Please recommend some restaurants in a few specific Manhattan neighborhoods
 

I had a little time at home this morning (becuase my way into work was flooded) to closely review the NYC restaurant recommendations that I have saved. Who am I kidding? So many of them were in the $$$$ to $$$$$ range. No way am I really going to spend that much for our family of 5.

What I need are a couple of recommendations for good, family friendly restaurants in the $20 to $30 per person range (not including alcohol), in the following neighborhoods:

1. Near Metropolitan Museum of Art/that part of Central Park. (Should we just eat at a place in the musuem?)

2. Good place for lunch in Grand Central Station or that area.

3. Chinatown.

4. Lower Manhattan/Battery Park.

5. Place to pick up quick breakfast food near Rockefeller Plaza.

I think I've got the theatre district and Greenwich Village covered.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

1) Here are the dining options at the Met. I don't like the cafeteria, but the Balcony Cafe should be nice.
http://www.metmuseum.org/visitor/dining_main.htm
If you want to go outside, there's a coffee shop on Madison Ave. & 81 st. that's good-there's Cafe Grazie on 84 st. just off Fifth Ave. and there's a Sofia pizza place at 79 st & Madison.

2)INSIDE Grand Central there are loads of options. There's a Two Boots pizza and the famous Oyster Bar is good if you sit at the counter for clam chowder and maybe some oysters. Juniors deli(famous for their cheesecake) is also inside the terminal.

3) Depends on what king of food you want, Szechuan, Cantonese, dimsum etc. Most places there are very inexpensive.

4)At Battery Park, Southwest is pretty good and it's a nice spot to sit. PJ Clarke's has opened in the financial center and while I've not been to that location, their burgers are usually good.

5)There's a Dean & Deluca right there for drinks and pastry. If you want a sit down place, there's a Burger Heaven on 49 st. & Madison. There's a food court downstairs in Rock. Ctr. but can't remember what would be appropriate for breakfast.

1. Near Metropolitan Museum of Art/that part of Central Park. (Should we just eat at a place in the musuem?)

The museum cafe is OK or the rooftop vending cart has upscale fancy sandwiches and drinks, but not particularly comfortable seating on benches. When we're in that nabe it's either Cafe Sbarsky in the Neue Gallery for a fancy viennese breakfast or lunch with fantastic desserts; or Pain Quotidian, on Madison and 84th, an upscale chain with good breakfasts, muffins, snadwiches and limited entree dishes. Or you can get picnic supplies at dean and Deluca, also at madison and 84th. Or you can walk to Mimi's Pizza on Lexington and 83rd, good reliable neighborhood pizza place, a table area to the side, have a plate of pasta or a good slice.

2. Good place for lunch in Grand Central Station or that area.
The food court in Grand Central. Pizza, deli, Indian, sushi, lots of choices, not too unreasonable.

3. Chinatown.
New Green Bo; Peking Duck house, Pings, Goody's Oriental Garden


4. Lower Manhattan/Battery Park.
lots of restaurants along Stone Street for outdoor dining - Adrienne's Pizza bar, also downtown try Smorgas chef, Gigino

5. Place to pick up quick breakfast food near Rockefeller Plaza.
There's a dean and deluca and several other bfast places

Other reasonable chains with breakfast/lunch options are Cosi, Europa cafe, Pain Quotidian, Hale and Hearty soups, Burritoville - all OK food.

I think the museum's cafeteria is pretty good -- no windows though. We usually use it, and we go fairly often. The pastas are reliable, as is the grill.

In the Grand Central area, as people have noted, the food court is acceptable. But one flight above the main concourse, at the north end of the building, (200 Park at 45th St), is Naples 45, which has good, you're almost in Italy, pizza. (Which I would stick with.)
http://www.rapatina.com/naples45/

Across the way is Cafe Centro -- good bistro fare. Both are popular with the office workers at lunch, fairly empty at dinner.

For breakfast at Rock Center go to the concourse level and try Cucina & Co it is self-serve for pastries, coffee, juice, teas, fruit, granola, and I'm pretty sure they have some hot breakfast foods too. Take your goodies to the tables located right outside the restaurant, you'll be inside in front of huge windows looking at Rock Center Cafe and you'll be cool in the a/c. Prices are less than Dean & Deluca and the food is fresh (not that D&D isn't). I LOVE Dean & Deluca but they no longer offer fruit, or granola and yogurt at that location, their breakfast items are now very limited.

Not too far from the Met, we really like a restaurant on 3rd and 83rd (? well, it's on the the southeast corner somewhere between 81st and 83rd) called Beyoglu. It's Turkish, and has great food. Reasonably priced, fun decor. We've gone twice this year for dinner with my teens, and all of us have loved it,and I'm sure it would be good for lunch, too.