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.
