NYC w/ Kids - Sports Bar and Restaurant Recommendations
 

We are heading to NYC this weekend with our kids - 2 boys 10 and 13. (Arriving New Years Eve but we aren't going to Time Square - it is a long weekend in NYC)

We are staying in the Upper East Side (low 90's).

We are looking for a Sports Bar to watch some College Football on New Years day. Any recommendations? I'm looking for the kind of place that I'd go to to watch the game if I lived in Manhattan - not ESPN Zone in Times Square. We'll be travelling around so neighborhood isn't necesarrily paramount. (Upper East or West Side, Soho, Village, etc.)

I'd also appreciate any restaurant recommendations for adults that like to eat well but also have two kids in tow (great food but not too pretentious / fancy - like Po before Mario got famous). We like pretty much anything but the kids are partial to Italian (Pizza) and Steak. Tapas also works very well.

Thank you very much for any and all advice!

Sports bars on New Year's Day . . . not my idea of a good time but . . if you want downtown, you might like the Riviera on 7th Avenue, decent enough burgers, fries and brunch food, lots of TVs around or Wogie's on Greenwich Avenue, recently voted the best Philly Cheese steak in NYC. Or across the street fro Wogie's is Fiddlesticks Pub, very popular with soccer and football fans.

On the UES, land of frat bars, you probably won't be able to walk 3 blocks without finding one, but Brother Jimmy's and Becky's are popular.

Old Town Bar in Gramercy/Union Square has good burgers. there's always Mickey Mantle's on Central park South - touristy, but might be a more appropriate atmosphere w/ young boys . . .

For other restaurants, on the UES (my 14 year-old goes to school up there) I'd suggest Cafe d'Alsace, Sarabeth's, Cafe Sabarsky, Cafe Grazie, Etats-Unis, Quatro Gatti,Due, Jacques, Vinegar Factory, Pintaille's Pizza off the top of my head.

When you're downtown, you might like Lupa or Otto, Boqueria for tapas, Gyo-Kaku for Japanese bbq (kids love that) Blue Smoke, Dim Sum Au go go, Moustache all are reasonable, good food and are happy to see kids.

look up menus and locations at www.menupages.com and reviews on www.nymag.com

Patsy's Pizza in east Harlem is not that far from the 90's and considered by some to be the best pizza in Manhattan. Spigolo and Sfoglia are the hot Italians in the area but hard to get a reservation. Itzocan is an interesting place in the nabe. http://menupages.com/restaurantdetai...mp;cuisineid=0

Btw, I agree that most sports bars in the east 90's will feel more like frat houses on NY day. Blondie's is known for their chicken wings. http://nymag.com/listings/bar/blondies_sports01/
The Auction House is a nice low key bar in the area but not a sports bar. Luke's Bar & Grill is a pubby place on 3rd ave. & 79-80 st. They have tvs at the bar and good burgers and brunch food but not the big screen tv's of a sports bar.

We liked this place, which is just north of Little Italy:

http://www.gatsbysnyc.com/indexwofx.swf

Honestly with boys that age, I would go go ESPN Zone in Times Square. They would be much more entertained there than in a regular sports bar.

Also, you cannot beat the variety of sports in ESPN Zone.

Normally I would agree with Go Travel, but I think in terms of noise and crowds, ESPN Zone on New Year's day would be the equivalent of the 3rd ring of hell. And if the adults care about food even just a little bit . . . . there are a few neighborhood places that can fit the bill.

Since you are going to be in the low 90's you might consider eating at Willy's-2nd and 80th, Triangolo-1st and 83rd, Gino's Pizzeria next to Triangolo. And Beyoglu 3rd and 81st?. Also Tony's di Napoli 2nd and 83rd, There are a # of bars in that neighborhood on 1st and 2nd Ave