Sounds like a great time - I would swap out Quartino for Lavagna - maybe it's not quite as convenient to the rest of your evening, but the food is better, in my humble opinion. Or you could be ambitious and try DBGB or Pulino's - the two new hot restaurants in the so very hip Bowery neighborhood . . .

mclaurie - I don't know when you last dined at Eleven Madison, but they have a new chef (about a year or more), a young Swiss guy, Daniel Krumm. It's a very different experience from before that. They were recently invited to become part of Relais Chateaux.

According to my dining partner, it was Dec. 30 when we ate lunch there. She got sick and thinks it was the food. I just didn't think it was all that. Has the new chef started since then?

Eleven Madison Chef is Daniel Humm and he has been there since 2006. "New" is a relative term . . .

Hi CPG, we dined at Eleven Madison about two years ago and abolutely loved it, one of our top ten meals.

We're heading back for our 20th anniversary next week, glad to know you recently enjoyed your experience there. We're looking forward to a nice long, romantic meal.

Also, regarding Telepan, we've eaten a few meals there recently and really enjoyed them. I also think the room is very nicely decorated and extremely comfortable.

Another suggestion for a splurge meal is Picholine.

Wow, you probably should have started about 12 different forum topics with all those specific questions. I would suggest checking out the map and area of Upper West Side: http://nabewise.com/nyc/upper-west-side. There is plenty to do there.

You are close to the park, but other than that, the subway/bus (uses the same card) can get you anywhere in a reasonable amount of time (and it can be fun.) Otherwise, taxis are a good last resort.