jomale

My mom and I will be in New York around Easter and need a great dinner place in close walking distance to Lincoln Center since we will be going to the Thursday evening opera at the Met.

I've done some research and come up with a few places, but some of them i know nothing about. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Here are some of the places I found out, any suggestions would be great:

Cafe Mozart
Picholine
The restaurants at Lincoln Center (Vilar Grand Tier and Panevino)
Vince and Eddies
Cafe Des Artistes
Jean Georges
West 63rd street Steakhouse


Thanks!

cyberUK

Hi Jomale
It depends which opera you are seeing. Thursday 4/8 Butterfly or Thursday 4/15 Don Gio?

Jean Georges would be a great Butterfly type of restaurant, ie not heavy, light, where the delicate flavors sing harmoniously.
Picholine is very nice for this also, but I like JG better. It is more of a theatrical experience, although the room at JG is a bit austere.

On the other hand, Don Giovanni may require a bit more substance, The steakhouse might have been a good choice, but I believe that they are closed.
Cafe Des Artistes is a neighborhood icon, but (I think) past it's prime.

Forget the two at the Opera house (grand tier) and the Panevino next door. There is no reason to even speak about them in the context of these other places, except for their convenience. If it is raining, you might want to stay dry, but don't go for any other reason.
Directly across the street is a local place called Josephina's that is pretty good, but not in the league of JG or Picholine
There is a place on 60th called Gabriel's where you might even spot a basso or tenor singing that evening. The food is Heavy Italian, but really good. Prices will be much less than JG or Picholine, but the experience will be also.
To be completely honest, I would never pass up a chance to eat at Jean Georges, one of my favorite places to eat in all of NY
are you aware of the prices at these places? Dinner for two at JG with wine could run $350, Picholine about the same, Cafe des Artistes about 100 less, Gabriel's about 150 - 175
Josephina about 125 - 150

Eating well and opera are two of life?s great pleasures. The new production Of Don Gio at the Met is wonderful
Hope this helps, enjoy

jomale

CyberUK, thanks so much for the advice. We will be seeing madame butterfly. My first opera experience, so we want to make sure it's accompanied by a great meal.

I'm now going to choose between Picholine and Jean Georges. It may depend on where we can get a reservation.

Thanks again!

cyberUK

I think you should like M. Butterfly, Puccini is the best way to start. In addition to the other suggestions I made, JG has a room outside of the main room where the reservation clerk may offer you a seat. It is called Nougatine. The menu is somewhat limited, but the quality is the same. It is considerably less expensive, and might be a good way to do a pre theater dinner. JG proper is more of an experience place, and is worth lingering in.
Either way, you should enjoy the food, and I hope, the opera.
Cheers

HowardR

I would throw Gabriel's into the mix as well.

cyberUK

I agree Howard, Gabriel's is a favorite of mine too.
A good way to get into the "Italian" mood, some mezzaluna, some brunello, some arias.
Ahhhh.....multo buono

eliztrav

West 63rd St. Steakhouse was in the former Emprire Hotel. It definitely is closed (as is the Empire). The restaurant was a casualty of 9/11 & restaurant attendance/tourism dropoff, according to the staff.

While not in the league of a Jean Georges or Picholine, also in the immediate Lincoln Center area are Fiorello's and Rosa Mexicano.

wantsomesun

Our favorite in the Lincoln Center area is Pomodoro, which is on Columbus at 70th St, a short walk. Also Italian, good service, really good food, and very well priced. Also a decent wine list.

Dinner for 2 with drinks will run around $75.00.

Have a fun evening M Butterfly is wonderful and the met is sure to impress you if you have never been in the hall.

At intermission you might want to enjoy a glass of champagene to make the evening even a bit more special. They serve refreshments on at least 2 levels.


You might get a libretto before the performance or look up online the entire story and I am sure you know that on the back of each seat is a kyron translation so you know what they are singing about.

jomale

Thanks for all the great suggestions. We ended up making reservations at Picholine. The champagne during intermission sounds like a great idea!!

eliztrav

Picholine is a great choice. We will be there for pre-opera dinner later this month. Caveat: if you are going before the opera rather than after, be sure to tell them your curtain time! You don't want to be rushed or late for the MET.
Champagne during intermission from one of the bars is a nice, festive touch, but don't be surprised at a price of about $9 per plastic glass.