Need a dinner recommendation near Town Hall, in NY

March 15, 2014 7:56 AM

I'm meeting up with a friend to attend a concert at Town Hall in New York next month, so I need some dining suggestions.

Here are the criteria I'm hoping to hit:

- walking distance to Town Hall, keeping in mind I'll be dolled up, so preferably <0.5 mile, max. We're driving in, so we want to park near the venue and walk to dinner & back.
- I'm really careful about what I eat, so somewhere that has really fresh, healthy offerings is really important to me.
- this is a friend I don't get to see very often, so I'm hoping for somewhere nice-ish. Table service & cloth napkins sort of dealie
- non-chain
- mid-tier to higher(ish) end is fine. Not Per Se higher end, but entrees in the 25-60 range is fine.
- his only request is not Indian or Ethiopian.

I think those are the big ones. Come at me, diners!

posted by shiu mai baby to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (10 answers total)

Being less than 0.5 mile from Town Hall is a pretty tough constraint.

A lot of the better Times Square/Midtown West restaurants are going to be a few blocks west and north of 43th St and 6th Ave. You're basically right by Times Square, notorious for being a wasteland of good food, though it's gotten better if you like/eat ethnic food or can walk closer to Hell's Kitchen. In this neighborhood, also, many of the restaurants are geared towards tourists, office workers grabbing lunch to go, or visitors on expense accounts.

Healthy options in Midtown are also geared more towards delis, salad bars, takeout counters, etc. and not sit down restaurants. Not exactly the best/most comfortable place to catch up with a friend.

Not sure what you mean by healthy, too -- salad, grilled chicken breast, grilled fish?

Would Japanese or seafood work?

If so, I would look at Oceana or Sushiden (6th Ave location).

Since you're dining pre-show, make a reservation wherever you end up.

You'll probably get more ideas if you post on Chowhound, too.
posted by kathryn at 9:13 AM on March 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

Aureole. I will let you determine if the prices are in line... but the service, the food, etc is top of line, even for New York City. If you are interested, make a reservation now. It gets booked way in advance.
posted by elf27 at 9:28 AM on March 15, 2014

Ditto Kathryn's concerns above. I work in the area, and it's hard. Each of these is a hair further than .5 miles, but not terribly so. Can you swp shoes?
CityLobster - delicious sea food of all stripes
Capital Grille, it's technically chain but so few that it's probably not worth ruling out on that categoy
posted by TravellingCari at 9:55 AM on March 15, 2014

Sushi Zen on 44th.
posted by brujita at 4:06 PM on March 15, 2014

BXL -- right next door! Great little Belgian bar / café. An oasis in Times Square; mix of regulars from the big office buildings nearby, people on their way home via Port Authority, and European tourists looking for the replays of the day's European soccer in season.

http://bxlrestaurants.com/bxl-cafe.html
posted by MattD at 5:17 PM on March 15, 2014

Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions so far. The half-mile radius is less important than the healthy options; this is New York, after all, land of a zillion cabs, so if there's a great choice a little beyond that range, let me know, since we could always cab it.

I'm in the Philly area, and I do love Capital Grille, but we have two around here, so I'd kinda like to go for something else. :)

Thanks for all of these so far! Please keep 'em coming!
posted by shiu mai baby at 7:35 PM on March 15, 2014

Aureole was going to be my suggestion too. You can have a very good -- and still classy-napkin-style -- meal in the bar room as well as in the dining room proper. You can definitely get fish there, and decently healthy options (although I don't know how Healthy-healthy we're talking). That exact nabe is rough for proper dinner meals.

ABC Kitchen is on (I think) 18th and Park, so you'd have to cab it, but delicious and all organic and sounds like it might be something that would work for you other than location.
posted by Countess Sandwich at 11:10 PM on March 15, 2014

Land of a zillion cabs except right when you want one on a weekend night, or when it's raining. You might also hit gnarly Midtown traffic dependent upon path. Just something to keep in mind.

I really like the food at ABC Kitchen but find the chairs less than comfortable and the room as a whole is loud. If you're interested, book ASAP. They start to fill up their book 30 days ahead. For example, on 4/15 I'm seeing only 5:30pm or 10pm for two for dinner.
posted by kathryn at 6:01 AM on March 16, 2014

I'm in the Philly area, and I do love Capital Grille, but we have two around here, so I'd kinda like to go for something else. :)

Gotcha. Figured it was worth suggesting in case you were in a non CG area. Couple others that come to mind:
Bond45 - easy walk, healthy and non but price point is right
Palm West-cab territory in heels, but so delicious
posted by TravellingCari at 7:11 PM on March 16, 2014

If you're willing to do a steakhouse, Keens and Strip House are closer.

Keens is a favorite for its old school NY atmosphere, large historical smoking pipe collection, and long scotch list.
posted by kathryn at 5:42 AM on March 17, 2014