Kid-freindly mid to high end, walking distance of 1/2/3 or A?

[sgordon]

So... normally I'm one of the ones giving out suggestions, but as it's rather rare I find myself dining alongside toddlers I thought I should turn to the group. There'll be a big group of us - seven or so adults, and two kids. Question is, does anyone know any higher-end (but not like, Per Se high - maybe $80-$90 prix fixe range) or interesting mid-range (say, entrees $25-$35) places that are cool with toddlers? I assume we'll get an early table, on account of the kids need to be in bed by a certain time - a 5:00 or 5:30 seating if we can get one - but even so, some places frown on youngsters even on early weeknight (it'll be a Thursday, the 15th) hours. Of course, it'll be limited to where tables are even available to begin with. Cuisine style - completely open. My dining companions are pretty adventurous.

Further uptown is better since some of our group are heading North after dinner, but further downtown could be an option as long as it's within walking distance (walking with a child, mind you) of a 1/2/3 or A train.

So... any 'hounders with kids out there? What are the good options? Any particular places that AREN'T on Opentable that I might not be thinking of because... well, because they're not on Opentable?

[eeee]

I think Landmarc is the usual kid-friendly recommendation, and they are right off the 1/A at Columbus Circle.

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Landmarc
10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019

[RGR]

You havent mentioned how old thess "toddlers" are. But in any case....

How about Lincoln? At this time of year especially with "The Nutcracker" in the State Theatre, there are bound to be kids there. Of course, the big problem might be getting a reservation. I'd call the restaurant directly rather than trying OpenTable because, as you know, restaurants don't give all their reservations to O.T.

Nougatine is another possibility. It is, after all, in a hotel where families do stay, and I've seen kids eating in Nougatine. Actually, I've seen kids having lunch in Jean Georges.

We haven't been to Landmark. But as eeee says, its child-friendly reputation is well-known. Maybe Porter House? We haven't been there either, but I think it's also child-friendly.

http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com

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

Porter House New York
10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019

Nougatine
1 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023

Lincoln
142 W 65th St, New York, NY 10023

[nmprisons]

You could certainly do the downstairs room at Dovetail (on open table, but maybe you forgot about the downstairs room?). The eight or so of you could (probably) fit at one of the the two tables down there and probably have the run of the place without worry that the toddlers might disturb others. You are walking distance to the 1 train and already uptown.

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Dovetail
103 West 77th Street, New York, NY 10024

[tazerowe]

The Bar Room at the Modern is loud and has high chairs. Good food. I've taken a 4-year old there and seen other kids.

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

[kathryn]

I have actually seen a toddler or two at Wong (they were finishing up as we were sitting down), and they have long communal tables, so the seating shouldn't be a problem. Give them a call and see what they say as they do take reservations.

http://www.wongnewyork.com/index.php

Also they recently added a Duckavore 6 course tasting menu (unfortunately the menu is not online) but I saw it briefly in the window. Minimum 4 people. Reasonable price (I think $50pp?) and it included duck baos and roasted duck IIRC.

Regardless, their Duck a la Plum is amazing!

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Wong
7 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014

[RGR]

The Duckavore menu is on Wong's website under News/Events: http://www.wongnewyork.com/news.php

Always in search of all things duck-y. This sounds great.

Thanks for the tip, kathryn!

http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.

[sgordon]

Thanks for bringing up Wong - I had meant to check them out when they opened and somehow they fell off my radar. The Duckavore menu is just the impetus I need to get over there... See how it compares to Momo's offerings.

[kathryn]

Here's what their site says in the News section:

Featuring Long Island duck, this very special meal is a celebration of local fare at its finest.The 6-course menu includes: Duck Sung Choy Bao, Duck Buns, Duck Breast with Figs, Roasted Whole Duck Wrapped in Lotus Leaves, served with Greens and Duck Noodles, Duck Broth and Duck a la Plum for dessert. Please mention that you would like to enjoy the Duckavore Dinner when you make your reservation.

[RGR]

I linked to that in my post above. It appears that 48-hours advance notice is necessary. It does not, however, mention anything about a minimum of 4 people.

http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com

[kathryn]

Ah, for some reason, your post was collapsed and I didn't see it.

