Where to have dinner????

Hi there

Myself and my mum are off to NYC in 3 weeks time for 6 nights. We have booked 3 shows and were wondering what the best places to have dinner (near theatre) , and whether to go before or after show.

Heres where and when the shows are on:

The Producers

Wednesday, March 16 at 8:00 PM

St. James Theatre

246 West 44th Street

Riverdance

Thursday March 17, 8:00 pm

Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY

- we were thinking about eating at the rock centre cafe, whats it like? Also I found a site: www.restaurantassociates.com/corp/default.asp that offered a 50 dollar birthday voucher when you spend 50 dollars. The rock centre cafe was included in this offer. My question is has anybody used this voucher and if so do you need to prove its your birthday with ID. Its my mums birthday on 28th but I said it was the 20th so we would get the voucher in time - will this be ok???

Chicago

Sunday, March 20 at 7:00 PM

Ambassador Theatre

215 West 49th street

Thanks a million for all your help and advice so far

Niamh

Where to have dinner????

I do think you have to prove it%26#39;s your b%26#39;day with a driver%26#39;s license etc. and I think it can be within the week or two, no? The Sea Grill is another option and is a better rest. than the Rock Center Cafe. Whether to eat before or after is your personal preference. Many NYers prefer eating after so there%26#39;s no rush. You%26#39;re also more likely to see celebs after if that matters.

Joe Allen%26#39;s is a popular casual American rest. with good food, good atmosphere and not too expensive. Go after the show and you%26#39;re likely to see celebs. On the same street (known as restaurant row) is Lattanzi, Orso and Becco--all good Italians.

Depending on how long you%26#39;re in NY, I do urge you to get out of the theater district for dining. So if it%26#39;s a short trip, have at least a meal or 2 downtown.

Where to have dinner????

Thanks Nywhiz

we are staying for 6 nights - so we will get a chance to eat downtown and we are also staying on the UWS so I%26#39;m sure we%26#39;ll sample whats to offer in that area also.

Thanks for the great advice

(I%26#39;m SOOO excited to see Whiz back.... you%26#39;ve been missed, and talked about!)

THE PRODUCERS

You%26#39;re near Restaurant Row, so any of those are convenient. You will need a reservation wherever you go though. Joe Allen%26#39;s and Orso are the toughest to get into (by the way, they%26#39;re both owned by Joe Allen though the restaurants couldn%26#39;t be more different from each other). For the enormously popular Joe Allen, you even need a reservation for apres-theater dining.

www.joeallenrestaurant.com

www.orsorestaurant.com

The best pizza in the city is right next door to the St. James Theater -- John%26#39;s Pizzeria, in a converted church. You can usually get a table here even without a reservation.

The best barbecue in the city is also on W. 44th, just the other side of Times Square -- Virgil%26#39;s BBQ. It%26#39;s a big family-style place with scrumptious food.

www.virgilsbbq.com

A few blocks away are a few additional excellent choices -- the two bistros -- Le Madeleine (www.lemadeleine.com) and Marseille (www.marseillenyc.com) are very good (I prefer Le Madeleine), as is the Italian seafooder, Esca. All three are on 43rd St. just off 9th Avenue.

RIVERDANCE

I prefer Rock Center Cafe over the Sea Grill. They%26#39;re both touristy and both overlook the skating rink, so the view%26#39;s great. Rock Center Cafe is casual, with good burgers. The Sea Grill, even with the $50 coupon, is too expensive for too little food. You shouldn%26#39;t spend $100 and be hungry an hour later!

For expensive seafood, I much prefer Joseph Citarella%26#39;s, on 6th Ave. at 49th St. (www.josephcitarella.com)

There%26#39;s a moderately priced seafood place across the street, City Lobster. Avoid this place at all costs -- they give new meaning to the word mediocre.

On W. 50th St. between 6th-7th Aves. is Osteria Stella, a big noisy Italian restaurant that%26#39;s good.

(www.osteria-stella.com)

CHICAGO

In addition to the Restaurant Row choices and the ones just mentioned above, you might like Ruby Foo%26#39;s, on 49th %26amp; Broadway, a pan-Asian restaurant. It%26#39;s a bit on the glitzy side, and some feel it%26#39;s too touristy, but it must be popular for a reason and it%26#39;s always crowded.

(www.brguestrestaurants.com)

I like Vice Versa, an ';adult'; Northern Italian restaurant on W. 52nd. It has a subdued atmosphere and comfortable, well-spaced seating (unusual in NY). Next door to that is the less expensive casual Italian, Maria Pia. (www.mariapianyc.com)

Have a fabulous time, and bon appetit!

Thanks Bettina ;) Talked about?? Oh my.

You can Call Joe Allen%26#39;s excatley one week in advance of when you want to go and they%26#39;ll take your reservation...we had no trouble getting a reservation when we called last week.

Have fun!

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