I found this list of recommended pre-theater restaurants that are supposed to be conveniently located. Do you all like any of these? db Bistro Moderne, Thalia, Osteria Al Doge, Lattanzi, Trattoria Trecolori (have already been to this one), District, FireBird, and Angus McIndoe. Not looking for amazing food, but nice atmosphere and good food would be great.

Firebird is Russian, in an old brownstone, not inexpensive but a nice experience.

We semi-shared a pizza the other day. We were three people and my wife had a salad but they allowed to share the pizza lunch special. They wait staff is very friendly and not officious.
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Trattoria Trecolori is in the theater district, so it is well known. It is not a restaurant I would go to, given the other choices around the city.

Here are the ones recommended in Times Square specifically - do you guys like any of these? Becco, John's Pizzeria (have already been here and liked it), Churrascaria Platforma, Wu Liang Ye, Edison Cafe, Ruby Foos, and Virgil's. I like to get out and explore the city, but having something close to the hotel and to Broadway is nice for a night or two. What do you think of these?

Volcanogirl, I've had take-out from Trattoria Trecolori several times recently. (It's near a hotel I've been staying at frequently.) It's decent but certainly not amazing. I like their pasta and salads, but I order items that are pretty basic, like farfalle primavera. Their bread is not good. Some of the desserts are okay, but it's NYC, so you can do better.

Becco is the same Trecolori, the appeal is a lot of pasta. It is satisfactory but not worth a special trip.

The Edison has some food that is commonly found any more and for that reason it is fun and inexpensive for the neighborhhod.

I have not eaten at Chuuascaria in years but you really gotta like meat.

Virgil's is not bad and fun for kids.

volcanogirl, I'm pretty sure that "District" from that list refers to the restaurant that was in the Muse hotel. If so, we ate there twice and enjoyed it a lot. But, it is now Nios -
http://www.themusehotel.com/wine-bar.html
I'm not sure what changes occured since we are there (and the name changed) but we really enjoyed the space, food and presentation. The place was not hectic at all, as some pre-theatre places can be. We ate there because we were staying at the Muse, but really enjoyed our dinner (and breakfast) there.

Thalia is a favorite of NeoPatrick's. It's always on my "maybe" list because of his recommendations, but I've not eaten there. It certainly is convenient to Broadway shows.

We had reservations at Osteria Al Doge but overextended our timeline and did not eat there. I chose that restaurant after extensive research and recommendations from Fodorites. It's on my short list when I return.

That area is really not good for food and I would do my best to get away as much as possible.

I've eaten at Wu Liang Ye a few times; if you stick to the Sichuan selections, you can have a good meal, but it is not inexpensive. I would not go for other Chinese dishes.

On the other hand, if you like Sichuan Chinese food, you can probably do better, for less money at two places on West 39th Street, which are just a few minutes south of the theatre district and on the same block as Lord and Taylor dept store:

Szechuan Gourmet at 21 West 39th Street

Lan Cheng at 60 West 39th Street http://lanshengrestaruant.food.offic...m/default.aspx



Again, these are recommended only for Sichuan dishes, so you have to like spicy food.

Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate all the input.