In any case, the 4 people minimum is on the menu posted on their door; I'll try to swing by later on today and confirm! I really wish they revised their online menu more frequently, given the emphasis on seasonal ingredients.

[RGR]

I've had the collapsed-post-when-it-shouldn't-have thingy happen to me, too. I'll read an open post which doesn't make any sense and then realize that it refers to a collapsed post that I'd never read because it was never open for me. Just another in the many ways CH's software leaves much to be desired.

http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com

[kathryn]

Here are two photos of Wong's menu from this morning.

The Duckavore dinner differs slightly from what is on their web site:

Duckavore Dinner (for 4)
Duck Sung Choy Bao
Duck Buns with Chinese Celery & Cucumber
Duck Breast with Grapes and Lemon Verbena
Roasted Whole Duck Wrapped in Lotus Leaves
8 Treasure Sticky Rice
Seasonal Greens
Duck Broth
Duck a la Plum

$60 per person
Available Wednesday through Sunday
48 hours notice required
Substitutions gently declined

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Wong
7 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014

[kathryn]

Here's a much larger version:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7031/64...

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Wong
7 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014

[Cheeryvisage]

Thanks, kathryn, for the info. Looks like we'll be doing this next week. I'll come back with photos.

[kathryn]

Excellent, I can't wait for your report! Have a great meal.

[uwsister]

I look forward to your photos - the menu sounds amazing!

[sgordon]

Thanks, everyone! As it turns out, our group is going to be smaller - only four adults and one kid, which makes things more manageable and gives us a little more time to breathe - also increases the number of open tables dramatically.

I had thought about Landmarc since that's their "thing" - and am kind of keeping them as a backup - though the adults are from out of town, and while Landmarc is certainly solid they might want something a little more interesting / out of the ordinary. Lincoln sounded like a good call, but sadly no tables until 7:30, which might be a little late for the young'n. We woudn't finish dinner until at least 9:30 and they'd still have a long subway ride ahead of them. That said, turns out that for a four-top a few favorites have early openings - Del Posto, Forgione, and Morimoto are all within a short walk of the 1, though it'd be better if we were further uptown since they're going to the Bronx. Aquavit, a current fave, is on the radar too - longer walk to the train, but much shorter ride in the end. Whether any of them have high chairs remains to be seen... gotta make some calls...

[rose water]

if they're heading to the bronx, then what about zoma? is it too downscale for you? red rooster?

[sgordon]

Zoma's interesting but it's not really a place I'd make a special trip for. They don't get to NYC often - once every couple years, maybe - and they don't really have fancy or creative dining where they come from (nor do they have Abyssinian cuisine, I suppose - but that's another matter...) so they'd rather experience something a little more relaxed.

Red Rooster I wasn't the biggest fan of. It was okay, but nothing that really said "come back" to me. It's the kind of place where if I lived uptown I'd surely go now and then, but I can't see going out of my way for it. So (oddly enough) it looks like we're leaning towards Samuellson's former digs.

I narrowed it down for them to the ones I mentioned above - Forgione, Morimoto, Del Posto (all within short walk of a 1 train) and Aquavit (slightly longer walk but a much shorter ride once they're on it) - since all had early child-friendly (i.e. 5:30) open tables. One of our diners turns out isn't the biggest seafood fan, so Morimoto was ruled out right off the bat. Del Posto may be a little TOO fancy, and Forgione, while great, can get pretty hectic during the after-work hours, maybe a little too much for the young'un. Looks like Aquavit is coming out on top. The GF & I were just there a couple of months ago when my mother was in town (and now we're taking my brother, go figure - but they say that Jews have an affinity for Scandinavian food, so maybe it's appropriate that on family visits we keep going back) - still, it seems the menu's changed enough that we won't mind a return visit. Plus they're nice and serene (if a little corporate, though I haven't been to the remodeled dining room yet) and bonus, they have high chairs. Plus they could make my nephew a kid's plate of Swedish Meatballs or Flajenbljagen or Hjorstenkallenstjallen or something...

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Zoma
2084 Frederick Douglass Blvd, New York, NY 10026

Aquavit
65 E 55th St, New York, NY 10022

Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Morimoto
88 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Marc Forgione
134 Reade Street, New York, NY 10013

Red Rooster
310 Lenox Ave, New York, NY 10027