Broadway Show & Dinner

Old May 2nd, 2000, 08:33 AM
  #1  
SRahill
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Broadway Show & Dinner

I am staying in the Times Square area this first w.e. of May. Have never been to NYC and would like to go to a nice (but not too, too expensive) restaurant and then a Broadway Show. Could anyone recommend a restaurant? Also, any recommendations for which show to see (2 30-something couples).Thanks.
 
Old May 2nd, 2000, 08:53 AM
  #2  
howard
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You're very, very late in your planning. It'll be tough to get dinner reservations at a decent theater-area restaurant for either Friday or Saturday night. These places get booked up in advance. Hwoever, if you can give info on what type of food you prefer and a price range, I might be able to help.
As for theater, again, a lot of shows will be already sold out for this weekend. However, if you can cite your preferences, I can pass along suggestions of what might be available. You also might want to immediately check the Playbill website (www.playbill.com) and join its club (it's free and not a gimmick). There are some shows available at a discount thru the website. It's worth a look-into even though there won't be that much available for weekends.
I would NOT advise waiting until you arrive to get tickets (even at the half-price booth in Times Square). If you wait, there'll be even less of a choice, and the lines at the booth on weekends are long.
 
Old May 2nd, 2000, 10:28 AM
  #3  
lisa
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I highly recommend Le Madelaine or Joe Allen's, both in the theater district. Excellent food, not too expensive (Le Madelaine is a little pricier than Joe Allen's). Le Madelaine has a nice airy "garden room" if you can get a reservation there. Fantastic duck and fish dishes and out-of-this-world desserts. Joe Allen's has a little of everything -- steaks, salads, fish, pastas, etc. -- very good food, well-prepared, excellent service, reasonably priced, and a better-than-average chance of celebrity-spotting. It's not going to be a knock-your-socks-off, once-in-a-lifetime culinary experience, but then again I've never had a negative experience there either in food or service which you can't say about many places.

If I could choose one Broadway play to see right now it would be "A Moon for the Misbegotten" with Cherry Jones and I think Gabriel Byrne is in it too. I've heard great things about it, if you like Eugene O'Neill plays. Also have heard great things about "True West" and "American Buffalo" (the latter may be off-Broadway). If you're into dance rather than dialogue, "Contact" is supposed to be wonderful. Would not highly recommend "Taller than a Dwarf" with Matthew Broderick -- just saw it and it was entertaining, cute & funny in parts but overall probably not worth the ticket price.

If you are interested in a more offbeat, avante-garde theater experience off-Broadway, "The Vagina Monologues" is fab.
 
Old May 2nd, 2000, 10:52 AM
  #4  
SRahill
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Thanks for the reply. I am afraid it is a little late on the planning. We are actually attending a conference in New Jersey late in the week and will be in NYC only Saturday and leave Sunday evening. As far as food, I was thinking Greek, Italian, or French around 50.00 pp? None of us are too picky, so if there is something particularly special to the area we would be interested. The TKTS listing on the web only had three choices of Broadway shows for this weekend and the only one I recognized was Miss Saigon which I don't think would be a first choice. I will check out the playbill site. Do you know if matinee tickets are easier to come by? While I'm at it I do have some transportation questions . . . What would be the best mode of travel if I needed to go from La Guardia to Central Park area for an afternoon and then on to New Jersey? I have used underground in Berlin extensively and Paris some and found both easy to use. Does this seem to be the case with the New York subway system? Thanks so much.
 
Old May 2nd, 2000, 11:02 AM
  #5  
Monica
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I would like to say that my friend Dawn and I bought our ½ price tickets at the World trade center (tower 2, 2nd floor). We purchased them on Saturday and paid $42 each for Les Miserables for the Sunday 3pm show. The booth does close promptly at 3:30pm. The seats were in the orchestra area, on left side. At intermission, we found some empty seats, so we moved.

I can't recommend any restaurants. We did go to Becco, but were disappointed with their limited menu and price. 46th Street has many restaurants. Check out the recommendations from Fodors. Natalie, the marketing director, had recommended Orzo, on 45th street, for our Fodorites luncheon. However, since we were planning on Italian for dinner, we ended up at a Brazilian restaurant (very good). I did see Orzo's menu and it looked great. IMO, I would go there over Becco.
 
Old May 2nd, 2000, 11:05 AM
  #6  
SRahill
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Lisa, Thank you so much for all your suggestions. Both restaurants sound great and I appreciate your descriptions. I am really a big fan of Gabrielle Byrne so I will see if I can get more info. on that show. Contact sounds great to me but not sure about the husbands. . . Thanks again!
 
Old May 2nd, 2000, 11:08 AM
  #7  
SRahill
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Is Les Miserables still playing?
 
Old May 2nd, 2000, 11:14 AM
  #8  
Monica
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Yes, Les Mis is still playing. Saw it this past Sunday.
 
