My husband and I will be in NYC this weekend without the kids and will be staying around 7th Ave and 54th. Have never been to Broadway before and are going to see Les Mes. Do you recommend eating before or after 8pm show (we prefer after)and need restaurant suggestions for dinner that night (prefer Italian)and brunch on Sunday. Must we have reservations? We've seen all the tourist traps with the kids before but are looking for some ideas for something to do for Sat. afternoon. Thanks!

You realize that Les Miz runs nearly 3 1/2 hours so if you eat after you will be eating at 11:30pm?

John's is a nice Italian place. 260 West 44th Street.

What time do you consider brunch, and what is your price range? Many people come to NY expecting brunch to be breakfast/lunch hybrid at 11 am, whereas brunch to most new yorkers is really a late lunch (1-3pm)that might have eggs and pancakes on the menu as well as sandwiches and salads. Some hotels offer fancier, pricier brunch spreads, or you could go down to Soho or up to the Upper West Side for a more casual,less expensive, and more authentically NY option.

A classic NY weekend day would be lunch and a museum, maybe a walk through central park if the weather's nice. If you haven't been to the Metropolitan Museum, that's an obvious first choice, even if you're not a huge fine arts fan. If you have been there, there are dozens of smaller museum 'jewels' to appeal to almost anyone.

How about a price range for restaurants? Wherever you go, you better make reservations ASAP. You're probably already too late for many places.

If you decide to eat before a reservation would be a very good idea. If you decide to eat after reservations would probably not be necessary but choices of places to eat might be limited because of the late hour.

Hope you have a great time in NYC this weekend. I recommend that you eat before Les Mis', a good place to eat is Carmine's it's on 44th between 7th and 8th Ave. It's close to the Theatre. Great Italian food, but a bit heavy to eat late at night. It's a popular tourist place so you do need reservations. However, you can only make reservations for less than 6 people before 6:00. So call today and see if you can get them. Don't wait! As far as brunch, I love the Plaza. A bit pricey, but hey, how many times do you get to go out without kids. I think it's about $26. Not too sure about needing reservations, I would call and see. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to contact me. Hope you have a great time! Susan

Thanks everyone for the advice. Price range is $50-70 pp for dinner and $20-30 pp for brunch/lunch. Open to really any area in city - it's only a taxi ride away for brunch/lunch. Also, how much time would you allow for dinner to make the 8pm show? Thanks again!

Maureen: Try Ciro's at the corner of 45th Street and 8th Avenue for some good Italian food. You can have an entire meal, wine, tax, and tip included for under $50 per person. There is also a $24 pre-fixe menu which is a really good deal. One of our favorites in the theater district.

For Italian food you might consider Orso It is at 322 W. 46th, just west of 8th
Avenue. A reservation is most likely necessary and give yourself at least one hour, thirty minutes for dinner. The theater is a five minute walk from the restaurant

Hi Maureen...I think the nicest Sunday brunches are served at the Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel, Cafe Botanica at the Essex House Hotel on Central Park South, and Righa Royal Hotel on West 54th Street...these are pricey, but worth it...other suggestions are the Sarabeth's Kitchen locations or Isabella's on Columbus Avenue...a suggestion for Saturday afternoon is the Pierpont Morgan Library at 29 East 36th Street...I don't know what feature exhibit is there now, but it is a wonderful place to visit...then you can linger over tea and sandwiches at their Morgan Court Cafe.

Dinner before theatre: Becco. At 6:30. Get to the theatre 15 minutes before showtime, perhaps you already know this.

Saturday:American Museum of Natural History. See: an amazing show about pearls, full of real pearls; live butterflies if they're still there; a show of Hindu art. A walk in the park if it's nice.