Does it matter where you are staying?

One of my favorite informal restaurants in the city is just off 5th Ave in midtown. It's Emporium Brasil (nice Argentine and Portuguese wines, also has a full bar). For lunch, they offer a couple of nice plates of the day at very favorable prices.

You can look at the pictures of Emporium Brasil to see if it says "mafia" to you:

http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/Emporium-Brasil/

There are a ton of informal and inexpensive restaurants in the city. But the places you mention - although they may seem informal - may well not be in your price range - esp with a couple of $20 drinks each. (Remember how long ago Moonstruck was and what has happened to prices since then.)

In our area we can usually do a neighborhood dinner with a shared appetizer, basic main course each (not lobster or steal), glass of wine and coffee is about $80 or so.

If yuo are willing to go for other ethnicities - indian, thai, etc - yuo can probably get lower prices.

You might want to try Kefi for Greek on the upper west side - but again, may no make your budget.

Thanks for the replies so far. We're game for any type of food and the $100.00 limit isn't set in stone.

The East Village is filled with literally hundreds of informal retaurants of just about every stripe, where you do not have pay any where near 100 bucks. Best food value neighborhood in Manhattan.

And Aduchamp1 has given a large report of his findings a while back...do a search and you will find a plethora of inexpensive restos!

Jim, I assume you'll be putting your photographic talents to work while here. And, I further assume that you'll post the photos somewhere!

I agree with Aduchamp1 that the best food value neighborhood is the East Village. But it might be easier to give you realistic recommendations you would actually use if you said where your hotel is, or what subway stops you will be near, or whether you are willing to add a taxi fare & tip onto your meal price.

In other words, in what neighborhoods are you like to be looking for a meal?

In the general tourist areas, convenient to Christmas-y NYC, I'll suggest:

For your pasta fix, Mercato, on W. 39th (no full bar)

http://www.mercatonyc.com/trattoria

For a Szechuan, Lan Sheng is unrenovated bliss and great cheap food (could have a full bar)

http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/lan-sheng/

I also like the Szechuan Wu Liang Ye, which is right in Rockefeller Center, and I seem to recall has a full bar

http://wuliangyenyc.com/default.aspx

If you like Belgian beer and food, BXL cafes can be a bargain, with 2 locations:

http://bxlcafe.pregraphic.com/

Thanks folks.

I've looked up Aduchamp1's previous post but noticed that it is a few years old. You know how fast restaurants can change.

Yes, HowardR, no doubt I'll be looking for photo ops that will be posted on my site: http://www.thelostcompass.net

We are staying on the Jersey side at the Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson, because my wife gets a great deal there. I'm told there is the 7 minute Path train to the World Trade Center stop...so that will be our stop.

Then again, we'll be out and about all day so any restaurant we might go to definitely doesn't need to be near our hotel or our subway stop.

Thanks, biztravfod...I'll check those places out.

Thanks Aduchamp1 for suggesting the East Village. Can you recommend an Italian, and maybe a Chinese place in that area.

Thanks again.

Hey biztravfod...Mercato looks just like what I'm looking for!

Thanks.

Ok. Then you might also like Biricchino for rigatoni with sausage:

http://www.biricchino.com/mainmenu.html

And this might start to get out of your budget, but for old school Italian in Manhattan, my all time favorite is Isle of Capri in the east 60s (but they do have tablecloths):

http://www.isleofcapriny.com/about-isle-of-capri.html

Jim..I wouldn't dismiss Aduchamp1's restaurant list so quickly; it's a gem.
Can you still change your hotel reservation and book one in the city? It would be a much better experience.