New York Romantic weekend (5/4)- HELP!

Tavern on the Green. Circle Line boat tour around Manhattan. Top of the Empire State Building. Tiffany's Jewelers. MOMA or Metrolpolitan Museum are both world class. If the weather is good, stroll Central Park. Have cocktails at the Plaza, Waldorf Astoria or Rainbow Room........

Well, I have to say right off the bat, I do not agree that TOG is romantic, not in the least. And I'm one of its supporters on this board! But it's always jammed, the service is indifferent, and the food is, too. Can be fun, but not romantic.

I do love museums, so for me, MOMA and the Met are romantic, especially some of the galleries of paintings.

And another nitpick: Tiffany's isn't romantic unless you're going to buy her something. The Little Match Girl thing--look at all the pretty things you can't have--is a downer if you're with your man. Having said that, if you can buy something, you could call ahead and set up a viewing of a few pieces for her to choose from--wow! (You can also browse through some things online.)

I'm not an NYC expert, so that does it for me, although I did think Top of the Rock would be romantic after dark...

If you're going to take a Circle Line cruise, highly recommend the Harbor Lights cruise. Leaves in the daylight, goes very close to Statue of Liberty, under beautiful bridges, amazing views of skyline around lower half of island, turns around at Chrysler Building, returns at sunset (if there is one), goes by the Statue of Liberty again in the dark, and the rest of the way back the lights are turned on all over - just magical!

Rainbow Grill is romantic for the views (especially of the Empire State Building - as in "Sleepless in Seattle". Menu (and drinks) are expensive, but the prix fixe (only available at certain times) is excellent. Best to reserve on OpenTable and request a window table. If you go, be sure to walk to the end of the hall for the views of Central Park.

Bouley is the most romantic restaurant we've visited so far (well, except for our beloved Chez Josephine). The prix fixe lunch is a real bargain.

The Met is awesome - especially the Impressionist galleries, but the entire building and collection are amazing.

I think we need to get an idea of your budget. There are romantic ideas at every price level but it's pointless for us to be talking about expensive places if that's not in the cards.

Tavern on the Green is maybe nice for a cocktail on the terrace if it's warm enough, but that's about it. The Plaza is CLOSED. What is terribly romantic (imo) is the gondola ride at the Central Park Boathouse. Not sure if it will be started that early in May though. Info here. You'd need a reservation.
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/loeb-boathouse.html

The River Cafe or a dinner cruise on Bateaux NY would both be very romantic.

rivercafe.com
http://www.spiritcitycruises.com/ba/index.jsp

If you don't do the dinner cruise, some sort of boat ride whether it's the free Staten Island ferry for a view of the Statue of Liberty or a Circle Line cruise or a ride on the NYwatertaxi.com
If the water taxi is up and running, a ride from South Street Seaport over to Brooklyn for pizza at Grimaldi's, a walk along the Brooklyn Promenade, some ice cream and walk back over the Brooklyn Bridge.

The roof at the Metropolitan Museum should be open by then. It provides some nice views of the park. The museum is open late on Fri and Sat. nights and has live music.

Have fun!

Avoid Tavern on the Green - big $ and bad food/service - for a traditional romantic restaurant do River Cafe - which haas incredible views of Manhattan at night and good food. Or do the Sea Grille at rock Center. Or Asiae at the Mandarin Oriental.

For drinks: Ritz Carlton Battery Park City roof bar or Rainbow Grill - but drinks only.

Don;t know where you'r staying but perhaps your hotel offers couples spa packages - that would be romantic. Also walking through a cute neighborhood (west village?) and stopping here and there at an outdoor cafe for a drink.

Agree that Tiffay's is romantic only if you're going to be buying he something special - window shopping is NO fun.

What are her special interests? Would she like going to a ballet or concert or other special event? (I always think an evening at Lincoln Center is special.)

Kenmont I took my wife from MS to NYC for her 40th BD We return to NYC two/three times a year and have reservations in November this year.

We arrived on a Thursday and had dinner at Del Posto. We went to Il Mulino Friday night for dinner and Daniel Saturday night. We had lunch at Tavern on the Green Sunday on her b/d and had dinner that night at The River Cafe. She was very pleased.

Have a nice trip.

