Be mine and my Gf's first visit to NY to celebrate her 21st and we have tickets for the Globetrotters at MSGarden on the Friday night, we are really lookin forward to the evening and wonder if you could suggest any bar/restraunts around the Garden which would get us in the spirit of the evening.

we re looking to sample some burgers/steaks/beer we have The River Cafe on Saturday and are looking for a different vibe.
A sports themed place might be ideal hope I ve made myself clear.

ESPN Zone in Times Square would fit the bill perfectly. You can just walk down the street when you are done eating.

If you want to try something fun and definitely American style try the Trailer Park Lounge at 8th & 23rd St. http://www.trailerparklounge.com/ (lots of Elvis decor). 2 blocks closer than Times Square.

I would recommend Stout which is right across the street. Good menu and food. Large selection of beer and lots of tv and tables. http://www.stoutnyc.com/

There are a couple of good places near the Garden, but not many. Nick & Stef's steakhouse is right there and is good.
Also, across the street on 8th Avenue is an Irish Pub called Tir Na Nog, and it is excellent. Best food of any pub imo. You can check out the menus at menupages.com

I would second the recommendation for Stout. It's HUGE, and is the only place where you can almost always guarantee you'll get a seat. They have a million beers and really good food for that kind of place.

Tir Na Nog is on 8th, and has good food and beer, but it's really small and tends to get packed.

Tir Na Nog is beautiful, though.

I think I'M going to try Stout!

Would you make reservations for these places Ella's Stardust Diner looks like the place we will eat in but we ll try and have a drink in each of these places. We will be eating after the game.

Also- any idea if it will be a sell out, I hope so.

Ellen's Stardust Diner is really just a diner. The singing wait staff is a novelty, but it's abou the last place I'd want to go for a birthday dinner. Granted, I don't know your girlfriend, but I don't think I'd want diner food.

Ellen's Stardust is more for kids than adults. Unless GF is having a hard time dealing with turning 21 and would rather stay a kid, do NOT take here there for a b'day meal. It's ok for lunch or a quick bite for a novelty, but definitely NOT for a nice dinner.

Not so much a birthday dinner as we have reservations at River Cafe and Tao fo Sat and Sunday. Just want a more relaxed fun sort of experience for the friday after the game.Huge burgers and ribs will be the order of the day.

I still say for burgers or ribs, there are much better places and nearer to the Garden. Virgil's in Times square has very good ribs and would be a bit closer to the garden. If you want good burgers, Stout is your best bet. The Garden is at 33-34 st. and Ellen's diner is at 51st st. Not that close.