Meatpacking District Dining
 

One night for dinner in the Meatpacking District. Where shall we eat? Buddakan or Del Posto. We like both Chinese and Italian. Where do we get the most bang for our buck? Please let us know.

PS We are having dinner one night at Roberto Passon after reading about it on this forum.

We recently had a great, reasonable meal at Vento.

PS... we ate outside, which was awesome because it was on an odd little corner and the people watching was a lot of fun that evening!
I had the soup of the day (an awesome squash soup) then the chopped salad and then another first course, a tuna tartar. One of my friends had a salad and meat entree, another had pizza. It was an excellent meal!

I don't know if this fits into the type of food you're looking for... but one of my favorite places in the Meatpacking District is Malaysian food at Fatty Crab (fattycrab.com). Here's a review in NY Magazine:
nymag.com/nymetro/food/reviews/underground/14857
Unfortunately, the space is small and they don't take reservations. But if you're in the area at a time other than the main dinner rush, I highly recommend it!

We really enjoyed Pastis for dinner. Simple French bistro food, but very good, and a fun atmosphere. Great neighborhood!

Pastis or Buddakan would be my picks.

Second the Buddakan recommendation. The food is much better than you'd expect it to be. It's very "Vegas".

Pastis is kind of annoying on weekend nights, as it gets really touristy. I would highly recommend it during the week, however. Be sure to make a reservation to avoid a long wait for a table.

The butter roasted lobster at Pastis is to die for....

Lizzie, we were there mid-week, and it was a great vibe--families, after-work groups, everyone yukking it up. One of the things I loved about it was it wasn't touristy at all.

I ate at Pastis last month with my husband. The food was delicious. We sat outside. It was so much fun. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

I think we will go to Buddakan for dinner. Would Pastis be good for Sunday brunch or should we go back to Balthazar?

I like Balthazar brunch better, but Pastis has outdoor seating which is nice. It's not really a secret anymore, but call the secret reservation line to get brunch ressies at Balthazar - (212)625-8665

By the way if Balthazar is crowded there is a wonderful French Bistro two blocks away Le Jardin Bistro.

The dining experience at Del Posto was absolutely wonderful - I took clients for dinner recently and the treatment was top-notch. However, Buddakan has more of the "package" that would include a huge bar/people-watching scene, as well as great food.

Vento would be good for drinks, but I personally was disappointed in the food. And you can't go wrong with Pastis, but it's a heck of a time getting a table there.

Sticking with Meatpacking district, I have to say I do like Pastis. But it is SUCH a scene, so packed, and so noisy, that has to be much of what you want out of the evening.

We were really impressed with our dinner at Nero. It's quite casual with rustic wood tables and those bare Edison style lightbulbs suspended. But we loved our food and the gracious service. And the only place ever to bring my huge Dry Robroy with a "here, try it our way and let me know if you want us to change it". It had two onions in it. I didn't send it back.
www.neronyc.com

By the way, this week Time Out NY mentioned Le Jardin Bistro in their hundred best restaurants.