lively enough).

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Casa Mono
52 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003

Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

La Esquina
106 Kenmare St, New York, NY 10012

Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

ABC Kitchen
35 E 18th St, New York, NY 10003

Peels
325 Bowery, New York, NY 10003

Beauty & Essex
146 Essex St, New York, NY 10002

[princeofpork]

Whats Peels like?

[niia]

This could be fun: http://thehurricaneclub.com

[kathryn]

The atmosphere at Hurricane Club is fun but the drinks are not good and overpriced (especially in comparison to PKNY or Lani Kai). I haven't tried the food. Just so you know what you're getting into...

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PKNY
49 Essex St, New York, NY 10002

Hurricane Club
360 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010

Lani Kai
525 Broome St, New York, NY 10012

[princeofpork]

Very fun atmosphere for a bunch of girls. The place is packed lively and filled with "beautiful" people. THis is a great choice for a girls 20th celebration. You might want to try Lavo as well.

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Lavo
39 E 58th St, New York, NY 10022

[Barcelonian]

Food is decent (I've been for brunch and dinner) but nothing fabulous. It feel farmhouse-y but the crowd is young and pretty trendy. There are long lines for brunch and dinner on the weekends. I've also been for cocktails later in the evening. I'd say it would be appropriate for a fun dinner for a 20th birthday with dad and daughter.

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Peels
325 Bowery, New York, NY 10003

[princeofpork]

Stanon Social, Buddakhan, Tao.....How into food is she vs the scene?

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Buddakan
75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011

Stanton Social
99 Stanton Street, New York, NY 10002

Tao
42 East 58th Street, New York, NY 10022

[carfreeinla]

I just took my daughter for her 17th Birthday to Public. Perfect!

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Public
210 Elizabeth Street, New York, NY 10012

[Winterpool]

Does your daughter live in New York, or will she be visiting? Are you familiar with other restaurants she's enjoyed? What sort of budget would be appropriate ('casual' can still translate to 'awfully dear' in New York)?

Based on almost no data, let me throw Red Rooster into the ring. And a bit more centrally located: the Bar Room at The Modern.

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

Red Rooster
310 Lenox Ave, New York, NY 10027