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Pre Theater Dinner Near Times Square


Casey

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don't be stupid all of your life people.  listen to tommy every now and again.  (glenn, did i make a ninny out of myself just then?)

lol.  I really think there needs to be a Tommy section here.  But of course the powers that be [hi rachel/jason] need to empower the ordinary masses with a delete button first, or did I mention that?

That place looks great, think i might check it out today if they're open early, before goin' to see Elaine Stritch, yay.

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Hey tommy, i think maybe those cookies that you eat are laced with a little too much strychnine.   Not to get nit picky, but last I heard Lincoln Center was still on the west side.  Can't imagine what movie you're talking about...

my thought process gets more and more obtuse as the clock ticks past midnight.  what i meant was:

rosa mexicano is one of my favorites.  it has been on the east side on 1st and 58th or so for years.  a couple of years ago, they opened another on the west side.  it is a horrid place.  the disparity btwn the two is mind boggling.

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the menu is much more expansive than the website suggests.  many specials are written on the black board.  and there are some good wine values as well.

edit:  i'm trying to picture how that delete button would work.  it would certainly make the user statistics interesting:

username:                tommy

total posts:              952

total deleted posts:  923

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"interesting and fun?", try this place (click me)

We went to Cascina and they weren't open yet at 3:30.  There oughta be a law.  I called to see what their hours were but got no answer or answering machine.  However, their website sez they're open at 12 noon 7 days.  INaccuate websites are a pet peeve.  Lots of restaurants put up a site and forget about it.  Not much was open at that time and we were pretty hungry.  Esca, Marseille and Becco were also closed.  I was trying to think of that prix fixe pasta place but couldn't remember where it was or the name.  Help!   Ended up at Thalia, where only the cafe was open.  It happened to be pretty good for what it was -- hamburgers, pasta and such, and very inexpensive.  Best of all was the play, Elaine Stritch -- if there's only 1 or 2 shows you go to, this one should be on your list.

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Well, I filled out the online reservation form on Cascina's website yesterday and have yet to hear from them.

Not a promising beginning to this relationship...

i would not bother with online reservations.  as glenn has suggests, restaurants just aren't able to keep up with the online world, even though they get sold a bill of goods from some web-developer shmuck.  give 'em a ring, the old fashioned way.

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But...but....they HAVE the website, it is their obligation to keep it up! They are, after all, in the service industry, in one very competitive town. And let's not forget how this conversation started - online - and how did I find their website - online...

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i would simply not use a website to make a dinner reservation.  ordering books, yes.  making plans for dinner, no way.

besides, they have cool pictures on the website, and we all know that the web's most useful application is looking at pictures.

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I've never used OpenTable, but know that plenty of people are using websites to place their reservations. It can be a great way to drive traffic and revenue.

And Cascina has a special "Reservations" page. It's not good business sense to over-promise. If you have a website and offer reservations there, you are obligated to keep it up.

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i can see both points, but especially tommy's  :wink: .  If I wanted to make sure I got a reservation,  I would call. If I don't get a call back to confirm, I call them.  Still, no excuse... if someone's gonna have a website, they oughta make sure the info is accurate or take it down.

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  • 6 months later...

Hi everybody,

Next week, my family and I are taking my mom out for her 60th birthday. We are going to a play and are opting for prix-fix pre theater dinner. After checking out Zagat's list of restaurants, we narrowed or choices to either Beacon or Aquavit. Only problem, my parents don't really enjoy modern cuisine and are content with Boulder Creek Steak House... :sad: Which of these restaurants would you recommend? Any other suggestions?

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If they like steak houses, Beacon is the clear choice of the two. A lot of charred meat on the menu. I find the food at Aquavit infinitely more interesting, but there are those who dislike it. Beacon is a safer bet in the circumstances you describe.

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If they like steak houses, Beacon is the clear choice of the two.  A lot of charred meat on the menu.  I find the food at Aquavit infinitely more interesting, but there are those who dislike it.  Beacon is a safer bet in the circumstances you describe.

I agree. However, I would add that the quality of the food and service at Beacon has slipped over the past two years to the point that I no longer recommend it. JUdson Grill is a good option in the area -- not as straight forward meat-and-potatoes as Beacon but not overly fussy cusine with many meat/game choices.

Edited by TCD (log)

The Critical Diner

"If posts to eGullet became the yardstick of productivity, Tommy would be the ruler of the free world." -- Fat Guy

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I'd be on board with JUdson as a good compromise. Aquavit is a definite no given the intentional unusualness of the cuisine.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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Boy, i really don't agree. Beacon is so much more than meat-and-potatoes. Been there recently and had the wood roasted oysters with shallots, a great watercress salad, and the wood-oven pizza with mushrooms and truffle oil. Food was delicious and prices quite reasonable.

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Hi,

Just wanted to thank you all for your replies. As most of you suggested, we went to Beacon and I have to say that I agree with your assessments. There was a lot of charred meat on the menu and that suited my parents just fine. I enjoyed the meal there but it is not a restaurant that I would go to again.

I started with a pured celery root soup with star anise and lovage which was pretty ordinary and lacking in consistancy and flavor...and it was luke warm...I hate that. My parents both ordered the arugala salad with potato crisps and parmesan shavings which was good but very simple and unimaginative.

For the entree, we all had the Grass fed steak with onion herb relish which was a very nice sized piece of meat that was well charred on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside. The relish and the baby greens which garnished the plate were excellent...One really stupid thing annoyed me about the main course...the steak knives had the restaurant's logo nicely inscribed on the blade but I have eaten with butter knives that have been sharper. I cannot enjoy steak if I have any difficulty cutting through it...stupid but I really bothered me.

The sides that we ordered to accompany the main course were at best ordinary. The roasted baby potatoes tasted like they were boiled or thrown into an oven without even a touch of salt (although my mom thought they were little and cute :rolleyes:) and the sauted spinach with garlic and red pepper flakes was not worth the seven dollars that they charged for it.

Overall, I believe that the restaurant is not meeting its potential. The three level dining room is gorgeous and the service is good but the food is in some desperate need of inspiration.

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  • 1 month later...

Ok i have a small problem. Veronica and i are going to see moving out tomorrow at the richard rodgers theater tomorrow. I wanted to know where i could dine on short notice and still have me out in a short time? Looking for something nice but doesn't require a jacket and tie. Can anyone give me some ideas please?

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La Locanda dei Vini, on 9th Ave. & 50th St. My theatre district place of choice when I'm not doing way upscale. It's a nice, pleasant room. Casual but tasteful. Good Italian food with a flair. Friendly, professional service. Not expensive, not cheap. They have some interesting specials usually. Plenty to choose from. I keep going back there.

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La Nina and Tommy have both offered good suggestions. We had dinner at Thalia two weeks ago, and enjoyed it.

When Dee saw Movin' Out, she had dinner at La Noche (Bway at 49th) about two blocks north of the theater. Innovative, Latin American is how they describe themselves, and the tab ran about $40 a head.

Becco and Firebird are a block west of the Richard Rogers, haven't been to either place.

Apparently it's easier still to dictate the conversation and in effect, kill the conversation.

rancho gordo

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