Look, ma! I did my homework 
A few restaurants that look interesting for a dinner with friends.
Lola’s
Hyderabadi Zaiqa
Cha Long
Kanyakumari
I Sodi
Also, input on any Armenian, Peruvian, or regional Italian places you love would be greatly appreciated.
I love I Sodi, but it is a challenge to get a reservation, I just wait there, if there’s a possibility to get in.
Good to know. We are unlikely to just try our luck since it’s the only open night we have in the city, so a place with reservations one doesn’t have to jump through hoops for would be ideal.
Cha Long, whose food I highly recommend is small, but manageable. I’ve both eaten in and taken out.
Hyderabadi Zaiqa would be a ghastly place to eat in – tiny, cramped, etc. – although I do think their goat biryani is good.
If you’re in that frame of mind I stand by Saar – but mainly (and almost only) for their various chicken kebabs. I had two of them (two types , not two kebabs) two weeks ago, and I thought they were excellent once again. I prefer their tandoori roti to their naan, and find some of their sides (mustard-spinach greens, eggplant, okra) to make decent accompaniments. People here have mocked some of their other foods, and I concur.
Don Antonio (50th) nearby has decent things (apps and salads), besides very good pizza. Chez Napoleon (also 50th) has a fuzzy old-world charm.
We will be 4 at the very least, 6 at the most; a proper sit-down place is our preference.
I forgot Hyderabadi is mostly for takeout, but a friend who lives nearby said they recently opened a larger place in the area… maybe I misunderstood.
I’ll check out Saar in the meantime.
That’s elsewhere (around Lex).
Don Antonio is a “proper sit-down place” and has a bar. Many of the other places I can think of in that area (ETA: along 9th) are Chinese, and you feel that having lunched Chinese you cannot dine Chinese. (Tell that to people in China.)
There’s also Ippudo Ramen on 51st, which has more than ramen for dinner – but waiting will be involved.
I also have access to great Chinese where I live, which is why it’s not a priority on this visit.
Kanyakumari and I Sodi are tough if not impossible to reserve for 4-6. I’ve been to neither as a result.
How about something like Pig And Khao, probably a top 5 in the city for me.
For Italian that’s easy to reserve I like L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele. Pistoia is excellent regional. Anton’s is solid but more difficult to reserve.
How about Balaboosta or Leitao
Armenian? Why? I’m sure they exist but I dont know any in the entire city.
Not many Armenian options exist in Manhattan today.
The Cathedral is located at 2nd Ave and 34th.
…
In Greenpoint, Brooklyn
In Oakland Gardens, Queens, which is far from Manhattan. Most of the current Armenian population lives in Queens.
Because it’s great food 
I’ll check out Pig and Khao. We’re heading straight to Philly after & might grab Italian there instead.
How’s the heat level at Cha Long?
Only a few dishes are hot-spicy, in particular their sator goong (only thing on the menu with 3 chilies next to it). The kee mao seafood (two chilies) had a modest kick and the goat (a favorite of mine) a hint of a kick. Most of the zero-chili dishes I’ve tried didn’t have heat but are tasty nevertheless.
Thanks, good to know!
ETA: OMG they have hor mok! This may have just sealed the deal 
