I will be staying one night at the Grand Central Hyatt later this month with my 13 and 22 y/o daughters.

Looking for restaurant recommendations either within walking distance, or a short cab ride away, from the hotel. Would consider a longer cab ride for something truly unique.

Looking for great food and ambiance....not particular as to cuisine...we pretty much will try anything.

Any opinions on TAO?

Thanks in advance for your input!!

There are hundreds (thousands) of restaurants within walking distance, short cab rides and long cab rides of the Grand Central Hyatt!

Why not take a look on menupages.com and see if you can narrow the choices down a bit. Menupages.com organizes restaurants by neighborhood, cuisine, meal and price. It's a good place to start when you have no ideas at all.

Les Sans Culottes

Palm

If you love oysters. The oyster bar at GCS
is wonderful

We went to Tao soon after it first opened, many, many years and I could not recall a more overpriced, overhyped place in all my life. Maybe it has gotten better.

Another relatively close restaurant is Acquavit.

It's a challenge because generally speaking a 13 y/0 might be likely to enjoy a burger and the 22 y/0 might be looking for a piece of lean fish and some steamed veggies. Pershing Square might do for everyone but it isn't 'special', just varied and reliable albeit a little pedestrian. Menupages.com is your friend.

Tao is terminally trendy (long over). The food is OK but definitely not worth the price.

It would help to know what cuisines you like and dislike, how much you want to spend - and if you are more interested in the food - or if being truly trendy is what matters.

Pershing Square is famous for breakfast - don;t touch it any other time.

I like the crab cakes at Pershing Square. I think they're delicious! Go figure....

Thanks everyone!

We definitely do NOT want trendy or uber-hip. We want really good food that is not overly expensive in a restaurant that has a nice ambiance. We like all foods, but the kids have a preference for seafood or Asian. The 13 y/o is also a major carnivore...not so for the older child!

Yep, that's what I thought. Did you take a look at menupages.com?

Bowsprit....menupages is terrific...Thanks.

Found a Greek restaurant that got great reviews.
Lori

Which one?

Ammos Estiatorio on Vanderbilt for the Greek option.

Also looking at Hatsuhana on 48th for Japanese, Fatty Fish Manhattan on E 64th, also for Japanese and Chom Chom on W 56th for Korean tapas.sushi.

Any opinions....or other suggestions? Want to have a fun experience with the girls. Have you heard of Ninja?

Thanks Bowsprit!!

I haven't heard of any of these! I'm sure you'll get suggestions here from those who know.

I like Blue Water Grill on Union Square for seafood. Reasonably priced, buzzy atmosphere and the food is solid and very, very fresh. Good sushi to be had and decent jazz downstairs. Make a reservation! It stay crowded well after 11:00. It's a fun place and feels polished but not stuffy at all.

It stayS crowded..etc.

Ninja has been the butt of jokes since it opened. I think it got a local press award for the most laughable restaurant in the city a few years back. It is also quite expensive. I have not been there so my comments are not from experience.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/26/di...pagewanted=all


http://newyork.timeout.com/restauran...s/123942/ninja




If you want Korean food, I would direct you to West 32nd Street where the block between Broadway and 7th reminds me of Seoul. Your kids might find it interesting. I would not, by the way, recommend anyplace (on a food basis) that offers both "Korean tapas" and sushi but that is the purist in me.

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.c...-where-to-eat/


For great food in midtown you could try Ma Peche, part of the Momofuko mini-chain. There is a branch of the famous Milk Bar in the lobby and I would recommend bringing your kids here for cookies even if you do not eat here. Who could resist a "compost Cookie" made with chocolate chips and pretzels? Or a slice of their famous Crack Pie?

http://www.momofuku.com/restaurants/ma-peche/




Since you mentioned the long-running Hatsuhana, I would also suggest one of the city's most renowned sushi restaurants, and a personal favorite, is quite close to the station; it is quite a handsome place, too. Fireworks on the plate,not in the ambience.

http://www.sushiyasuda.com/home.html






The block between 5th and 6th on 39th Street has at least two very good Sichuan Chinese places.

Ninja is still open? really? I've been there, don't go. I went with a business dinner with my brother and some clients. The client who picked the restaurant was from New Jersey. They were all men and me (not male despite the confusing screen name). The first thing I said upon meeting them was 'Who's 6 year old son picked this restaurant?"


To get in the restaurant proper, you are greeting by a hostess wearing a headphone set at basically a set of elevator doors. Elevator opens, you go down to the dark. and flash, there's the ninja! The Ninja then escorts you through the secret path to the village, Oh wait there's trouble up ahead, the ninja must make some cool kicks to clear the way, then look, it's a stream, the ninja must use his ninja power to make a drawbridge magically appear. it was crazy!

Then the menu portion. Food was actually quite normal, I had a three course meal, but one of the men was like this is crazy, I'm going to go the crazy menu and chose every single extreme options possible for his 8 courses. One he had to use a special ninja sword to cut something, the next came out with soup smoking from a special ninja rock, there was a special ninja prayer, it just went on and on.

and yes, it was expensive, and not worth it.

If you really want to do something cool that your kids would like and Asian, do Gyu-Kaku which is japanese barbecue where you can actually cook your food over open flame. My 13 year old niece loved it. There's one at Astor Square which would be a quick subway ride for you from grand central and one in Midtown. Make sure you make a reservations. They are available from open table.com

So many choices, so little time....

Blue Water Grill looks very nice...like the idea of entertainment too!

Madangsui on W 35th also looks interesting...something we've never tried.

AND I still haven't ruled out Ammos Estiatorio or Chom Chom( kids love the name AND it gets great reviews on menupages.

However does one choose??!!

Blue water grill has decent sea food and would be described more as frantic than lively. (You need to scream to be heard by the person next to you.) But if your kids want a really big, loud experience - and to see a lot of young (ish) new yorkers this place will do it,