Old May 2nd, 2000, 11:26 AM
  #9  
howard
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Responding to a few of the above questions and comments:
1. Yes, Les Misserables is still playing.
2. The Saturday matinee is just as popular as the evening performance, especially at the TKTS booth (maybe even more crowded.
3. If you decide to go to the TKTS booth on Saturday, get there early. For a matinee, it opens at 10; try to get in line by 9. For the evening, it opens at 3; try to be in line by 2.
3. As for what to see, "A Moon for the Misbegotten is a good serious Eugene O'Neill play. (It's not fun and games!) True West is also good. You'll never be able to get a ticket for Contact (and it is wonderful). If you want to see a musical, you can probably get either Miss Saigon or Les Miserables at TKTS (or thru the Playbill website).3. As for restaurants, you'll never get into Orso ( Monica, note the spelling, and it's on 46th not 45th)) or Becco on short notice. For weekends, reservations have to be made at least 2 weeks out. Joe Allen's isn't bad--not great, but decent. (If you're going for a celebrity spotting, you'll probably be disappointed at dinnertime--a better chance after theater. No matter where you plan to go, make reservations NOW for Saturday night.
 
Old May 2nd, 2000, 02:24 PM
  #10  
lisa
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Forgot about Les Miz because it's been so many years since I saw it, but if you haven't already seen it, and if you enjoy musicals, it's pretty hard to beat.

I forgot to mention -- a fantastic website is newyork.sidewalk.com -- you can type in the name of a restaurant or play and search that way, or click on "restaurants" or whatever and get recommendations by neighborhood, price range, cuisine, etc. Also has theater reviews and recommendations for lots of things to do.
 
Old May 3rd, 2000, 09:04 AM
  #11  
Jennifer
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Forget the TKTS booth. Go to the theatre a few hours before the show to see if any tickets that are normally held for big companies and cast members are not being taken. This is how I got my tickets for True West (brilliant) a few weeks ago.
 
Old May 3rd, 2000, 12:22 PM
  #12  
Glen
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There are a number of good places along restaurant row (46th St.). We like the Zen Palate at 46th and 9th ave. It's a vegetarian place and is excellent. A couple of times we've gotten in a couple of hours before a show with no reservation.
 
Old May 3rd, 2000, 01:11 PM
  #13  
emily
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Go to Nocelo on W 55--adorable, great service, yummy italian food. Less than 450 pp.; even though there is a TKTS booth in times Sq., I would go to the one in the World Trade Center on Friday, fit it in with a trip to the top & lunch in the World Financial Center atrium.
Tickets go on sale from 11am on each Fri for the Sat & Sun mats. You could do an early dinner after the mat. & still have time if you have the energy, to go up to Columbus Ave near Lincoln Center for a stroll & a coffee, etc at an outdoor cafe!
 
Old May 4th, 2000, 05:03 PM
  #14  
tweedy
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I live here in the city a few blocks from the Empire State Building and have lived here for over 20 years, I would not worry about making a dinner reservation in the theatre area there are SO MANY restaurnts that you really won't have a problem.

Or favorite for pre or after theatre is Cafe 123 Frenchish food and VERY GOOD moderate priced. The creme brule is to die for.

If you need any more info please let me know be happy to help.

tweedy
 
Old May 4th, 2000, 05:59 PM
  #15  
howard
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I'll have to disagree with Tweedy about dinner reservations for a Saturday night in the theater district. If the restaurant isn't booked up for a Saturday night in that area, then there's a good chance that it's not worth going to!
When you say "Cafe 123," I assume you mean "Cafe Un Deux Trois" on West 44th Street between 6th & 7th Aves. Not a bad choice, but it tends to be very noisy. You could do better.
 
Old May 4th, 2000, 07:43 PM
  #16  
steve
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Try to get your tickets in advance even if it costs more--you'll spent your entire time in the line at TKTS. It will be hard to get tickets on such short notice but it's not impossible. "Chicago" and "Cabaret" are great choice s and have been playing for awhile so maybe tickets could be available.
Le Madelaine is a good suggestion for dinner and across the street is a place called Frico Bar which is owned by the same people as Becco but a bit less expensive-it's attractive and the food is good. Also for Italian Osteria al Doge is pretty reliable.
 
Old May 5th, 2000, 07:00 AM
  #17  
Dawn
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You don't need reservations if you're not particular about what you want to eat. But if you have a specific cuisine in mind I would make reservations. My friend Monica and I had Dinner at Becco this past Sunday, and we made reservations 2 weeks prior. It was a good meal, but quite expensive. I don't mind spending alot of money if it's great food and an experience, but we were both a little disappointed. Both of our entrees were very good, but salad and soups were severly lacking, and our waiter didn't check back on us and was indifferent. There are many, many great choices to choose from. On the Broadway show, I've gone to the 1/2 price ticket booth quite alot, and have never gotten "bad" tickets. I've paid top dollar for certain shows and concerts, and didn't feel like I got anything better.
 
Old May 6th, 2000, 04:54 AM
  #18  
Ellen
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Two friends and I were in NYC a little over a year ago. We had bought tickets for a broadway show ahead of time for our first night, but the next afternoon we went to TKTS in Times Square to see what was offered (on a Saturday). We got in line just as it opened, and a little more than an hour later walked away with 3 box seats for The Sound of Music, $45 each. One of the most wonderful theaters experiences we ever had! We are going back in May, and are doing the same thing.
 

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