In December,my girlfriends and I will be going to NYC for a day, to see the Christmas tree, do some shopping, and go to lunch. We are looking for a place with some atmosphere, and it not too expensive. Perferable somewhere near the area we will be in. Any suggestions are much appreciated. Thank you.

Sounds like the area you wil be in will be changing constantly

Gosh, from your description it sounds like you'll be in the 5th Avenue/Rockefeller area. If that's the case there are litterally hundreds of restaurants to choose from.

What type of cusine do you like? What does "not to expensive" mean to you? Give us aa actual dollar range. What type of "atmosphere" are you seeking (white table cloth, trendy, busy, ethnic)????

Keep in mind that if you want a place with "athmosphere" it may not meet your definition of "not too expensive".

There may be hundreds of restaurants in that area but the ones with atmosphere will be expensive and if they're not, they will be mobbed and not necessarily atmospheric. If this is a weekday, you could take advantage of some of the nicer prix fixe lunches. Asiate in the Time Warner building (inside the Mandarin Oriental) has a $24 prix fixe. There's a lovely view too. But you should prebook.

The Rock Center Cafe overlooking the skating rink is a popular option but it will be mobbed.

The restaurant inside Saks is nice especially if you sit at a table near a window (nice views) but waits there can be long during Xmas season. A hidden gem (imo) is the prix fixe menu at Caviar Russe if you like what they serve. http://www.caviarrusse.com/restaurant-caviar-menus.asp

Thanks for the replies. We will be going on a Saturday, and in order to cover everyone taste, we were thinking of American or Italian cuisine. Our price range anything $25.00 and less would be great. We would like trendy or someplace that has fun, chic decor.

I would suggest you head to Soho for shopping and lunch/brunch. There are not many trendy places in midtown near Rockefeller Center and the ones there are like the Modern or Gordon Ramsay will be pricey.

In Soho, you'll find lots of good shopping and lots of restaurants with brunch menus that are very affordable. Aquagrill is great.
http://www.aquagrill.com/brunchpage.htm

If you don't want to go all the way downtown, try Cookshop in Chelsea. It's not far from the Macy's area or the Union Square area with lots of discount shopping. You need reservations at either of these.

Thank you for your suggestions. Sounds like a good place for shopping and the Aquagrill looks like it has a fantastic menu.
Where is Cookshop?

Here are some restaurants that my friends and I like in NY:

http://www.nextstop.com/explore/?bre...w834vA&start=0

They are in all different locations, so hopefully you'll find something near you!

http://www.cookshopny.com/200_menus/200_menus.htm

I like Julie's list too. Balthazar in Soho is a very popular brunch place. So much so, that it's usually packed (and very loud).

For a girlfriends trip, I love Divine Bar, which is on 54th between B'way and 8th Avenue. It's near Columbus Circle if you're planning to visit there at all (there's a great holiday market, and it's at the south entrance of Central Park).

Divine Bar is a wine/tapas place, really cozy and lounge-like.
http://divinebar.ypguides.net/

Definitely go to "Restaurant Row" in the theatre district - great food and reasonable prices and just one restaurant after another !! Most all of them have Price Fix for the theatre goers. Da Rosina is my fav Italian !!