bermyguy

Which would be better for a "once off", romantic meal?

GoTravel

Go to the Rainbow Grille for drinks and the view and then mosey over to 21 Club for dinner.

21 Club has great food and Rainbow Grille does not.

bermyguy

Thanks GoTravel. Would you pick the Bar Room or Upstairs at 21?

Rhea58

I strongly disagree re 21 Club
having dined there very recently.
Upstairs is only for private parties
(not enuf business?).
The food at best can be described
as bland & the median age for
waitstaff requires AARP membership.

There are many other dining choices
in NY. The Rainbow Grille for
drinks is a wise choice.

nytraveler

IMHO 21 is not romantic at all. It's very much more for the bug budget, large chunks of meet businesman's special type of place. Wanna-be powerbrokers - not romatic couples.

Rainbow Grill is OK for drinks - but food is bad - and again is for the more mature crowd. (I just turned 50 - and I think my parents would be happier there.)

NYC has much better choices - for food, for romance and for views. Just do a search above - this query has been answered tons of times.

ekscrunchy

Agreed. You can do much, much better than either of those places. Try March, 405 East 58th Street in a townhouse. www.marchrestaurant.com. This is the kind of place that few tourists know about. Elegant, great food, expensive. I also love Danube, in Tribeca which, as I have mentioned before, is the most beautiful high-end restaurant in the city. For romantic and cozy, try Apizz on the Lower East Side..great Italian, lots of flowers, wood-burning oven. Anyone can take me to any of these at any time!

GoTravel

Agreed about March. It is my favorite restaurant in Manhattan however, the OP asked about two specific restaurants not other choices.

djkbooks

Definitely agree that "21" is NOT romantic.

As for Rainbow Grill, you will likely need a dinner reservation to go up during the holidays. You can reserve online at OpenTable.com (last year, a credit card was required with 24 hour cancellation).

I'm not a huge fan of the menu, but the food is just fine - even the prix fixe menu (which we enjoyed very much last year).

Also romantic is Sea Grill with a view to the Christmas Tree and skating rink at Rockefeller Center.

March is fabulous, but very, very expensive, and some complain about the tiny (tasting) portions. Those under 40 or 50 and not "foodies" may find the experience underwhelming.

Ryan

Is neither an option? Personally, I think you'd have a far better meal and a significantly more romantic dinner at La Grenouille on 52nd and 5th.

bermyguy

Have gone with Rainbow Grill...purely for the location...food won't be that important as we'll be staring into each others eyes (for "staring into each others eyes" read drunk)!!!

Thanks for the advice. Will go to some of the other restaurants mentioned later in the visit.