Becky

I would love some ideas for feeding our family of six while we are exploring your wonderful city in March. I am trying to have a flexible plan, but I do need a plan. It is hard to window shop for food with 6 people's opinions! Since this is our first trip everyone is so excited about New York in general, and everything we do will be an adventure(compared to Alabama) that we don't have to find the best, coolest and most expensive to be happy. Also, with kids 10, 13, 16, and 18, they are going to be looking for the familiar chicken fingers and hamburgers some of the time. So-- I am thinking that lunches will usually be delis or sub shops. But I also would like suggestions for nicer places that would be fun to eat at for lunch prices, then do a deli for dinner. As far as cuisine, safe bets would be italian, chinese, diners, american, country French, cafes, etc.
We are staying on the Upper West Side(Beacon) so suggestions for that neighborhood for evening would be great. Also need ideas for lower Manhattan on the day that we do those sights. I am considering the Wall St. mcDonalds for one fun idea. Also need ideas for Mid-town, and on Sunday we will be looking for a lunch place after a church service on upper-east side at Hunter college(Park and 69th). Thanks in advance for your help. Please advise if any of suggested places would need to be reserved before our trip. I am viewing this entirely differently than if it was just me and my husband. We aren't looking for romantic, leisurely dinners this time. Just want satisfying food that tastes normal and won't give hubby a heart attack when he sees the bill. Goal would be $100 or less for dinner or nice lunch, much less for usual lunches!

Anna

Try Carmine's for dinner. It's a nice Italian place on the West side (can't remember the exact location). They serve Italian food family style, so it would probably work really well for your family. Prices for the entrees may be higher than you're used to, but they really give you a lot of food, and you could probably feed your entire family with 3 entrees, which is what most people do in there. The restaurant is popular, so either get there early, or make a reservation (or both!).

New York abounds with cheap places to eat. Also, again on the Italian track, I found that Little Italy had a lot of inexpensive little restaurants with really good food (and lots of it!). Try Rocky's. (again, can't remember exact location).

Chinatown is probably the best place for a bargain. I did have a favorite restaurant there, but the last time I went, I found a cockroach climbing up the teapot. So I won't pass on the recommendation.

Another New York staple--pizza. Lots of Rays, Famous Rays, etc., around the city. Really good pizza, really good prices.

lisa

Your hotel is a good choice. You will find a great many restaurant options in the area where you're staying.

One fun, casual place with delicious pizza is John's Pizzeria at 48 W. 65th St. (near Columbus Ave.). There is another one in midtown at
260 W. 44th St. (bet. B'way & 8th Ave.) Both are popular and get very crowded, and can entail long waits unless you get there early.

Also near where you're staying is one of the GREAT hot-dog places of all time, Gray's Papaya. The hot dogs are the best. Note that they do not serve soda, only fruit juice beverages which are too sweet for my liking, but the hot dogs are fabulous, especially for a quick (and super-cheap) bite on the run. Last time I was there, the deal was 2 dogs and a drink for 2 bucks. Can't beat it.

If you're going to be in midtown at all, one place I think you might like is a VERY inexpensive French place called La Bonne Soupe. Good for soups, salads, fondues, and other light fare, and they often have a super-inexpensive fixed price menu that includes soup, salad and dessert that I think is a great value. It's at 48 W. 55th St. (bet. 5th & 6th Aves.)

My favorite deli by far is Carnegie Deli, 854 Seventh Ave. at 55th St. Note that it is not cheap, however! And the sandwiches are enormous -- enough to share, but they charge around $5 to split an order if I recall. Their reuben sandwiches are to die for.

