NYC dining recommendation for Valentine's?
 

will be spending Valentine's in NYC with my wife - any dining recommendations? Looking for good food with a nice atmosphere. Open to all cuisine types - seafood, fusion, american....

Just found your post by accident. Don't know why it hasn't gotten any answers. Maybe the fact that you don't mention PRICE or neighborhood has led people not to bother. I'll also say Valentine's Day is a zoo in NYC at restaurants & getting reservations is hard.

There are thousands of places, but I'll suggest the Sea Grill at Rockefeller Center. Seafood, beautiful room, overlooks the skating rink. Go to restaurantassociates.com (the co. that owns it & several other places) & see if there are any special offers.

You can also do a search of previous posts. Try "romantic restaurants in nyc" as a search here (without quotes & see what comes up). There are also some recent threads on seafood places for other options/prices.

To see the special Valentines menu at Sea Grill and a number of other restaurants look at www.restaurantassociates.com

May I suggest a nice long Valentines Day Brunch instead of dinner? Restaurants will be packed and it isn't the kind of day that lends itself to a long leisurely romantic dinner.

Brunch suggestions; Blue Ribbon, Cupping Room, Gramercy Tavern Bar.

Just a suggestion.

Brunch is a great idea GoTravel. I'll add Cafe des Artistes to the list. French & romantic.

Here's another recommendation to celebrate at another time - brunch, lunch, late lunch then cocktails at Rainbow Grill (looking out onto top of Empire State Building with the "heart" lights) as the sun sets (though many others probably have the same idea).

You'll find plentiful reservation possibilities at www.opentable.com with links to websites/menus to help you chooose.

Be advised, though, that second to Mother's Day, Valentine's Day is probably the worst day of the year for fine dining.

Many restaurants will have limited prix fixe menus in lieu of their normal selections/prices. So, for example, the same steak on the usual menu may be on the prix fixe menu at a significantly (often double, even triple) higher price, but include an appetizer and dessert (again, limited choices).

At any rate, the restaurants will be mobbed, probably overbooked (in deference to those who make multiple reservations, then decide where to go, and the no-shows), so you may have to wait quite a while to be seated, even though you've reserved, wait staff will be harried - and food and service will likely just not be up to the usual fine quality. No restaurant wants to turn anyone away on one of their very busiest days, but the very busiest day does not make for a fine dining experience.

No matter what restaurant you choose, I suggest you ask if they are offering a "special menu" for Valentine's Day when you call for a reservation. Lots of restaurants offer only a prix fixe menu on that day that can be quite expensive. This is one of my pet peeves.

thank you for the suggestions.. i may just go with the late lunch option. with that in mind, any suggestions? Not looking for anything cheap or over the top.. just good food and open to any neighborhood.

try Ermenia for dinner,very romantic and has excellent food.
Gotham bar & grill
Kings Carrage house
Ches Michallet
cafe Des Artustes
waters edge long Island city
water club
terrace in the sky
provence
union pacific
All of these resturants have great atmospheres and you will probably not have a problem with obtaining a reservation.Some are more casual than others.
Enjoy

I like Judson Grill but it might be too bustling for you. Fun, great wine list and service, excellent food. Lots of space, you are not sitting on top of people at the next table.

One if by Land, Two if by Sea is another romantic choice. It's located in Greenwich Village and they have a website, as well.

I vote for Babbo. Happy Valentines' Day.

I really must be tired. My question is what place is similar to OIBL,TIBS. I think March,Box Tree,Aureole. All townhouses w/fr plces? Its what I'm looking for,piano:live music a plus.What about The Place on w.4th,I like French,but w/asian? Not sure of that.What's Erminia feel like? The Terrace I heard was New Yorkish????Provence,Sonia Rose,Rene Pujol,Chez Michallet,La Mediternee,Cite,L'Ecole,Malatesta Trattoria,Alison on Dominic,Fleur de Sol,Le Madeliene,DeGraezia,La Rivista Verbena,Pailo,Chelsea Bistro. Pls tell all and more. Many thanks to all who put these down in all the previous threads.Small,quainte,cozy& exp& grand. I have all of them and you can add Cafe de artistes as well. So tell me best about all. Thanks so much again one and all! Several choices two catagories plse,but all romantic. Food,atmosphere great,type:french, then italian,then whatever.

