Hallo Fodorites: posting again after too long an absence!

I need some help from the experts. I am meeting my daughter in NYC on Saturday. (She lives in Washington, I live in CT.) We are both taking Amtrak and meeting at Penn Station, then going to PS1/MOMA in Queens for some performance art. So far, so good.

Problem is, we have to take the afternoon Amtrak from Penn to CT at 4:30, to go to theater in Hartford in the evening. There won't be time for dinner between train and theater, so we want to have a nice lunch in the city. Won't be back in Manhattan from Queens till, I guess, 1:30 or 2 -- is that going to be too late for lunch? Are most restaurants open on Saturday afternoons between "normal" lunch and dinner times?

Our time in the city is, sadly, limited, so it makes sense to eat lunch somewhere not too far from Penn station. Suggestions? We like good food of almost every kind: French, Italian, seafood, ethnic of all sorts.

Thanks as always.

Many restaurants will be serving food at that time. A good place, not too far from Penn Station is Artisanal.

http://www.artisanalbistro.com/

I'm going to second lizziea06's suggestion re Artisanal. I love french food. And while I have been to others in NYC that I enjoy more, this one is perfect - both for proximity and quality.

Thanks for the recommendation, Lizzie and Liz. Looks as if Artisanal doesn't serve lunch on weekends, but their brunch menu sounds very good. Mmm, fondue!

Artisanal is great - do get the gougeres.

They are certainly open on weekends for lunch, just their brunch menu which they serve from 11-5.

http://www.artisanalbistro.com/pdfs/menu-brunch.pdf

Ignore my post above! I didn't read yours correctly SB - sorry! Obviously you saw the brunch menu.

for more casual, perhaps and 1 block away, I like the Blarney Rock.

Hangawi is an understated veggie Korean restaurant.

Keen's-old fashioned chop house with mutton.

Starlight Diner 9th and 34th-outer boro style

There is Jewsih style deli on 8th and 33rd. No where in the category of Katz's or 2nd Ave but convenient.

There are many Korean BBQ places nearby as well.

If you're in the mood for a good steak, try Wolfgang's located at 4 Park Avenue at 33rd St.

Thanks for all the input -- keep 'em coming! I knew y'all would steer me right. Artisanal sounds great, but we'll check out the other suggestions too.

Another amazing option option for steak is Keen's, which is right up the street from Penn Station. It's located at 36th and 6th Ave.

www.keens.com

It's a very historic and cool dining room, not to mention fabulous food.

Seven is another option near Penn station. Maybe not as nice as Artisanal or Keen's, but closer.
http://www.sevenbarandgrill.com/home.html

I'd definitely do either Blue Ribbon or Gramercy Tavern.

Just Curious - what are you seeing in Hartford? If it is the "The little Dog Laughed" at Theater Works the show is excellent!!!!

Hi Seafox
We're going to see The Bluest Eye, which opens tonight at Hartford Stage. Got an excellent review in the Hfd Courant today. (My daughter did her Master's thesis on Bluest Eye, so it will be extra interesting to see.)

And I'm going to see Little Dog in a couple of weeks -- we love Theaterworks!

Had to report back, and let you know how much we appreciated your suggestions.

After a very snowy start in CT, we had a great day in the city, where the sun had come out by the time we arrived. Had breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien, then walked through Bryant Square and found the right subway route to Queens.

The WACK exhibit and performance piece at PS1 was very interesting --so much so that we stayed longer than we had planned. We had to be back at Penn for the train at 4:30, and decided it would not be right to rush through brunch at Artisanal. In the end, we went to Seven, which turned out just right: pleasant surroundings, a good lunch, and just two short blocks from Penn! (Oh, and the play at Hartford Stage was also excellent.) All in all, a great day. Thanks to all for the great suggestions!

Sounds great.