restaurant advice please
 

My friend and I are staying at the Iroquois on W. 44th, near 6th Ave. (close to Times Square) Is there a good restaurant walkable from our hotel that is not expensive but really good? (We will reserve DB Bistro Moderne next door pre theater) We tried Virgil's BBque, Ruby Foo's and John's Pizzeria last year and want to try something new.

You might want to repost this thread as

"Restaurant advice near the Iroquois/Times Square"

You might get some hits this way..

on 44th between 5-6th aves is
www.kellari-parea.com which has
great Greek and fish dishes.

Web site for Kellari's says they are on E 20th street which is not anywhere near requested location.

I think Rhea may have accidentally clicked the wrong thing on a website. Here is the website for the sister restaruant Kellari Taverna which IS on 44th near 6th.

http://kellari.us/

It's a little more pricey that the three you mention, but excellent. There are also discount coupons for it on restaurant.com

Also (right by Virgil's) on 44th is St. Andrews, a nice Scottish themed restaurant with good food and great prices -- super salmon and other thing.
http://standrewsnyc.com

Akdeniz Turkish
Utsav Indian

If you're coming in Feb. restaurant week pricing has been extended at many places. Look on opentable.com
There are also lots of recession deals floating around. If you're not going to the theater, you should really try another neighborhood too. Nero in the meatpacking district has good value dinners.

Thanks for your help. We won't be arriving until the end of April but are concerned about walking alone at night. Is Hell's Kitchen area too far to walk? Italian would be our top ethnic choice.

mclaurie reminds me that Utsav --very close to you -- is wonderful for lunch. I'm not a big lover of Indian restaurants, as I never seem to want a whole dish of one thing, but they do a wonderful lunch buffet that is not only very reasonable, but gives you a great variety of tastes of excellent food.

And no, Hell's Kitchen is not too far to walk in my book. In fact there are a lot of great choices near 44th and 9th. It should take you maybe 15 minutes to walk there from your hotel. (Getting across Broadway and 7th is the hardest part).

Thanks NeoPatrick. I posted again because someone mentioned at the top of this thread that I might get more hits if I repost.

Oh. I see now. You did repost with a more complete title. Sorry.

NeoPatrick--I just read ALL of your trip report--wow! So much information and filled with such passion and emotion. I was so saddened to learn of Lee's passing--but so many wonderful memories linger for you.

I am eager to try some of the restaurants you mentioned in your report--thank you so much for taking the time to help so many of us.

I am currently in search of the perfect pizza in the Times Square area--John's was most disappointing last year. Any suggestions

Don't limit yourself to Times Square. You're in Tourist Hell even though you are one in reality. Check out the city and look at some restaurants that aren't part of the tourist trap and you'll experience a real New York Restaurant.
Restaurant week has been extended so be sure to take advantage of that.
Go downtown to Chelsea, or Tribeca -these are the restaurants that locals go to. One of my favorite Tapas places is Flur DeSol at 361 Greenwhich Street 212-366-1640.
Great food - and on Saturday nights there is live entertainment. Its small in there, but great service, great people to look at and you'll be in a great part of the city away from the craziness of Times Square. when you're done with dinner there are so many great places for you to wander into - literally wander into. Don't be so afraid of the city. Keep your wits about you and enjoy yourself.
Enjoy your stay.
Hey... you know Brooklyn is a great place to vist too. :)

"Go downtown to Chelsea, or Tribeca -these are the restaurants that locals go to."

Huh? Which locals? Locals go to all parts of Manhattan. Locals in the UWS are more likely to go to places there, likewise on UES -- or whatever. Steffiemax, do you ever go to any of the hundred or more restaurants along Ninth Avenue between 42nd and 52nd? They are FILLED with locals 7 nights a week.

JudyADenver, thanks for the nice thoughts. I'm not that much of a pizza eater, so don't really have suggestions in that category. I tend to like very thin crust pizzas and they are not the norm in NYC. We traveled to the much touted Diva in Soho for pizza that I had read such raves about (from locals supposedly) and while it was thin crust it was nothing better than mediocre.