banoooooos, calm down! I think your idea is good but I think a lot of people may have the same idea :-< But here are some small, inexpensive - moderate places

Minetta Tavern (Italian)
Jubilee (Belgian moules frites!)
Steak Frites (the name says it all)
Caffe Cielo (Italian)
Rafaella (Italian)
Grove (Franglais)

Townhouses
Vivolo (Italian) is in a townhouse -very pretty & has a prixe fixe "early bird" for $22 so...the clientele tends to be a bit older but the food was very good.
King's Carriage House

If you -or anyone else- wants to try finding a place now-I'd suggest trying a place in the theater district & dining from 8-10pm A few ideas are Barbetta (elegant townhouse), Firebird (Russian, caviar) si next door), Lattanzi (Italian), Chez Josephine.
(French,great fun & piano) music)

BTW, Alison on Dominick is closed

Not really sure I understand what you're asking but these too are closed: Verbena, Palio, Sonia Rose, La Mediteranee.

Erminia is small, dark, excedingly romantic, like walking into another city - wonderful food, too.
I think you mean Fleur de Sel - cool, hushed, "fancy" food - very nouvelle, exciting and different food.
Chelsea Bistro and Bar - warm, golden wood, relaxed country inn-like. Good food, but not knock your socks off.
The Terrace is now "Terrace In The Sky" - the wonderful chef/owner died several years ago, so I'm unsure about the food recently, but the view is stunning and they do have music (harp I think) - not so easy to get to - up by Columbia University.
Provence, Chez Michellat, Maletesta Trattoria all quaint village restaurants with good food and lotsa rickety charm . . .
some other ideas -
River Cafe - fantastic view and food, even after all these years - on the Brooklyn side under the Brooklyn Bridge.
Strip House- bold steak, big flavors, red walls, very sexy, in a brash sorta way.
Bouchon - inexpensive, lovely food, gracious service, a throwback to french restaurants from the sixties, but very well done - the sort of restaurant that was a big deal to go to when you were in college, but is just easy and relaxing now that you (we) are middle-aged.

Quaint = doilies; mismatched chairs; wide plank wood floors; flocked wallpaper; wall sconces with lamp shades; ceramic pitchers and different, older glass ware; boeuf bourguinonne and coq au vin. Chelsea Bistro, Bouchon and Provence all average entrees between $14 - $20.
Cite is a big, midtown, brasserie restaurant catering to office workers and tourists - the others are located in residential neighborhoods and have a more "local" flair. Not to say it isn't good - they have a popular wine dinner (all you can drink) on specific nights.

i've never been to rene Pujol. For more detailed info you can go to menupages.com Is that detailed enough for you?

Really thanks a million for all the efforts, and I'll keep checking back to see if anyone suggests anything later on. It really helps for now and future special occasions. BTW what is the Kings Carriage like? Is it exp,is it carriage house w/frpl etc? So sorry to hear of all those places that closed that I missed. I really used to like Chumleys on B&B but it has changed so much from 20 yrs ago, the cat is gone and the fireman have moved on in. Great for them, but it seems to have lost something since I was a child when my folks took me and all the actors and authors hung out there. (sigh)

Kings Carriage is a very romantic resturant in a beautiful townhouse setting.When we were there it was a pri-fix menu.The food was very good and the price was moderate-expensive.You should check out Zagat.com.They can answer all of your questions.

I went to menupages,unfortunately they don't seem to have everybody that we spoke of,but all the info that I have collected here really helps. Especially since a bunch of restaurants are gone now. I was even considering sometime to try L'Ecole although I heard WATCH out for the wine prices. I probably should post MY experiences w/ OIBL,TIBS. I have had a 50/50 there. A couple of really great times and a couple of really bad times. AND a lost reservation there when they fired someone who then STOLE the reservation book, one year. When we called to confirm V-Day it wasn't there ,they were filled ,and we ended up somewhere last minute(A HUGH DISASTER!) in N.J., a supposed 4 star, now out of business. BTW, there is supposed to be a supper club somewhere in manhattan w/ big bands? Old time. Know anything on this ?

if you follow the advice on this post you will not go wrong.I think you are getting carried away with ideas.
enjoy