Thanks for the great suggestions so far! This board is an excellent resource.
My wife like plays/musicals so we're going to see Avenue Q (have already seen most of the big shows). She also likes sightseeing/museums.

Re- River Cafe: I'm staying near Grand Central Station (Grand Hyatt). Do you have to take a cab to get there? Is it a long/expensive trip (Brooklyn)?

mclaurie- sorry I didn't answer your question. Budget isn't a major issue since I want to make it a memorable weekend (although I don't want to blow money unneccessarily).

I want to do at least one "High-end" restaurant where $100 per person would be fine.

Kenmont -

I think you'll have trouble getting out of any of the reco'd restaurants for $100 per person - unles you don;t drink anything - and some of them not even them. In NYC a special dinner is usually more like $150 per person, assuming a couple of glasses of wine - or a modest bottle.

River Cafe, for instance, has a prix fixe dinner for $85 - which with a glass of wine, tax and tip will be about $120 - $125 each. Several of the others will be more - unless you go for just an entree - not also appetizer or dessert or coffee.

Do check the menus on menupages.com for details.

TOTG screams tourist. Sorry, but I would suspect that most NYers who go there do so with their out of town friends and relatives.

I think for ambiance and food, there are few places better for a romantic meal than La Grenouille.

If you get in early enough on Friday, head to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for their Friday night hours. Grab a cocktail on the rooftop sculpture garden, spend some time in the Impressionists wing. Maybe grab an al fresco dinner somewhere like Orsay. (Or similar al fresco spot.) Head to the Pensinsula for a cocktail or two at the PenTop lounge. (Just a warning, last year it was about $15 a drink. Probably more this year.)

On Saturday night, have dinner at La Grenouille. If you can appreciate a classic French meal, this flower filled room is one of the best for a celebration in NYC.

If you're looking for something a bit less formal, maybe a bit more unusual, try Il Buco in the East Village. It's at 47 Bond Street and is a nice place to share a few small dishes and some nice wine. Ask to have dessert in their wine cellar.

As we have so few non-kids nights out, I'd probably look into Broadway show tickets.

Interesting about what makes a restaurant romantic. I love Bouley, and think it is beautiful, as is David Burke & Donatella, Daniel, Aureole, Danuebe, etc. However, I find that when I go to these beautiful, elegant places, I am paying more attention to the decor, food, and service than I am to my husband. For romantic, I want something that reminds us of a trip, or provides little distraction. My favorites are Erminia, Jules Bistro, La Dolce Vita, Capsouto Freres, Jubilee, Apizz, and Sfoglia. All of these are doable for under $100 per person and have character and charm. Some even have entertainment. They are all on menupages.com.

Bugswife,
I like David Burke and Donnatella. But, seeing Ed Koch there one night with former WH press secretary Ari Fleischer killed any image of it being a romantic spot for me.

But, I do agree with you about a broader definition of romantic. I had a very romantic meal with my wife a few months ago in a corner banquette at Balthazar. It's loud, it's bustling, but we had a great meal and a nice bottle of wine.

You can get to River Cafe by subway, but for a special night a taxi is better. The trip is about $12-15 by cab. Coming back, they generally call a car service which can sometimes be more. The rest. is near the Brooklyn Bridge and if you're so inclined you can walk back to Manhattan over the bridge for great views and then taxi or subway back up town.

You've also gotten great advice.

Any other final suggestions for romantic activities? Great info so far. Thanks! (will be going to River Cafe on Friday and Il Mulino on Saturday).

This may be a dumb question but do I have to request a table with a view at River Cafe? It seems to imply that every table is at a window...

It's not a dumb question at all. All the tables have some sort of view but there are obviously some tables that are closer to the window than others. Request one by the window. YOu might also want to mention the b'day celebration if you'd like them to bring out dessert with a candle.

Have you read the mixed reviews on Il Mulino on menupages? I haven't been there in years so can't really comment, but I think you can probably do better for the Sat. night.
http://menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=0&restaurantid=18624&neighborhoodid=0&cuisineid=0

There are soooo many good Italian restaurants in NYC. Here's a list of the places in the village.
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants.asp?areaid=2&cuisineid=35&neighborhoodid=0&AdvancedResturantIds=&sort=2