Budget?

If you are interested in fish you might check out he Sea Grill overlooking the sakting rink. Or the Rock Center cafe.

Agree you need to give a budget and tell us a bit more about your tastas, as there are literally hundreds of places from which to choose. Are you more interested in food, or view?

In the moderate-high price range:
http://www.seasonalnyc.com/


Low-key, interesting food in the David Chang (well known chef) stable; well-priced lunch specials along with regular menu. A branch of the famous Milk Bar (great cookies) is in the entry foyer. Not for all tastes, though.

http://momofuku.com/new-york/ma-peche/lunch/

My only advice: If you want a sit-down meal by all means make a reservation. It's incredibly busy right now. But if you just want fast food, there's a nice Le Pain Quotidien on 6th Avenue near Central Park South, and you can just walk in. The Burger Joint in the Parker Meridien is a walk-in place (but really busy), and I love Pret a Manger for sandwiches. The one in the concourse level of Rockefeller Center is open on weekends, and Tri-Tip Grill there is also pretty good for faster food. Cosi is good, and they are all over the place.

There are loads of great places to eat in Grand Central if you are near 42nd Street (I like Junior's especially, though not for burgers).

There's also a nice restaurant in Bloomingdale's on the 6th Floor (but it will cost no less than $25 per person there for lunch.

OP wants a nice lunch.

We like Le Bonne Soup at 48th W. 55th, btwn 5th and 6th Aves. Cozy sit down place w/nice menu, crepes, salads, soups, fondue, omelets, sandwiches, or fish, meat, pasta plates. Food very good for lunch. Need to make a reservation this time of yr. This is about midway on the Xmas window walk, btwn Bergdorf and Saks. See map here of the locations of the window stores and you will see:

http://gonyc.about.com/od/christmassights/l/bl_xmaswindows.htm

Very near Lord & Taylor is the esteemed (by me, anyway) Szechuan Gourmet, on 39th between 5th and 6th. Tongue-scorchingly authentic, though, so not the best choice if you're trailing children. Try the crispy cumin lamb.

They really need to provide a budget - since we seem to have a broad range of what "nice" means. To me, it is upscale, nice long lunch with wine and talk, and if possible, a view.

If they want casuale and modestly priced they need to let us know.

Bryant Park Cafe, in the park, just behind the library would be nice.

Nice menu, reasonably priced, pleasant ambience and right in the midst of the Christmas market, ice skating rink, shoppers, etc.

Honestly, no. Not Bryant Park Cafe. It's just not that good anymore. And it's expensive. But I agree that the OP needs to clarify sit-down or sandwiches, expensive or cheap, kids or no kids, etc. We're grasping at straws and giving recommendations to a poster who hasn't come back to add more info. yet.

Thank you so much for the suggestions. We are three adults, one of whom is not an adventurous eater. We would like something above the level of a chain restaurant, but not as expensive as the Sea Grill. La Bonne Soupe sounds like a good choice, but I called and they have no reservations. They did suggest that we come in and see if a table is available. It sounds like we may need to try that with every restaurant.

Doug, you really shouldn't put down other people's opinions the way you do. Just because you work for Fodor's does not mean that yours is the final word. Far from it.

Obviously we disagree about Bryant Park Cafe. It's near my office and I've been there several times and have never been disappointed. And the views and the atmosphere are perfect for the occasion described by the OP.

In the very least, try a little diplomacy when you disagree with people.

Frankly, I disagree with all your suggestions for someone, such as the OP, who is looking for "a nice lunch". Most of them are just sandwich joints. If you can't make decent suggestions of your own, please don't put down other people's.

I would not consider The Burger Joint to be the go to place for a 'nice lunch' and really unclear why it would be mentioned on a thread when someone is searching for a "nice lunch" They didn't ask for a fast food place. They asked for a 'nice lunch."

Sure the Burger Joint is a fun insiders place behind the heavy curtain to find with servicable burgers and fries, but nice?

