My husband and I will be in NYC for four nights in December, and I really want to eat at Per Se. I know how hard it is to secure this reservation and I've read the rules about calling 60 days in advance.

I also read that opentable.com only offers one seating for four available - I think it was 5:30pm - so that wouldn't work for us since it will only be the two of us (is that true about only offering one seating for four?).

So, here are my questions:

1. If the first night I'm trying to get a reservation for is December 28th, does that mean I call at 10am on October 28th or do you actually count the 60 days in advance so that with October having 31 days, I would call at 10am on October 29th?

2. If the October 28th date is correct, that is a Sunday. Does Per Se take reservations on Sunday mornings at 10am, or does it roll over to Monday? Does that make sense?

Any advice on these questions or any other general tips would be helpful. Thanks!

Can't answer any of your questions, but if you're staying at a hotel, ask the concierge if they can help.

I'd also post your questions on chowhound.com Manhattan forum (and maybe do a search there for answers).

Or simply pick up one of those old fashioned phone things and call Per Se or the Mandarin Oriental and ASK them.

How about budget help? Per Se opened three years ago with a $125 five-course menu and a $150 nine-course menu. I think it is at $250 now, not including $175 wine pairings and $30-$100 supplements for certain courses using special ingredients. That's per person, including service. A couple could easily drop $1,000 there without even trying.

Oh well, it's your dime. The best way to answer your question is by calling the restaurant. Try them in the afternoon when they aren't busy taking reservations. And then set aside an hour on the morning in question for speed-dialing. Or ask your hotel concierge to make the reservation for you. Or call the week of to get on their cancellation list.

I perused the menu at PerSe early last December, on a Friday night, and the two menu offerings were, respectively, $310 and $450 per person, depending on the number of courses. The next day I ran into someone who happened to be there the previous night and said that it was out of this world, worth every penny, etc. (although she wasn't picking up the tab, so who knows?)

I believe it's 2 months to the calendar date--so call October 28th. The reservations desk should be open on a Sunday. Again, though, like the other posters mentioned, you might want to doublecheck.

The prix-fixe menu is $250, inclusive of service but not of tax. You can buy wine by the bottle--the wine pairing is not necessary.

You must have access to speed dial and you should start calling by 9:59 or so. Be patient and good luck to you!

Thank you to for your responses except NeoPatrick's. That's fine to suggest I call Per Se, but can't you put it a little more tactfully?

Oh, geez. Please don't tell me you found that offensive. I certainly didn't mean it to be. It's just that we all get hung up about what website and I mentioned that a phone still works better for some things. The easiest and best way to get a definitive answer which you are looking for. I really hope you didn't take offense. Can't we use even a shred of humor here?

Okay, then I apologize for taking it the wrong way. I guess I was feeling a bit defensive because it was also being pointed out to me how much the meal will cost, etc. I KNOW how much the meal will cost - I do my research before I travel, which is what I'm trying to do to figure HOW to pay $250/person for a meal. Anyway, I will take your suggestion and call Per Se. I'll also repost the answer I get in case anyone is interested.

Hi Becca, I wanted to go to Babbo for my birthday last year, and the calling 30 days in advance confused me too! It was actually 30 calendar days, not a month, and yes they had phone operators taking reservations on a Sunday. I would bet its the same for Per Se. Good luck!

Thanks Becca. And I know what you mean about the lectures. I hate it when someone asks about a place and others tell them there are other places cheaper or better or whatever. Some people don't get that "cheaper" is not always the answer.

I guess if my answer seemed "curt" it was because I really don't get the idea of seeking out another website, registering and posting the question, then checking back for a few days for an answer, when the question could be answered with a simple phone call.

Becca........I wish you the best but I would not waste my hard earned money on Per Se. I've traveled all over the U. S. and had some great meals at much better places. If you want a great time in NYC go to Restaurant Daniel. I have the Maitre D's cell phone and I would be happy to get you a reservation there. There are a lot of better choices than Per Se. Daniel, Cafe Boulud, Eleven Madison Park, Jean Georges, Del Posto, Babbo, Il Mulino, Aureole, Felidia, et al. I'm from Mississippi but I have been to NYC over 35 times. It's my wife's favorite city and I'm going back November 28th.

