I’ve got six colleagues coming to town in late March, and we want someplace for a team dinner, but the company limit before tax and tip is $50/person (ugh.) On the plus side, folks are food-enthusiastic and willing to hop on the subway with me to basically anywhere. We are pretty interested in all cuisines and there are no strict veg/vegans/gluten-avoiders.
Some mild limitations:
I don’t really want to do the “food hall/mall” approach, but I could be talked into it.
A Chinese-Canadian colleague isn’t terribly enthused about Chinese - says she eats it all the time and would prefer to branch out.
All meals will be on weekdays (no weekends.)
*A note on the price: we typically fund dessert ourselves by hitting an ice cream spot after dinner.
I’m trying to thread the needle here of interesting/different food in a sit-down establishment that we can achieve at our price point. When I go food-touristing in NYC myself I often pick spots that can’t accommodate a group of six (bahn mi stands, taco trucks in Brooklyn) and/or are absolutely devoid of atmosphere (because I don’t care.)
On a recent trip with this group to the outskirts of Seattle, we had an outstanding meal at a Thai place where we could order freely and share lots of dishes. Everyone still talks about that meal - it really hit all our buttons. Spice levels were variable and manageable, the atmosphere was fun, etc.
I assume that drinks are not included in the $50? Jazba has two courses for $51, and there’s also a lot of ways to share a variety of dishes and keep to your limit.
about drinks: $50 is the limit of what the company will pay for, regardless of what you order. another way of saying, drinks can be included, yes. there’s no prohibition on spending the money on alcohol.
I can recommend Jose Andres’ Oyamel at Hudson Yards - Mr. Bionda and I enjoyed dinner there recently. Not necessarily “different” but certainly good, and connected to the Little Spain Mercado if folks want to wander off for dessert or a little food shopping (should appeal to foodies). If you stick to the tacos and small plates you should be able to get out under $50 no problem (maybe even with one drink for smaller appetites). https://www.oyamel.com/new-york-city-menu/
Our out-of-towner viewpoint: Something like Second Avenue Deli ? It is quintessentially “New York”, accomplished, and even a beer won’t bust your budget.
Thanks for the reco. For tacos, I’d rather go to Sunset Park and eat $3/tacos at a restaurant full of Mexican folks. I’m a fan of Jose Andres, but a place serving $18 guacamole isn’t the right place for this ask.
I have tried Ethiopian food at Ethiopian restaurants 6 times over the past 40 years and I have not acquired a taste for it. I don’t hate what I’ve eaten, but I don’t like what I’ve eaten , either.
The last time I went out for an Ethiopian veg platter with 2 Chowhounds in Toronto’s Little Ethiopia in March 2014, was the same day I had bought some new Blundstone boots.
The next morning, my new boots were too tight, so I returned them for boots half a size larger. I wore the new boots outside that day. Monday came, and my new boots were too big. So I got insoles, and that didn’t really help, so the boots eventually were donated. LOL. It taught me to think about what I eat and water retention before shoe shopping.
I didn’t realize my feet had swelled from all that salt, after a gluttonous Friday: Greek salad with 1 chicken souvlaki stick for lunch, assorted pide with 2 Chowhounds, then Ethiopian veg platter with 2 Chowhounds.
The Greek and Turkish food certainly contributed to the sodium. The Toronto Star had a nutrition column called The Dish back then (now hidden by a paywall), where the journalist would bring a popular resto food to a dietician and food lab, and the food would be assessed.
The Vegetarian Ethiopian Platter at a popular restaurant was assessed, and it contained something like 2 times the amount of sodium suggested for the daily total amount in Canada.
I like Ethiopian coffee shops and coffee. I also like some Ethiopian recipes I have made at home.
I don’t know about the Oyamel in NY, but at the original in DC I avoid the tacos for the same reason you state. I go to Oyamel for the black garlic shrimp, the albondigas and the ceviche. In Winter they usually offer chile en nogada which is a real treat.
It has been around a while and doesn’t get a ton of fresh love in the media, but I have always had a great experience here with groups: https://vatanny.com/
Much of this is making me wonder where the six colleagues are coming from!
Clearly there are HO’s who are unimpressed with Italian or Mexican food in New York, but fortunately most people can find exceptional food of some kind in NYC, even for $50!
