Birthday Bash

This summer I will be celebrating one of those "significant" birthdays and the husband has told me that he would like to throw a little party at the restaurant of my choosing. There will be the two of us and three other couples...no family, kids, etc. While price is really not a big concern, we don't want to end up at one of the more formal places in town where our talking and laughing could annoy other diners, or on the opposite end of the spectrum, be at one of the louder places where we can't hold a conversation. Great food is important. Perhaps a private room is the way to go. I'm not sure if this is the right situation for a chef's table, but I would love to treat my friends. Thanks, LTHers!

Is your priority on:

a) Food
b) Good drinks
c) Festive Atmosphere
d) All of the above, with each factor weighing equally?

Is there a particular area of the city that you're focusing on?

Moto would be a good option for you, I think. The food is memorable, to say the least. The atmosphere is formal but the food is so playful that the restaurant is far from stuffy. I've been there twice, once with another couple and once with my wife and mother-in-law. Both times we had a lot of fun and never felt that we had to keep our voices down. Perhaps we offended people, but I doubt it. There is no chef's table at Moto.

Schwa would be another good option. If you can get them on the phone and secure a reservation. Great, great food, as documented on many posts on this site. Not formal at all.

It is a bit out of the way, but Arun's might satisfy your wishes, too.

Other options: Spring, Custom House, Boka, and Le Lan.

Any of the Latin fusion places ought to fit the bill:

Carnivale
DeLaCosta
Cuatro
Nacional 27

I'm really liking some of these ideas! Thank you!

nxstasy...Of the four options you listed, which do you think has the best food? I was under the impression that DeLaCosta was in a bit of trouble right now because of one of their financial backers.

aschie30...I think food is really the top priority with atmosphere being a close second. As far as location, I don't want to limit myself, but Dan was right that Arun's would be a bit out of the way. I would consider his other suggestions however. (Thanks, Dan )

Kwe730 wrote:nxstasy...Of the four options you listed, which do you think has the best food?

They're all good, and similar enough in quality that I would be hard pressed to choose one over the others. Also it's been quite a few years since I was at Nacional 27; I went right after they opened in the location formerly occupied by Hat Dance, another LEY restaurant.