Heading to the Iridium (51st and B'way) for some jazz in the unbelievably expensive first week in Dec. and spent all our restaurant-splurge money on a hotel that didn't have the word "cockroaches" in its reviews.

So we'd like to find a good place between say W 45th and W 60th or so, ethnic but not hole-in-the-wall, maybe in the 3 star range (with 4 star at top and 5 star world class), maybe up to $50-60 per person but less would be good. Indian? Northern Italian? South/southeast Asian? Latin American (but not Mexican)? Fusion?

What have you discovered?

My favorite restaurants in the West 60s are Picholine (Mediterrainian French) and Shun Lee West (upscale Chinese). Picholine is a little above your range, but very good. Shun Lee is a little below your range, and also very good.

9th Ave. in the West 40s and 50s has a long string of restaurants that are generally pretty good and relatively inexpensive. And some of the "holes in the wall" have the best food - Pam Real Thai on W49th, just off 9th Ave. has fantastic food, but looks like your typical "eh" place. The Delta Grill, on 9th at 48th St. is also a good call.

On 46th and 47th Street between 5th and 6th are several Brazillian restaruants that offer good food, nice surroundings, a slight touch of exoticism, and moderate prices.

Birdland for jazz is less expensive and they have some days where they have jazz at dinner time.

I love Virgil's BBQ, I think it is around W.44 and Broadway.

Taboon on 52nd and 10th Avenue has gotten some good reviews from friends of mine, as well as the local press. Eastern Mediterranean food in pretty surroundings.

Havana Central, new location (original is on 17th St. near Union Square), great Cuban food, W. 46th Street.

yea, taboon. great choice. ethnic but upscale. trendy but not too much so.

Wonderful Italian restaurant on the corner of 9th Avenue and 50 street = Roberto Passon.

Excellent northern italian food - reservations highly recommended.

my fave is nocello, on 55th and 8th.
casual, great northern italian!

Trattoria d'ell Art on Seventh and West 57th.

Molyvos, same area as well as Redeye Grille.

If you're in the mood for great Peruvian food, you could try 'El Rinconcito Peruano' on 9th b/w 53rd and 54th.

It is an 'intimate' place (there's like 7 mini tables), nobody will complain about the decor (there's none), but the food is simply amazing. Not to mention that is VERY unexpensive.

I seond the vote for Nocello-used to lunch there a couple of times a week when I worked on 57th St. Nice, cozy, intimate atmosphere.

(It didn't hurt that it was only steps away from the Original Soup Nazi)- sometimes when I got tried of standing in the line for the world's greatest soup, I would end up at nocello instead!)

gotravel..molyvos is great! i literally work on that block, i don't have to cross the street to get there! ;-) haven't been in a while though.