How about Gotham Bar & Grill or Eleven Madison Park?

Gotham good choice; almost impossible to get a table at EMP.

I'd also put Nomad into the mix.....one of our favorites (we live in Manhattan). Related to EMP but lower prices. Their chicken is world famous.

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.c...he-nomad/?_r=0

It's not at all impossible to get a table at Eleven Madison Park as long as you can book 30 days out. However, the base cost of dinner there is double the OP's budget.

The Nomad is a much better choice in terms of food, which is similar to what EMP's used to be. However, it's extremely loud, has tiny little tables, and is very crowded. It's not the special atmosphere I"d want to have for an anniversary dinner, although the food and cocktails are exceptional.

Gotham disappointed me greatly the last time I visited, which was last fall. I probably won't go back again.

I think Gramercy Tavern is generally just a much much better restaurant than anything else mentioned here.

Totally agree, Doug, although admittedly I haven't done the Eleven Madison Park "splurge". My last TWO times at Gotham were disappointing -- especially compared to the days in the first year or so after it opened and became a HIT. And frankly we just peeked into Nomad last year for future reference and were immediately turned off by the scene you mention. Seemed like a very crowded, very loud neighborhood place. No matter how good the food is, somehow the atmosphere didn't match our anticipation. (Now, yes, that comment could easily be interpreted that it didn't seem "special enuff for us", I'll admit it-- but Gramercy Tavern definitely IS special.)