I'm taking one of my nieces into NYC to see Hair, as a hs graduation present and would like to take her someplace special for dinner (around $40-50 range). Our usual dinner spot is Vnyl but am looking for something different that might qualify me as a somewhat "hip" aunt. We're open on location but theater district area (sort of) or the village would be best.

Essex Restaurant
Falai
Spotted Pig
Gavroche
Back Forty

My friend and I ate at Stanton Social and thought it was fun. It's small plates - similar to tapas. Tasty and a cool crowd.

I should also add - Stanton Social is on the Lower East Side.

Buddakan (Meatpacking district) might be good too - if I recall, it's where Carrie has her rehearsal dinner during the Sex and the City movie, and might fit your price range since your niece won't be drinking.

stanton social is fabulous. another one close to it is rayuela - nother tapas type place.

both buddakan and the buddha bar in the meat packing area are fun asian fusion small plates.
if your niece is into music, she may recognize and enjoy some of the world music cds that are put together at the buddha bar.

Just an aside. Just because plates are small, does not make them tapas. They used to be called appetizers.

I saw the other day an Asian restuarant advertising tapas. Tapas have become more creative in recent years but the word has been bastardized. And in Spanish tapas places, they often offer a larger portion called a racion.

Tapa means lid or cover and the most common expalnation for the evolution of the word is that the small plates were put on top of a glass of wine or sherry to protect it from flies.

For some of the true tapas places try Tia Pol, Xunta, and Bar Carrera. Personally I think Cafe Momo is over rated and the food is over salted.

You can add Xunta to places to show your niece your hip, but you must be able to sit on a stool and eat at a barrel.

adu,
you are so right about the term tapas.
i used the term very loosely as most restaurants tend to do. i guess the proper thing would be small plates.
although, rayuela is a spanish tapas joint.

Thanks Abranz.

It seems no one stretches their descriptions to fit their need more than real estate agents and restaurants.

There are really not any/many "hip" restaurants in the theater district and if there are, they're not hip at 6 pm, the hour you'd need to eat to make the theater. All the ones mentioned above are in hip/cool downtown neighborhoods, but again, if you're planning on eating before the theater, you'll have to eat even earlier to allow for traveling uptown at which point these trendy places are likely to be empty or very untrendy. The show is 2 1/2 hrs. so on a regular night, it won't get out until 10:30. If this is a day trip, I'd just go some place that you haven't been in the theater district (maybe Joe Allen's which is a theater hangout or Bar Americain). If you're coming for a more than the day, Save the special dinner for another night.

We loved Hair....and decided to head to Chelsea for some shopping so dinner was at Cafeteria (17th and 7th) and fit the bill. The food was decent, service was very good, and my niece enjoyed it (which was, after all, the purpose of the day)!

http://www.dbgb.com/dbgb.html