What are the best places are to take my sister (late 20s) and my mom in NYC? We're going in May. We all love great food.

Without my mom, sis and I would probably go to places like Employees Only, Butter and Hue. With mom, we want scale it back a little so mom's comfortable; but it's our first girls-only trip, so we want to have fun, too.

Would appreciate a weigh-in from KikiLee and Gekko, as I've looked at your posts and like what you say.

Here are some places I am interested in:

Lunch: Davidburke and Union Square

Dinner: Lever House, Fiamma Osteria, Eleven Madison Park, Oceo, English is Italian and Lure Fishbar

Thanks much

Thanks KZ! (Love EO - obsessed with the Mata Hari, and they make a great gimlet.)

Do you have a preference for cuisine or neighborhood?

Personally, I don't care for USC. Would much rather do Gramercy Tavern or Tabla. I won't go to Lure because friends have had such awful experiences there.

Maybe BLT Fish? Would also suggest the Harrison if you are going to be downtown. Perhaps Balthazar? (I know it is a little cliched, but, depending how ofetn your sis and mom get to the city, it may offer the "New York experience".)

If you could narrow down cuisines, neighborhood or atmosphere (stylish? dinner-as-theatre? refined?) a little, I will try to be more helpful.

I always suggest WD-50 on Clinton Street (Lower East Side)because Chef Wylie Dufresne is amazingly creative.

A new favorite is Donatella Arpaia's latest, Ama, on MacDougal Street. It's more casual that davidburke & Bellini.

Lever House? Personally I wouldn't go there. Midtown-expense-account-type-place. No thanks.

For a great, "upscale" experience, try Biltmore Room in Chelsea.

If you're feeling adventurous and would like a memorable New York experience, go to Freemans at the end of Freemans Alley. Finding it is half the fun, and the food is fantastic.

I could go on, but that's a good start.

Enjoy NYC!

I second Biltmore. Great space.

I like Freeman's a lot, but as I remember, they don't take reservations, and it is a small place with little room to wait. Not sure if this will bother your mom or not. My father would shoot himself (or me).

Also, if you want to have cocktails, check out Flatiron Lounge (they don't do food though). It's kind of an older, girlier, EO.

Thanks! Let me be more specific. I'd like to have two different types of nights. One night, probably Friday, to have a meal where the service is great and the food is delicious, but not too-too creative so that she doesn't know what the heck she's eating (i.e., foie gras: good; oysters frappe with a vodka mist: not good). That's why I think places like Daniel, JG or Allain are too much for her.

A second night, I would want it to be lively, festive, but not screaming across the tables loud -- stylish and, of course, great food. More a fun night.

Does this help? Thanks to everyone that gives me some helpful hints!

Oh, and as to neighborhoods, I wouldn't mind doing two different ones so we could see more parts of the city -- but I have no real preference in neighborhoods.

As to cuisine, I like: Am. Contemporary, Italian and French. I could also do a Medit. flair.

Well, for Friday, although I hate to recommend it because I feel like people ALWAYS do, Gramercy Tavern really would fit the bill perfectly. Biltmore might work too, as would the Harrison.

Le me think about Saturday...