Hopefully, some NY savvy Fodorite can assist five members of the Bridge and Tunnel crowd. We have tickets for "Mrs. Farnsworth" this Saturday afternoon, May 8.

We were hoping to have an early dinner in the area afterwards, but because the Tribeca Film Festival is going on, every place we've called is booked.

Any suggestions for an inexpensive bistro type restaurant in Lower Manhattan? We will have a car, so we're thinking that perhaps getting out of the area for dinner might be a better idea.

FYI "Mrs. Farnsworth" is at the Flea Theatre on White Street, hence the original heading.

I'd suggest driving past midtown to either the Upper East Side or Upper West Side, as most decent spots in midtown are probably booked for pretheater dinners in midtown. And, of course, there are tons of choices in both areas. What types of food and an approximate price range?

I assume you've tried Arqua (northern Italian) which is just a few doors away? Or...Capsouto Freres is one of my favorites (French). Not exactly sure how close it is to the theater & it's a bit hard to find, but there's some decent parking & prix fixe brunch & dinner. Very pretty. Bread at Church & Walker could be good for lunch. Duane Park Cafe is another idea.

Hope you love the show as much as I did.

Thanks for the suggestions, mclaurie. I'll check them out. Howard, we're already thinking about Upper East or Upper West. Preferable price range would probably be about $50, without drinks.

What a relief. I thought there was a flea epidemic in lower Manhattan. Glad to hear that's not the case.

BTW, Ken, I should have mentioned the Tribeca Grand Hotel is a half block away from the theater. While I don't think they have a rest., you can order hors d'oeuvres in the lobby bar area instead of having lunch. It ain't cheap tho'.

If you're looking an inexpensve French bistro then I'd suggest Le Zinc on Duane between Church and Broadway. Prices are generally reasonable the food is good.

If you're ok with something more along the lines of an American bistro, City Hall, which is on the same block as Le Zinc, is also a good choice.

Ken, at this late date, I don't know what to recommend. You're certainly not going to find much availability for a Saturday night on the west side below 70th Street (if not higher).
I might suggest you check through Zagat's and find some options.

Howard, if they're having an early dinner (after a matinee) on a Sat night, by staying away from Lincoln Center or the theater district, there should be plenty of availability. And they might get an early prix fixe to boot. Ryan's suggestions are also great.

Mclaurie, we really agree. A good part of the West Side area below West 70th is the prime location for the pre-Broadway and pre-Lincoln Center crowd--certainly the 40s, 50s and 60s!

How about Bottino - good Italian on 10th Avenue and 25th Street. Or Red Cat - terrific New American on 10th between 23 and 24th. Or this terrific new place Vento on 9th avenue and 13th Street in the meatpacking district (new italian - great pastas, salds and pizzas, upscale but reasonable)

We ate with friends last Sat night @ 7:00 PM at a great family-style restaurant (i.e.large plates of food to share) near Washington Square. It was a last minute reservation for 11 people but the place was filled by the time we left. It's called Osso Bucco at 88 University Place, ph# 212-645-4525. Not too expensive, within your price range.

But i guess you guys have already left for The City by now!

Brief report: Thanks for the input. I've printed out the thread and will refer to it next time. There definitely will be a next time since we enjoyed the production at the Flea a lot, and plan to go in again.

We got into the City a little early, went to the street fair affiliated with the Tribeca Film Festival, then had drinks at the Tribeca Grand. Gorgeous public spaces with lots of Festival activities to get caught up in.

We had checked all the recommended restaurants above and concluded that most were more -dinner- than we wanted, so we went to Lucky Strike on the recommendation of a co-worker.

The consensus was that the food was only OK, but it was able to accomodate a 5 pm reservation, it was only a few blocks from the theatre, and the meal, with two carafes of wine, came to a little over $30 per person.