Post Broadway Dinner with Teenagers HELP!
 

Hi Everyone
We are going to see Spiderman in NYC on a saturday in Feb, and I was hoping to go to Carmines after the show to eat..
I can't get a table until 8pm!
Can anyone recommend somewhere to go with a family of 4 ..2 adults 2 teenage boys!
Thanks!
DR

Hi! I'm no NYC expert, but it will definitely help the others give you better advice if you can indicate what type of cuisine your family prefers, and maybe a price range? :-)

For us, 8pm is a prime time reservation, so they probably thought they were doing you a favor on a Saturday evening. It's not entirely clear to me if you are going to a matinee and want an early dinner or a matinee and don't want to wait until 8pm to eat. But 6pm is a little early for dinner in NYC, even in Times Square, so you should have your pick of places. Just make sure you eat somewhere within a few blocks of the theater and you can walk there from dinner or to the restaurant after the show.

If you want something similar to Carmine's, try Tony's Di Napoli (another family-style Italian restaurant). Five Napkin Burger is also popular with teens (reservations also very much required) but of course serves only burgers. There's barbecue (Virgil's), though I am not really a fan of that restaurant any longer. It used to be fairly good but has really gone into a slow, sad decline. If you want Mexican food, you could go to Rosa Mexicano near Lincoln Center, which is really big, loud, and fun (and has good food) but is a little farther away. Those are some of the obvious choices, to me at least. Becco is also fairly close and can be fun; the teens might like the all-you-can-eat pasta dinner, which is fairly reasonably priced.

I often eat at Marseille, which is close to the theater where Spiderman is playing, but it's Mediterranean French, so it might not appeal to your teens. It's also a more upscale choice and would cost more (the fixed-price menu is $35 per person).

I guess it depends on what kind of food the teens want to eat. There are many other choices, some more upscale and others more downscale.

I see you said "post" so it's still not clear to me if you want dinner at 5:30pm after a matinee or 11pm after a night performance. Most restaurants in Times Square are open both early and late, so all the choices I"ve suggested still apply.

Are you talking about a matinee performance? Are you coming into the city just for the day and need to leave before 8 pm which is pretty prime dinner time in my book? No specific suggestions for your meal, but why not have lunch before the show (assuming it's a matinee) then do something else funm then have dinner. 5pm is not really dinner time in NYC. In some neighborhoods, that's just a very late brunch. Is the idea to stay in Times Square area, because once you leave that area, you should have no problem getting a reservation

Churrascaria Plataforma

I am assuming these boys are not of the refined palate.

Virgil's, teens like this place. The only problem with Churrascaria Plataforma is that gets expensive.

And for a cheaper setting try Hallo Berlin.
http://www.halloberlinrestaurant.com/locations.htm

Agree - if you would clarify if this is a matinee or evenng performance that would help.

And 5 in the afternoon would be way early for dinner - 8 is a more usual time. But some places will definitely serve that early - although many won;t start until 6 pm.

All great helpful replies thanks!
I plan to drive into NYC and eat a quick lunch before the spiderman show at 2pm.. we should be out by 5..
My kids have enjoed Tony Dinaploi;s in the Past..and Carmines is booked solid :-(
I have a table at Sardis..how about that?
We are up for pretty much any type of food!
Thanks!
DR

Is Sardi's the one with the caricatures? We popped in there after seeing Hugh Jackman in the theater across the street. It looked dated, and stale. Didn't eat anything so can't comment on the food, but it was dead at 10:30 on a Saturday night before Christmas in NYC. that's worrisome.

People don't go to Sardis for the food. You can do much better if you wish.

Sardi's is an experience and the food, although nothing special, is fine.

You've gotten really good suggestions already but I'm surprised nobody suggested John's Pizza. It's very close to Carmine's location and everyone loves Johns. Everything on the menu is good and it's low key.

Here is an idea; you can reserve before 7pm:


http://tottonyc.com/


http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/yakitori-totto/


There are also several ramen places in the area that your kids might enjoy, like this one, but does not take reservations. They are open for early dinner and should not be crowded then:

http://tottoramen.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/di...nder.html?_r=1

People definitely do NOT go to Sardi's for the food! And, I don't think teenage boys would be that impressed with its theatrical ambiance.
IF they like BBQ, Virgil's would be a good choice.

Agree Sardi's is not a good idea with teen boys. If you want Italian, Becco is popular for their pasta dinner (but that also gets heavily booked). I like Basilica for Italian if you don't want to do John's. John's has more than pizza, but they're known for the pizza. Virgil's BBQ and the Brazil rodizio place are also good if they are big meat eaters.

As others have said, definitely not Sardi's for food. Pre/post-show drinks or dessert, maybe.

I second the recommendation of Five Napkin Burger. It's cuter/more upscale than it sounds, and has some other decent menu items in addition to burgers. John's is good as well for pizza and you might be able to get a table at 5, since it's pretty early for dinner, and there's a ton of seating there (they don't take reservations.) If the massive amount of food at Carmine's appeals, I agree with the Becco rec as well.

How much do you want to spend? There's definitely nicer, more upscale places that have decent to good food -- Orso comes to mind.

How about the Brooklyn Diner on 43rd?

http://www.brooklyndiner.com/about.htm

I suppose I'd have to agree that any charm Sardi's may have would be lost on two teenage boys.

There's the Hard Rock Cafe on West 57 Street. Also, there use to be (will have to check; went there long ago) an ESPN restaurant on Broadway aprx W. 42 to W. 45 Street. We ate downstairs and then went upstairs for the virtual sports. Bought the kids debit cards and they inserted into various (sky diving, basketball, golf, motorcycle) virtual sports.

ESPN Zone has been closed for some time now. Hard Rock Cafe is still there, but I'd never recommend anyone go there for the food, which is quite overpriced. For burgers, go to Five Napkin Burger, but make a reservation.