Hi Everyone,

My boyfriend and I will be taking a trip to NYC from Jan 8 - Jan 12. (His first visit!)We're staying at The Mansfield (12 W. 44th St.). I'd love to hear about some good restaurants that offer fairly reasonable dinner options (under $20, preferably). More specifically, does anyone have suggestions on thai, barbeque, and middle eastern restaurants? Thanks!

Under $20 total or under $20 for the entree (i.e., not including appetizer, dessert, tax, tip, drinks, etc.)? Nig difference!

Under $20 per entree.

For BBQ, you can try a place in SoHo called Tennessee Mountain, 143 Spring St.. There's also a small chain called BBQ.

My husband and I often take visitors to Park Avalon. It's on Park Ave. and 17th Street...The entrees are right around $20, it's a very cool kind of "new yorkish" atmosphere, lots of candles, etc. and the food is excellent for the price. You two can probably have two entrees, share an appetizer and two glasses of wine for $70 to $80. If you're looking for cheaper, try Kitchen 22....a 3 course Prix Fixe nearby (22nd St. betw. Park and Madison) for $25 a person. It's owned by Charlie Palmer. Also very good...but they don't take reservations, so you'll probably have to wait 30 min. or so.

Lastly, my husband and I often go to Tre Pomodori, a local Italian place in Murray Hill. You won't find a tourist for miles. Entrees are around $9. Salads $6 or so, and it's a better Italian meal than you'll get in Little Italy, I think.

Whoops! I missed your line on "BBQ, Thai, etc."

For great BBQ (and jazz), go to Blue Smoke, I believe it's 27th and Lex, you'll have to double check that. Also, try Peep in Soho, on Prince near Thompson, it's a cheap pan-asian restaurant with a cool atmosphere. I go for lunch often, where you can get an $8 lunch special...but I think dinner is reasonable too.

We just got back from our 2nd visit to NYC. Being a budget-conscious family, we also tried to keep our entrees around $15-20 or so. Although none of these are thai or middle eastern
(think American comfort food) between the two visits here are some of the places we enjoyed:

Angus McIndoe on W. 44th street I believe. Great food, nothing fancy, but delicious. Comfortable atmosphere and super service

Ellen's Stardust Diner Kind of a 50's sock hop atmosphere. The waitresses and waiters sing and the whole place is alive with fun. Burgers, shakes, sandwich kind of place.

The Cupping Room on Broome in SOHO. We ate breakfast there and loved it. A beautiful, cozy restaurant. Very affordable entrees for lunch and dinner, too.

Balthazar in SOHO. It felt like a real French restaurant. Everyone on the forum suggests reservations. We had breakfast and it was reasonable; I am not sure how pricey the dinner entrees are.

YOu may want to check out www.chowhound.com as well. I found a lot of info there. Do a search and you will read tons of opinions from "those in the know".

Have a wonderful time- we can't wait to go back someday!

For barbeque, you must go to Virgil's, right near your hotel on W. 44th. For Middle Eastern, Dervish Turkish, also near your hotel, is not bad, but Turkish Kitchen is great, on the east side on Third Avenue around 28th Street. A bit pricier, but entrees are under $20.

If I'm remembering correctly, i walked by the mansfied a few yewars ago, thought it loked intereing, and went in a nd looked around the public areas. There were musicians playing classical music, and all in all, it looked like a great small hotel.

As for bar be cue, I echo the Tennessee Mountain House sugggestion, which seems to always be filled with genuine non-rich New York familiies. Include the onions in your selection.

For a bargain non-dinner in a special location, the cafeteria in the lower level of Trump Tower is very good, and surprisingly low-priced, if you pick the right food.

BAK

Balthazar is very expensive for dinner. Stay out of Midtown for dinner for less expensive dining options.

Murray Hill is a great area to eat in! You could go to Artisanal for a cheese fondue. I second the Turkish Kitchen idea. I love the place and it is very reasonable.