I will never understand the attarction Le Bonne Soup.

A fun place is Sans Culottes.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/les-sans-culottes-new-york

Look on opentable.com in midtown east and midtown west on your date at a time that suits you. I do agree at this time of year it's crazy not to have a reseravtion. The further you go from Fifth ave., the more choices you'll have. Some thoughts...the Smith midtown, Le Bateau Ivre, Le Relais de Venise if you want steak. Bonne Soupe is fine but not worth waiting for a table imo. You can check reviews on menupages.com, yelp.com, seriouseats.com, eater.com

I thought La Bonne Soupe WAS a chain. I swear I've seen them in several places - including airports - in other parts of the country.

I had no idea La Bonne Soupe was a chain, if it is. We have gone there 3 times when in the area for lunch. We like the menu and food and it is a cute little bistro type place. If it is a chain and OP is adverse to chains, I am sorry for bringing it up, I was unaware.

I should have known better than to suggest something from personal experience on an NYC question here. I stopped posting on NYC awhile back because of the attitudes that have developed on those threads. Apparently, that has not ended.

Checked the website -- La Bonne Soupe does not appear to be a chain restaurant. I walked by it a few weeks ago and thought it looked good, but haven't eaten there.

EMD3

Stop being so thin-skinned. People disagree and sometimes people are wrong.

Perhaps NYTrav is thinking of Le Bon Pain, which IS a chain, and I'm surprised it wasn't included in Doug's suggestions.

There are very few places in Midtown that are as good and reasonably priced as La Bonne Soupe, but I also would not wait for a table. If you want a sit down meal, definitely limit yourself to places where you can make a reservation. I can't understate how busy it's going to be on a December Saturday.

I have been on this board for many years. Golum, you've been here a month. I am not thin-skinned. But comments on NYC have gotten snarky. This attitude and posting ones posts in a way that puts down the other posters, regarding NYC in particular, has been discussed on other threads recently, so I am not the only one who has noticed it.

There is a way to express your personal opinion in a constructive way, and a way to do it in a snarky way. Comments like Doug's "Honestly, no, not Bryant Park Cafe," are snarky. Saying, "I went to Bryant park Cafe last month and it wasn't so good anymore" has a totally different feel to the person who posted the rec and to the OP." Saying, "I went to La Bonne Soupe and didn't like (insert whatever) about it" is very different than what you said, which puts down the other poster without any concrete information regarding your opinion.

The NYC threads have definitely taken on that snarky tone in recent months due to a few posters who always seem to feel superior. I agree w/panecott, "At the very least, try and have a little diplomacy when you disagree." And I would add, "Try to keep it based on your own experience and deliniate that experience."

Fine.
The food is just average, the service is random and as far as it being something like a French bistro, they serve sangria.

Golem didn't say so, but he's a rebranded long-term Fodor's poster (an honest and funny one, too, albeit opinionated!)

Opinionated? On Fodor's? On the Internet? I stand alone.

Perhaps some people expect all comments to be happy, smiley, and being SO careful that every word is perfectly sensitive.

Sorry if a quick comment is considered "snarky" (what is that anyway). And I didn't mean Le Bon Pain. I know that perfectly well. I have seen La Bonne Soupe in other places - but perhaps not associated with the one in Manhattan. I can't swear - or even identify the airports - since I travel so much they tend to blend together unless very notable.

As for taking you chances - you might easily end up waiting more than an hour to be seated at a decent place.

If the OP can provide a specific budget in $ - people might make recos of places that take reservations.

Can't admit it when you're wrong, eh?

About what I expected.

Go do a triple plunk.

Plotz

Plotz

That is a Jewish chain, where you not beleive the prices.

Triple plotz. It's from an old thread.

Sorry, I did not know about the other thread.

Thanks for all your suggestions. We ended up making a reservation at Nizza on 9th Ave. We all enjoyed what we ordered and had a tasty and reasonably priced lunch.