Any recommendations for somewhere casual but good? We're open to pretty much any kind of food, so long as it's clean, good and there's room to sit down. Something at least semi-healthy (good salads?) would be awesome but not required. Thx!

There's a Heartland Brewery at 5th and 34th which has all kinds of food, decent big salads. Regular tables with waiter service.

There's a Chipotle chain right there too. While it advertises burritos, my favorite thing there is a salad topped with carnitas (cooked, shredded pork) or fajita beef, cheese, salsa, etc. Really good and very cheap. There you order at a counter, but there is seating.

Hangawi-Veggie Korean, very good

I think Heartland Brewery is the best bet (good burgers and beer). Chipotle a second. Both are in the ESB. Nearby are korean BBQ joints, especially on 32nd and 35th, but Hangawi (while good) is just too peculiar to be to most people's taste since it's totally vegan and kind of expensive.

There's also a Bon Chon Korean Fried Chicken outlet on 38th that I've been wanting to try. And another on the 2nd floor of a nondescript office building on 5th Ave between 31st and 32nd, but I can't remember the name. You have to walk up the stairs to get to it.

Ayza http://www.ayzanyc.com/menus.html

Koreatown, as already suggested, on 32nd between 5th and Broadway.

Restaurant and cafe at the Morgan Library (around 36th (?) and Madison)

Restaurant at Scandinavia House (around 38th (?) and Park)

Cafe Zaiya, Japanese bakery + cafe, both locations near Bryant Park and the NY Public Library. One is on 41st while the other is in the Kinokuniya bookstore.

Level -1 of Grand Central.

You can try Blue Smoke on east 27th st. for Great ribs.

Here's the link:

http://www.bluesmoke.com/blue/index.html

Thanks so much to everyone for the recommendations. We ended up trying the Heartland Brewery (very good!) but we're planning to be back again in a few weeks and we'll definitely be checking out some of your other recs then.

Thanks again!