NY recommendation request

Anyone have a suggestion for a special occasion dinner in NY? For my 30th birthday in mid-July, the wife and I are taking our parents (so, a party of 6) to NY for the weekend. We'd like one "nice" dinner, probably in the $150/pp, inclusive of wine, tax & tip, range. The quality of the food is our primary consideration (as opposed to finding a scene). Since most restaurants require about a month lead time for a party of 6, we probably need to move on this in the next few days.

In Chicago, I think we'd do this dinner at North Pond or somewhere similar.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,
Simon

I recommend Eleven Madison Park (on Madison Square), where you probably could get reservations fairly easily. Wonderful food, cooked by Daniel Humm.

However, if you are looking for a place like North Pond, you might consider Blue Hill in Greenwich Village or, if you have a car (or don't mind an adventure by train), Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester - artisanal farm grown and creative food.

If you like a watery motif, you might try River Cafe in Brooklyn. Other good choices will be Annisa (less than $150/person), Craft, or Country (the last recently receiving a three star review in the Times)

thank you. those suggestions are just what I am seeking.

I had a blow-out tasting at Danube last summer...unforgettable food and service. Haute Austrian cuisine? I think we walked out spending around $100-$125pp. Some might think the Klimt design is overdone, but I thought the space was cozy and pretty.

Danube
30 Hudson Street
NY, NY
212.791.3771

I second Danube--I had a great birthday meal there a few years ago.
And I can't think of anything like it in Chicago.

I certainly enjoyed Danube as well (and posted on it). While I would hold to my previous recommendations, Danube would be a good choice - depending on your wine, it might be a little more than $150/person. If you want a restaurant with a more explicitly Austrian feel Wallse is a good choice.

I should've linked to GAF's review...here it is.

Thanks for the recommendations. We ended up eating at Blue Hill on Washington Square Park and it was wonderful.

The place is small (maybe seating for 45), but not cramped, and the service was very attentive. We started with a glass of wine each at the bar before being seated, and the bartender made sure to top us off before we were taken to our table - a nice gesture that I've not seen at other similarly nice places.

The wine menu seemed well thought out with a focus on well-priced, quality selections. Probably about 25% of the choices were under $45. Lots of great Spanish and Italian bottles there.

We passed on the tasting menu ($68 for 5 courses, but the entire table has to opt in), and chose a starter, entree and dessert each.

Everyone in the restaurant received a shot of chilled carrot soup as an amuse before starters were delivered. As a general note, the entire meal felt well-paced, with the right amout of time between courses - not rushed, but not wanting before the next course. The soup was very simply pure carrot flavor. Very refreshing and some in our group commented that it was one of the more memorable parts of the meal.

Well received starters included a crabmeat salad (lump crabmeat served on arugula with a citrus dressing), a poached farm egg served on asparagus and morels, and a pancetta ravioli. The crabmeat salad was a delicious balance of flavors - the richness of the crabmeat was offset by the acidity. My only real complaint was finding a few tiny bits of crab shell in the dish - a little careless, but maybe difficult to avoid. The egg was perfection and the viscously runny yolk coated the morels in an amazing way.

The star entree was roasted veal and turnips with blanched peas and watercress. I had a fantastic roasted pork served with a guanicale terrine. The guanicale was crispy on the outside and the middle layers absolutely melted. Others at the table loved a bass entree which I did not try.

A frommage blanc souffle with pink peppercorn ice cream was a standout dessert. The ice cream was different than any dessert I've had, but it made a lot of sense once I tried it. We also sampled a chocolate bread pudding with salted peanuts and caramel gelato. This was very good, but didn't wow me, a lover of chocolate, nuts, and bread pudding.

All in, we spent far less than I anticipated - something south of $100 per person. We ordered reasonably priced bottles and glasses of wine, so more expensive choices there would have inflated the bill somewhat. I would seek out Blue Hill if you're in NYC and looking for a thoughtful menu full of seasonal ingredients, prepared expertly.

I plan to get to Stone Barns on my next visit.

- Simon

Expect a review of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in the next week. I go for dinner on Wednesday.

I look forward to it. Have you read this ... http://thestrongbuzz.com/belly/belly_view_alpha_details.php?belly_id=91? It's a pretty entertaining tale of a visit to BHSB.

Simon,

Thanks for posting a follow up. 'We' are sometimes left wondering what people did with the advice received.

Thanks again and happy birthday!

Regards,