If you want to splurge on one fancy lunch, one of the better restaurants in town, Gotham Bar & Grill, has a fixed-price lunch that is $20 for three courses -- appetizer, entree, & dessert. It's in the Village, at 12 E. 12th St. (bet. 5th Ave. & University Pl.) Make reservations. You can see the menu at http://gothambarngrill.citysearch.com/

AC

Becky:
Try to get to Union Square Cafe 212-243-4020. Call for a reservation, soon!
Welcome to NYC!

lisa

Re: Gray's Papaya, I forgot to mention that it's at 2090 Broadway, at 72nd St. -- very close to your hotel.

hamlet

A good inexpensive choice to feed 6 would be Chinese or other Asian restaurants. They always have lunch specials for $5-7 per person, and sometimes for dinner to for $1 more or so. And they are everywhere. Or you can order 4 or 5 dishes and eat family style. There are diners and coffee shops all over the city. Two with a little more atmosphere (and more pricy than your average noname diner) are Ellen's Stardust and Brooklyn Diner.

I do not recommend Union Square Cafe for a dinner for 6 under $100. It's probably not even possible there. Not far from there is America which is nothing spectacular as far as cuisine, but does have something for everyone with their huge menu.

You may also want to try Grand Central Station if you are in that area around mealtime. There is a food court area downstairs so everyone can pick out whatever they want to eat and then you can get a table together.

Good luck with this and have fun.

howard

A couple reasonable places in the Times Square area:
Joe Allen's on West 46th, between 8th & 9th Aves., a "show biz" type place
Virgil's on West 44th, between 6th Ave. & Times Square for BBQ ribs

Stephen

A good dinner option in the Times Square area would be the Hourglass Tavern. I travel to NY often and eat there regularly. The address is 373 West 46th. This is not really a tavern at all, but a good, small, inexpensive restaurant. They have fixed priced meals in two different price ranges (many choices), both under $15. Meals include entree and soup or salad. Good American style food, big portions. This restaurant was mentioned in John Grisham's book, The Firm.

David

I agree with the previous writer's recommendation for the Hourglass. A good website for descriptions of New York restaurants (including the Hourglass Tavern) is: http://www.chron.com/content/chronic...rent/c-n-e.htm

m

America, 9 east 18th st (between b'way & 5th), big place, big menu, reasonable and kid friendly. Osso Buco, family style italian on University and 12th st, Any Patsy's Pizza (also has good pasta & salads), various locations, good hungarian on upper west side, 2nd & 3rd aves in the low 80s. good indian, many choices, 6th st between 1st and 2nd av, it's also a fun area for teenageers to explore (St. marks place, etc.). In the village lots of restaurants between 3rd st and bleecker sts and bway & 7th av. stay away from theme places, they tend to be over priced, over crowded and have bad food. i'm not as familiar with upper west side but there are tons of places in the 70s thru 90s, just walk up and down columbus and amsterdam you see all kinds of cute places. for inexpensive decent meals in theater district there are many good brazilian restaurants.

Caitlin

The Union Square Cafe suggestion is laughable given your requirements! Lisa's suggestions for La Bonne Soupe, Gray's Papaya, and John's Pizzeria are good ones. There is also one at 408 E. 64th St., between 1st and York, that might work for your Sunday lunch. I'd stay away from all those famous/original/etc. Ray's places for pizza; they're just corner slice shops with icky, gloppy pizza. John's and Patsy's (various loctions, and cash only) will give you a taste of "New York-style" pizza, which is baked in a coal- or wood-burning oven and has a thin, crisp crust.

Near your hotel a good place for burgers is Jackson Hole, 85th and Columbus. They serve burgers and chicken sandwiches a dozen or more ways, plus omelets, etc. and are affordable.

In Midtown, I'd head for 9th Ave. There are many restaurants in the 40s and 50s serving all kinds of food at good prices. Afghan Kebab house, near 50th St. (also on 46th btn. 6th and 7th) is a good bet; it may sound too exotic for the kids, but keep in mind that a lot of what they offer is straightforward grilled meat and chicken kebabs with rice. Sandwich Planet offers maybe 75 different options (including burgers).

In lower Manhattan: for Chiatown, I'd recommend New York Noodletown at 28 Bowery. In Little Italy, Da Nico, at 164 Mulberry. has better food than most area places and in particular a very filling $10 lunch special with plenty of choices.

