Irish & clueless! Need help to choose a restaurant for post wedding - party of 5!!

[katerob2012]

Hi
My boyfriend and I are travelling from Ireland and getting married in Central Park (Wagners Cove). We need help choosing a restaurant for dinner after the ceremony. It`s for a group of 5 people. Our budget for food & drink is $600 max.

Can you recommend any good restaurants around the Central Park area but we are open to other areas too. Somewhere that is semi fancy because we`ll obviously be dressed up in our wedding atire! It`s a special day so we`d like to go to a really nice restaurant with good food. We are not looking for a private room, just somewhere with a good vibe.

Any advice would be really helpful as we`ve both never been to NY before. Thanks!

[RGR]

In addition to telling us your cuisine preferences, avoids if any, and how soon the wedding will be taking place, on what day of the week will it be?

As far as the budget goes, since drinking habits can vary considerably, it is more helpful if you give us your per person budget for food only. Also, you need to be aware that a 9% tax will be added to the bill by the restaurant, and you will have to add a 20% tip.

Best wishes on your upcoming nuptials.

http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com

[katerob2012]

Hi RGR
Thanks for getting back to me. Our wedding is on a Tuesday on the 18th Sept this year. Our budget per person for food only would be about $80 each. But we could extend that if a restaurant is really good. Thanks for the heads up regarding the tip and tax being added to the bill. My boyfriend is Brazilian so we would be open to visiting a good Brazilian restaurant if it was suitable. We would like a menu with a variety and not just Italian, French or Asian.
Really appreciate your help because it's hard to find a restaurant online without visting New York. So it's great to get help and knowledge from a real New Yorker!

[Pookipichu]

First off, congratulations and welcome to New York! Secondly, what do you like to eat? Are there any dietary restrictions any cuisines that you don't care for? When will you be coming?

[katerob2012]

Hi

Thanks for your reply. We would like a menu that has varied dishes on it - pasta, steaks etc... An American menu which has a variety and not just Italian, Asian or French etc. We are getting married on the 18th September which is a Tuesday and we would like to have our meal at around 7pm or so. Thanks so much for your help!
We don't have any dietary restrictions so

[Pookipichu]

I think the perfect restaurant would be Union Square Cafe, granted it is not near Central Park, but Union Square is a destination in itself and one of the areas of NYC that you shouldn't miss.

Union Square Cafe is elegant but casual, upscale without being stuffy. It would be a place where you would feel warm and welcome and a place to celebrate without feeling overly formal. The menu is American with and Italian influence and Asian touches. The portions are generous and the total bill will be within budget (barring expensive wines or alcohol). There is something for everyone. Their desserts are classic Americana and I favor a good slice of pie over a liquid nitrogen frozen bar of milk mush and foam any day of the week.

For Brazilian food, I would recommend Churrascaria Plataforma. While it is not a fancy restaurant, the ambiance is festive and the food is excellent and plentiful (AYCE).

[katerob2012]

Thank you so much for your recommendation!! Union Square Cafe sounds really good and I've looked up some reviews and majority of the reviews were excellent. So it will be on top of our list. We'll also check out Churrascaria Plataforma too. Thanks again, really appreciate your help!