Restaurant recommendations please
 

Thank you for all your advice, now I need some quick advice for Saturday night and also for restaurants around our hotel.
We arrive Saturday afternoon after attending seminar in Princeton. We have tickets to Wicked at the Gershwin. I understand it is impossible to get a cab between 3 and 6, so we think we should eat close to the hotel and then catch a cab to the show. Can you recommend a reasonably priced restaurant(s) near our hotel, the Wingate by Whndham, 235 W 35st St.? Reasonable for us is in the neighborhood of $35-40 per person. IF there aren't any in that price range, then cheap but fairly good. Thank you in advance.

in New York City ;-)

You should really put the city in your title, Mary. What a drag!

I will assume it is Manhattan, sweetie darling.

Your hotel is in an absolutely dreadful neighborhood. DREADFUL!

However, I recommend Le Zie at 7th Ave/20th St., in Chelsea.

www.lezie.com

Thingorjus

How dreadful?

Very dreadful. Not dangerous, but boring. It is a wasteland near Penn Station. There really isn't anything interesting in that area.

I would call it a "non-neighborhood."

Thingorjus

Why not just jump on the subway (instead of a cab) and eat somewhere near the show? Lots of places to choose from who cater to the pre-theatre crowd.

Dreadfully boring is OK, as long as it is not dangerous!

Check out one of these -


http://www.stoutnyc.com/
http://www.fatanniestruckstop.com/
http://www.menupages.com/restaurantd...taurantid=3961

All are near one another. They get really crowded with the after work crowd though.

First, you've been misinformed about a cab. Because your hotel is in the area around Penn station, there will be plenty of cabs and I would judge easier to find earlier in the day vs. just before the theater when traffic is horrible. But even so, the theater district is walkable (10-15 mins.) from your hotel or take a subway or a bus up 6th ave. Hopstop.com will give you info on walking, bus, subway options.

Second, I agree the area immediately around your hotel is not great for nicer restaurants (but perfectly safe). What I would do is head toward the theater for dinner and eat near the theater. If you can get a reservation, ViceVersa is a popular Italian near the theater that has a good value prix fixe dinner. It shows no availability on opentable.com but I would phone them. Bar Americain, Roberto Passon, Thalia are other options near the theater. Look on menupages.com for reviews and other options.

Thank you for your advice McLaurie, I feel much better. Looking forward to a great time in NYC!
Thanks to all that posted.

ViceVersa was my mother's favourite restaurant in Manhattan. The casconcelli bergamasca is fantastic!

Thingorjus

Sorry, but I disagree with your basic premise. I'd much rather be searching or even waiting for a cab to go to dinner, than waiting for one after dinner to get to the theatre. I say eat near the theatre.
Roberto Passon a block away is a good bet, as is Thalia right across the street from Wicked. Vice Versa and Maria Pia, both a block away are also good bets.

hayjax, I stayed at the Wingate a month ago and had no problem with it whatsoever. It is a little off the beaten path, but the upside of that is it's a very quiet hotel. We only ate in the vicinity of the hotel one night, just wanted something quick that was nearby--ended up being TGI Friday's. I do NOT recommend it. I think you'll have better luck looking for something closer to the theater. This may get mixed opinions, but we really enjoyed the Hard Rock Cafe, and it was cheaper AND better food than TGI Friday's. There is a bar at the hotel, which often set up tables out on the patio and had a jazz band some nights. We didn't go, but saw people sitting outside each night when we returned to the hotel. I think they serve food, but I am not 100% sure. We stopped at The Bread Factory (on 7th, somewhere between 35th & 37th) two nights to pick up dessert on the way back to the hotel. I DO recommend that place. Hope you have a nice trip!