Traveling to NY for Christmas would love Restaurants suggestions around the theater district

This is just personal taste, but I would avoid Bar American (Bobby Flay) and Ruby Foo's.

I highly recommend that you walk AWAY from the crowds in midtown: head west toward Eighth and Ninth Avenues, and take the bus up or downtown. It's so easy, and you get to sightsee from the windows. Also, if you want to get totally schooled on the taxi options in NYC such as Uber, this is a helpful series of articles. http://nymag.com/news/features/taxi-fare-disputes-2014-7/

Ah, the wonder of holiday crowds and cheer in New York City. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

I’m adapting a list I made for friends not long ago. Not sure how familiar you are with the city or its public transportation, so I apologize if any of this is “too much information.” I’m including some Upper West Side spots because it’s so easy to take the bus uptown on Eighth Avenue, and you can sight-see from the windows during your trip. But you have to buy your metro card at a subway station, can’t do it on the bus. While you’re doing that in the subway, go to the staffed booth and ask for free bus or subway map.



Breakfast / Brunch / Lunch and maybe dinner too

Sullivan Street Bakery
http://www.sullivanstreetbakery.com
47 btwn 10/11

Bouchon Bakery & Cafe
http://www.thomaskeller.com/time-warner-new-york/bouchon-bakery-café
Inside the Time Warner Center, Eighth Ave and 59
Avoid Bouchon Bakery at Rockefeller Center (the epicenter of Christmas Tree country). It’s take-out coffee and pastries, and will be jammed.

Fairway Café upstairs, Upper West Side
http://www.fairwaymarket.com/departments/upper-west-side-cafe/

Barney Greengrass, Upper West Side
http://www.barneygreengrass.com/restMenu.php
Amsterdam btwn 86/87
Renowned for lox and bagels

Sarabeth’s, Upper West Side
Amsterdam btwn 80/81
http://www.sarabethsrestaurants.com/upper-west-side

Alice’s Tea Shop
http://alicesteacup.com/
73 btwn Columbus and Amsterdam
After your meal, walk south on Columbus Avenue from 73 to 66/Lincoln Center. Columbus is very pretty at Christmas – small shops lit up. Amsterdam and Broadway are not as pretty, imho.


Greenwich Village – Tea & Sympathy (English tea shop)
http://www.teaandsympathynewyork.com/




Lunch, Dinner

TheBreslin.com
One of April Bloomfield’s restaurants (“A Girl and Her Pig” cookbook)
29 btwn 5/Bway

La Bonne Soupe
LaBonneSoupe.com
55 btwn 5/6
I think it’s one of the best deals for decent food at reasonable prices in midtown. Great prix fixe offerings. Someone in your group, please have the onion soup. Omelettes and steak frites also good.


Via Brazil
http://www.viabrasilrestaurant.com/
46 btwn 5/6
Very good and reasonable prices – try any of the beef skewers, seafood stew. Well, it’s all good.

Ipanema (Brazilian)
http://www.ipanemanyc.com/
46 btwn 5/6

http://churrascariaplataforma.com/
49 btwn 8/9
Fun place – Brazilian “all you can eat” buffet. The trick with this place is that they count on you loading up first at the buffet bar. When you’re done with that, you turn a disk at your table and then the strolling waiters start bringing by all the beef, pork and chicken offerings.

Cho Dang Gal (Korean)
http://www.cdgnyc.com/
35 btwn 5/6
Moderately priced, low-key decor

Danji (Korean)
http://www.danjinyc.com/
52nd btwn 8/9
Be prepared for a wait


The Modern
http://www.themodernnyc.com/
On the ground floor of Museum of Modern Art. Upscale, pricey. Does not require purchasing an entrance ticket to the museum.
The dining room looks out on the beautiful sculpture garden at MOMA, but don’t worry about a reservation for a window seat because it will be dark by dinner time.
The bar is quite lively and has a smaller menu – it would be a nice place to have a drink and a bite to eat.
If you plan to buy tickets to tour the museum, there’s also a decent café, Terrace 5, on the 5th floor, that overlooks the beautiful sculpture garden

Molyvos.com
7 Ave btwn 55/56
Very good Greek

Hallo Berlin
http://www.halloberlinrestaurant.com/
10 Ave btwn 44/45
The best sausages, wursts and beer in NYC – very casual

Salumeria – Upper West Side
http://salumeriarosi.com/
Amsterdam btwn 73/74

Bar Americain (American, Bobby Flay), Le Bernardin (seafood, Eric Ripert) and The Modern (American, Danny Meyer) are all good higher end places near the theater district. A few more economical options are Toloache (Mexican), Thalia (American/sushi), eatery (American), 44 and X (American) and Ruby Foo's (pan-Asian). I agree with others that better NY experiences can certainly be had outside the theater district.

I like Churrascaria Plataforma, a Brazilian steakhouse.

http://churrascariaplataforma.com/

Nan, have a bunch of ideas to post for you but it would help to know if your group can walk four to eight city blocks without trouble, weaving through midtown holiday crowds?

New York's "Theater District" is really the Times Square area. Not a place a civilized gourmand would hunt for dinner unless you like places like Guy Fieri's. Trattoria dell' Arte is up at 57th and 7th, opposite Carnegie Hall. They get a big dinner rush before Carnegie performances. From there it's an easy stroll to the theaters.
For something casual there are at least three restaurants inside Eataly, which is almost a museum of food. You can easily catch an uptown subway train in time for curtain.

Don't eat in the theatre district or spend time there if you don't have to. I know it sounds snarky, but it's the best honest advice I can give. I'd suggest going downtown, but you have solid options uptown, too, and if you stay on the west side, everything is easily accessible by subway, if you don't want to cab.

Ditto Becco - good food, nice low key atmosphere and they have a well priced pasta tasting menu where (as I recall) you get an appetizer, then waiters circulate with platters of 3 different pastas, including seconds (or I guess, thirds.) Usually a nice assortment. I used to do office parties there, and everyone always loved it. Very convenient too.

Lots of the restaurants in the theater district are overpriced and mediocre. One that definitely stands out is Triomphe in the Iroquois Hotel on 44th between 5th & 6th. The room is intimate and inviting and the food is outstanding. The lobby bar makes outstanding cocktails as well. Actually, in that same block is Daniel Boulud's DB Bistro Moderne. Food and service are excellent.
Another reliable and affordable place is Becco, the Bastianich's pasta restaurant on West 46th Street. Le Bernardin is indeed close by -- and it's wonderful, but awfully pricy unless you're up for a super splurge. Their sommelier Aldo Sohm recently opened a wine bar close by that is much more reasonably priced.

Amy's Bread for Breakfast. For dinner Bobby Flay's "Bar Americain" or Dave Pasternack's seafood mecca "Esca". A few blocks away, but still within striking distance is the "21 Club" a true NY experience (of Gordon Gekko fame when he orders Charlie Sheen the "Steak Tartare") or "Le Bernadin" which now has a more casual sister restaurant across the way.