One night in Times Square, mother/14 yo daughter, her first time there, yes, we're foodies! Recommendations?

[HollisB]

First time NYC trip for my daughter in mid-October. Staying in Times Square and would love a few restaurant recommendations for dinner/lunch. We are foodies and want nothing to do with fast food/bar food.

[Bkeats]

One suggestion for something different is Danji.

http://danjinyc.com/about.html

[halo]

Second Danji wholeheartedly! Casellula is a wine bar and might not be suitable for a 14yr old... Totto Ramen and Pure Thai Noodleshop are great neighborhood places as well.

[kathryn]

Cheeryvisage has a great Times Square list
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8332...

[HollisB]

Thank you!

[kyph0515]

Depending on how much time/appetite you have, you might consider doing a little foodie tour instead of dropping all your eggs into one restaurant.

Although Times Square itself doesn't have much to offer, it's not too far from decent options in Hell's Kitchen/Columbus Circle. A few things spring to mind:

Yakitori Totto for their lunch specials http://tottonyc.com/?page_id=54

Totto Ramen http://tottoramen.com/?page_id=50

Bouchon Bakery, either for lunch or for pastries http://bouchonbakery.com/bakery-selections/

Don Antonio for Neapolitan Pizza http://donantoniopizza.com/menu/

Shake Shack (it IS fast food, though) http://www.shakeshack.com/location/theater-district/

Casellula for small plates, if a bit date-y http://www.casellula.com/menus/

Gyu Kaku during Happy Hour, forgot when exactly http://www.gyu-kaku.com/ny/timessquar...

A plethora of Thai shops - I think Pure Thai and Wondee Siam are the standouts around here

The higher end restaurants (Le B, Marea, The Modern etc.) in the area will stretch your budget. I think even La Silhouette, which is a bit low key, you'd be hard pressed to order more than 1 app + 2 entrees + 1 dessert for under $100.

Edit: I had to keep editing this post because apparently the end parenthesis screws up the line-breaks...or something like that.

[HollisB]

Thanks for the tips! Casellula looks right up my alley!

[kyph0515]

Note about Casellula: small place, no reservations, and seems to get more crowded later into the night. Might be easier if you went in the early evening.

[Pan]

I tried Pure Thai once and wasn't very impressed. Their "spicy" food, though I told the waitress I used to live in Southeast Asia, was moderately spiced at best. I will go back some time, but I clearly will have to insist on an extreme amount of chili and say that I won't send it back, and I'm not sure that'll be enough.

[TrishUntrapped]

I had an excellent meal recently at Beacon. Just a short walk from Times Square. Very cool space.

http://www.beaconnyc.com/

In addition to a la carte, they have prix fixe lunch and dinner menues, a lovely bargain.

[HollisB]

Thanks! That looks tasty. A little like Woodfire Grill here in Baltimore.

[sockster]

Don't laugh.....try Carmines on 44th. They are family style...and make a dish called chicken scarpiello...one of the great dishes in the city....huge portions, reasonable prices.

[klc137]

Don't go to Carmines. It is NOT good. Every dish is seasoned the same so they all taste alike. There are hundreds of better Italian restaurants in NYC.

[thegforceny]

Do NOT waste the time, money and calories on this tourist slop house.

[MrGrumpy]

It would be helpful to state your food budget per person since your options can range from pizza to Per Se.

But in or near Times Square I'd recommend the Modern, Le Bernardin, Marea, Toloache, Yakitori Totto, Marseille, Esca, Benoit, La Silhouette, DB Bistro Moderne, Don Antonio, Pongsri, Wondee Siam, and Szechuan Gourmet.

[HollisB]

Like to keep it around $100 +/-.

[melpy]

There isn't really much to eat in Times Square that doesn't cater to the tourist with mediocre expectations.

Besides the bar food can you give us a direction of price/likes and dislikes?

[HollisB]

We'd be willing to take a not too expensive cab ride in any direction. Not looking for any place stuffy. Love tapas, seafood, ceviche, a juicy steak. Price, I'm willing to splurge within reason (keep the tab around $100 +/-. Given that my daughter is too young to drink, that shouldn't be too hard!

[tex.s.toast]

For the price of sitting down in a cab (more or less) the two of you could take the subway down to the village and see and eat somewhat more authentically.

[melpy]

Plus the subway is kinda fun :)