Becky

You guys are so helpful! Keep the ideas coming and I will print this and take it with me for reference. I'd love to know specific things that you have ordered and enjoyed. For example, what is good at a Brazilian place?

Nancy

I'm not so familiar with Upper West Side - I live on the East Side and rarely make if over there.
A good suggestion for a satisfying meal that pleases everyone are the many Irish pubs throughout New York. They always have burgers, sandwiches, etc. I recommend the following on the East Side if you're in the neighborhood. I may not have the exact street right - but it's within a block or two:

Caliban (my favourite) - 26th & 3rd
Cavanaughs - 34th & 3rd
Failte - 29th &2nd
Waterfront Ale House (not a lot of ambience, but really good food and better than average menu) - 30th & 2nd
On Second Avenue in the 40's and 50's there are a whole slew of affordable restaurants.

I would also check out Zagats - it's the restaurant bible here in NYC. They have ratings for most of NY's restaurants and include price ranges and readers' comments. They also have categories such as kid friendly, etc. You can by the book at most bookstores for about $10 or you can check them out on line at www.zagats.com. However, I think the book is more comprehensive.

Happy Eating!

Harriett

Becky --
There's another post at the top re. the fabulous groceries within a block or two of the Beacon - I would think these would make great takeout dinner options one night - when we stayed at the Beacon last spring, we could happily have eaten from the groceries every day! There's also a yummy breakfast/lunch place very close called SaraBeth's Kitchen - apparently crowded on weekends, but we were there after going to the Met on a weekday and got right in - and it's wonderful and reasonable. Also, note Howard's suggestions - he gave us great recommendations for our trip.

If you're planning on theatre, be sure to check out the World Trade Center ticket booth - after you know which show you want to see, one of you can stand on line and the others can wander throughout this incredible shopping plaza - and don't miss the French bakery! NB: There may be a limit on the # of tickets you can purchase - check first if you're going to buy tickets there - it may be that two of you need to stand in line, and I think they only take cash, but you can buy matinee tickets a day in advance so that, by only standing in line one time, you can get tickets for an evening show and the next day's matinee if you go on Tuesday or Friday or Saturday. Have fun!

Brian Kilgore

I'm a bit confused re Sarabeth's Kitchen, because I thought your hotel was on the west side, and I thought Sarabeth's Kitchen is beside the Hotel Wales, on Madison Avenue, on the East Side.
Among the suggestions, I echo Carnegie Deli (tell the big kids it where Harry and Sally sat at the table, and the lady nearby told the waiter she'd have whatever Sally had ordered) and America, where I've taken a 13 year old.
The fast food outlets at South Street Seaport offer a wide variety of good food, including kids' favorites, for reasonable prices, so time your SSSeaport visit for a mealtime.
There are lots of little grocery stores with prepared takeout food, so you can pick up salads, cut up fruit, pastas, etc. to take back to your hotel, or to eat in parks, etc.

One bargain that's sophisticated but surprised us with its low prices 9assuming you order smartly) is the ceafeteria on the bottom floor of the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. The bbuilding's full of expensive sotres, but the pizza is reasonably priced, and tastes great.

My favorite Soho restaurant is the Tennessee Mountain House, but it may be too similar to home.

BAK

Patrick

There are three Sarabeth's that I know of. One on Amsterdam (80th- 81st), one on Madison (92nd - 93rd at Hotel Wales, and also one at the Whitney Museum on Madison at 75th.

howard

Patrick is correct about the Sarabeth's multiple locations. And, its brunch are great. But, I don't think its prices are in Becky's stated range.

hamlet

FYI - the famous scene from "When Harry Met Sally" was filmed at Katz Deli which is located downtown Village/Soho area (not sure of the exact address).

jhm

I wrote a post recommending Upper West Side restaurants a week or so ago -- do a search, as I have to run and can't write them all down again, but stand by them!

Happy eating!

m

got to www.zagat.com
you can search by neighborhood, food type, etc. and read reviews. it's the same infor as the books.