We will be in NYC from Dec. 22 to Dec. 25 p.m. with our son who lives there, before taking off for 9 days in Barcelona with him over New Years. We'll be staying at the Yale Club right across from Grand Central.

I've read lots of the posts about what to do in the city at/near Christmas but haven't run into any advice on actually eating Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day brunch/lunch there. I've answered countless posts on the Europe forum about where to eat those meals in Paris, but I have no idea when it comes to NYC. Can someone help me with these important meals. If worse comes to worst, I'm prepared to do a big time splurge at Dean and DeLuca and make my son clean his dining area but suggestions for a nice restaurant for at least one of those meals would be really welcome. Thanks.

Ok, now I'm embarrassed. Finished my post and read further down the page to see another post about NYC for Thanksgiving and the very smart idea of checking what's open on Menupages and Opentable. Answers my question about Christmas dining perfectly. but if anyone has any special recs from personal experience, I'd enjoy hearing them. Thanks.

You might check for Italian restaurants that do a special Feast of the Seven Fishes Christmas eve dinner - it's gotten pretty popular around town these last few years. Lupa does it, (expensive and hard to get into) but several other places like Gusto and Barbuto have also done it. They probably won;t be listed until 4 - 6 weeks before the holiday, though.

On Christmas day - do what lots of New Yorkers do - Chinese food!

If you want something traditional and historic check out Fraunce's Tavern downtown. It's where Washington bade farewell to his troops at the end of the Revolution, when NYC was the capitol. There's museum upstairs as well as a traditional meal.

I've always thought Fraunces Tavern would be perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Frankly it's more about the atmosphere than the food, though, and I know how you like good food. I'd also check out Sea Grill facing the tree and ice rink at Rockefeller Center. It has excellent food.

And this time, I assure you we won't be eating three tables away from you and not know it like at Babbo!

The brunch at the Yale Club is quite good--and would obviously be convenient! It is usually a weekend thing, though, so you may need to check with the dining manager to see if they are doing a special brunch for the holidays.

Thanks everyone. Great recommendations and I'll check them out. NP, Shoot, I was hoping we might bump into Brad Pitt with a bad haircut.

For what it's worth, the traditional Christmas Day dinner in NYC is Chinese, preferably at Shun Lee Palace or Shun Lee West. You absolutely have to make a reservation because it's one of their busiest days, but if you want a New York kind of Christmas Day dinner, that's the ticket.

For Christmas Eve, I really like the idea of the traditional Italian seafood meal. There are also alot of pre-Christmas concerts in churches around town that would be worth attending.