But to answer your question about Per Se here's the deal. You call two months before you want a reservation. If you want a table on December 5 then call on October 5th. If I'm not mistaken it's not exactly 60 days rather it's two months prior to the numberical date. When you do call you will most likely get a busy signal as everyone who wants a table on that date will be calling. Finally if you are persistent you will get an answer but it will be an automated reply telling you their business hours, location, dress code, etc. When you do finally get someone on the line if you want to eat at 7:30 you will be too late. Per Se most likely holds their best hours for their best customers. You will be told 6PM or 10:30 PM or something like that. I actually called two days in a row for my wife's birthday dinner but both times a 7:30 time was taken and I don't eat at 10:30 at night so I took a 12:30 lunch reservation. The room is huge and the tables were very spread out. It could be different now. The service was excellent but they try their best to drag your meal time out a long time I guess so you will buy their high priced wine. We had a 3 1/2 hour lunch and my wife was really mad. I wouldn't go back if you paid for it. No food is worth this much trouble. And also the portions are very small and there's like 30 minutes in between each serving. If you like this go ahead but I advise otherwise. Good luck with your choice. If you need help at Daniel let me know. Bon Appetit.

Ike with all due respect, there are MANY people who have eaten at Per Se who would totally disagree with you. And you recommend Il Mulino -- the WORST meal at any price I've ever had in New York -- not even considering the price. It's possible you had a bad experience at Per Se, like we had at Il Mulino (well, no yours couldn't have been as bad as ours). It's possible that your taste is difference from the poster. But I didn't really see her asking for opinions on the restaurant. For all we know there might be a major reason she wants to go there that we couldn't even guess. It's really none of our business.

Comments like "no food is worth that much trouble" indicates alone that many people would disagree with you. Value judgements are best left for those who ask for them.

Actually, although I have never eaten at Per Se, you may have just convinced me it might be worth it after all. I detest oversized portions, so the small portions suit me fine. I LOVE taking a long time for an expensive meal and 30 minutes between courses sounds great. Huge room with tables spread out? What a welcome relief. Yep, thanks for making the whole experience sound great to me.

If you have an American Express Platinum card, call the concierge service to make reservations for you. Even if they are unable to secure reservations at first, ask them to keep trying. They have been very successful at getting me reservations to "hard to reserve" places.

Now I feel bad, NeoPatrick - thank you for defending my Per Se choice! He is right, I didn't ask an opinion about Per Se as a restaurant - just getting reservations. I know the price is outlandish, truly. But it's something I've made up my mind to do. My parents were able to eat there a few years ago (on someone else's dime) and absolutely loved it. What can I say? I'm just a gal from Tennessee. We may have some really great Southern cuisine and some truly fine restaurants in their own right, but nothing can beat the experience and food that I understand Per Se can provide. We will be in NYC in the days leading up to New Year's, and I just want to do it up right. And that's why I picked Per Se. (I've got to admit, too, I'm excited at the challenge of trying to get in the impossible-to-get-a-reservation restaurant!) Thanks to everyone for your suggestions!

Becca: All of the naysayers who responded to your post would have gotten me annoyed too. I have eaten at Per Se as well as many of the other high end restaurants in New York. Per Se is an absolutely wonderful meal... a once in a lifetime type of experience. The service is impeccable. Yes, it takes a long time... there are 9 courses, what do people expect! And small portions? The portions are more than ample given that you are eating so many courses. There are some extra courses that they bring you that are not on the menu. I went over a year ago but I think that we had 12 different "courses." I barely ate the entire day before the meal and was not hungry again until late afternoon the next day. Definitely eat light before you go so that you can enjoy every bite. There is no specific "wine pairing." The sommelier will talk to you about your likes and dislikes and suggest wines accordingly. You can get a different wine for every course or just a couple that will go with more than one course. The wines are great and many of them can be found at local wine shops.

Per Se is worth every penny. Good luck with your reservation quest and enjoy every minute of the experience!

A business colleague once called his senator's office to get him a last minute reservation to Charlie Trotter's. Ridiculous, but it worked.

I loved Per Se, but it is child's play compared to Alinea's 20 course meal in Chicago. Visit the website and drool, drool, drool. : - )

I'd also recommend calling the restaurant to find out the exact details of their telephone reservation policy. Apart from the telephone path, the Per Se reservation success stories that I've heard have involved either the AmEx Platinum concierge service, or the Mandarin Oriental concierge. But do post at chowhound.com to see if you can find any up-to-date tips there.

In light of Chef Thomas Ke