Great dining experience near MSG
 

I'll be in NY this saturday May 30th, and I'd like to go to a good restaurant before going to a show at the Hammerstein ballroom. I'm looking to go to some nice restaurant. Good ambiance, or/and good views, or busy with good crowds. Obviously good food helps, but since I live in Italy I have plenty of that ;) and in New York I look forward to take my date to some special place (maybe somewhere a movie has been shot). Well, thank you for your help. You're always very resourceful on this site!

There are no great restaurants near MSG. It is a resaturant wasteland.

You should eat elsewhere and then take a cab to Hammerstein.

If you're willing to walk 10 blocks South or so to Chelsea, Red Cat on 10th Ave between 23rd/24th is a fun, lively place and Trestle on Tenth gets good reviews too on 24th St. The only 1/2 way decent restaurant right around MSG is an Irish Pub/Restaurant on 9th Ave.

I would personally avoid any restaurant that makes use of MSG or keeps it close at hand. Particularly good Asian restaurants simply don't use it.


(Sorry, couldn't resist)


Seriously, I too would recommend Red Cat -- such a great place and it really isn't that far.

There is a Korean veggie restaurant called Hangawi not that far away. You must remove your shoes and you sit on the floor with tour feet hanging in a well. It is tranquail and the food is well prepared. (If you need to go to the bathroom, there are slippers outside the door.) I am not a veggie person but enjoy the entire experience.

Buddakan in the meatpacking district is quite dramatic looking and has good food. It was used as the location for the rehearsal dinner in the movie "Sex and the City." You can get a taxi from there to the Hammerstein ballroom or take the 20 min. walk.

I also strongly recommend The Red Cat.

And I also recommend the Red Cat. Make reservations. Defintiely try the zucchini with pecorino dish.

Thank you everybody. I knew I could count on you. I am definitely curious about Red Cat, and I'll try it at some point. Buddakan looks very interesting too, but since my date is a vegetarian, I think she'll like Hangawi that seems to be a different experience too. Anybody hase any first hand experience there?

If you speaking of Hangawi, the answer is yes, as described above.