Restaurant/diner shortlist - how's it look?

Hi,

Based on reviews/recommendations/old threads this is our shortlist of places to eat. We%26#39;re a family of 4, with kids aged 9 and 8, so no fine dining for us this trip I%26#39;m afraid! We%26#39;re after decent food and value for money.

Ellen%26#39;s Stardust Diner - I know this doesn%26#39;t meet the criteria based on reviews I%26#39;ve seen, but the kids have heard of it and really want to go.

Junior%26#39;s in Grand Central.

John%26#39;s Pizzeria (W44th).

Morning Star.

Cosmic Diner.

Red Flame.

Any you would take off the list, any you would add?

Any better for breakfast/lunch/dinner? Any better for pre/post theatre - going to New Victory theatre.

We%26#39;ll be 1 night in the Hilton New York and 2 nights in the Affinia Dumont.

Thanks a lot.

Restaurant/diner shortlist - how's it look?

I would really give a shot at branching out your horizons- every single restaurant on this list (minus the pizza) serves greasy diner food.

Restaurant/diner shortlist - how's it look?

Really? They%26#39;re ones that were recommended on tripadvisor and no-one mentioned greasy food.

What would you suggest?

We have no problems with branching our horizons. We%26#39;d prefer places that welcome kids.

Diner food is, by definition, greasy. I can%26#39;t imagine you want these kids eating nothing but hamburgers and chicken nuggets for the length of your trip, right?

Everything listed here is located in midtown, as well. Which other neighborhoods will you be visiting? What other sorts of foods are you interested in?

What types of food do the kids like? For example, do they like Italian food? Chinese food? While I%26#39;ve yet to get there, others who have dined out with their kids liked Vynl. Take a look at their menu www.vynl-nyc.com to see if it appeals to you.

It would be my observation that UK visitors are more enamored than the locals with the diner/coffee shops usually suggested here :-) (e.g., I think the Red Flame is a poor representative of the genre)

Unless your kids will eat only a few tried-and-true dishes, branch out to experience more of all the diverse cuisines NYC offers. For example, if they%26#39;re not adverse to Chinese dishes, head out to one of the many decent (and reasonably priced) Thai restaurants; they may discover they prefer Thai cuisine over the Chinese food they%26#39;ve had to date. Turkish/Greek/other Mediterranean restaurants offer dishes that aren%26#39;t that different from beef, chicken, or lamb fare more familiar to your kids. I like Akdeniz on W. 46th Street, and the prices are very reasonable:

http://www.akdenizturkishusa.com

Do you typically have hearty breakfasts? You%26#39;ll have a kitchenette %26amp; dining area in your digs at the Dumont, so you could grab some breakfast makings (juice, cereal, milk, fruit) the night before and jumpstart the day (and save some money) by having breakfast in your room. And you may find that having a take-out supper ';at home'; one evening is better idea with kids who are tired after a full day of sightseeing.

Strangely, I%26#39;m feeling like I have to justify my kids%26#39; diet, while trying to get advice. My kids haven%26#39;t eaten chicken nuggets since they were small - I didn%26#39;t see them on the menus at any of the places above.

The kids eat pretty much anything at home. They eat Thai, chinese, Indian but prefer Italian or pizza. However, they%26#39;re very excited about coming to New York and eating in diners - they also want to have hotdogs from a stand.

I didn%26#39;t know a diner had to equal greasy food - we have American style %26#39;diners%26#39; here that serve really good food.

We will be eating breakfast at the Dumont the days we are there and also lunch in the food court at the Natural History Museum.

Vynl looks good, as does the Turkish place, thanks.

Forgot to say, we weren%26#39;t planning on eating at all the restaurants above, just wanted a shortlist so that we could go in one if we passed it. We aren%26#39;t there long enough to eat that much!

Although the above listed restaurants are often recommended here, they aren%26#39;t really all that ';special'; at least not special enough to plan as part of one%26#39;s itinerary. You%26#39;re not likely to do much worse if you were in any neighborhood and go into any random diner type restaurant (yes, there are some better, some worse). Sure, if you%26#39;re by Junior%26#39;s and you are hungry, why not go in and try it (especially the cheesecake), but to have a meal there? eh.

If you%26#39;re planning ahead, you%26#39;re better off planning on being in certain neighborhoods (i.e. Chinatown, Flushing, etc.) and going into one of those establishments. If you%26#39;re planning on particular restaurants and be part of your itinerary, then you can get particular recommendations according to your tastes, budget, etc.

As for your comment regarding no fine dining - is it because of the kids or because of budget? If it%26#39;s because of the kids, most restaurants are fine with kids of any age as long as they%26#39;re well behaved. I get the sense that your kids tastes aren%26#39;t ';simple'; by your chicken nuggets comment above. With that said, a reasonably priced Italian restaurant near the theater and very often recommended here is Becco. You%26#39;ll need reservations.

becco-nyc.com

I can recommend Vynl. Love it!

Sorry if I came across as nudgy, I could only rely on what was in the first post. But now that we have more info to work with, let me recommend that you skip eating lunch at the Natural History Museum and head over to the nearby Gray%26#39;s Papaya on W. 72nd Street %26amp; Broadway. A true NYC ';institution';, pleasant staff, colorful signage -- and they offer a ';recession special'; of 2 hot dogs (they%26#39;re not big) and a fruity beverage for less than $5 :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray%27s_Papaya

Since this isn%26#39;t a ';dining as destination'; trip, if you tell us where you think you%26#39;ll be at lunch %26amp; dinner times on the other days, we can give more focused, logistically practical recommendations.