Thank you for putting this on my radar - looks fab!
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long running place - La Bonne Soupe was an old-timer in 1977 when I first went there. any recent reports? There used to be quite a number of French restaurants serving a very economical and enjoyable prix fixe - are there others still and I have lost track - are there others still?
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I haven’t been recently. It’s a fallback for me in that part of town.
I seem to also remember a Sel et Poivre Bistro. Still running at 853 Lexington, between 64th and 65th. I haven’t been there in 20 years. https://www.seletpoivrenyc.com/.
Yes but too expensive for OP.
You can combine great museum and food in one visit at Neue Galerie. Viennese restaurant inside (reserve). And before you go, you can watch this film:
Great minds 
The link for Café Sabarsky is in this reply.
I have lunched there as a walk-in.
There are lots of buses and subway connections nearby though that can get you into more well-fed territory, remembering that the 5th Ave bus runs oneway downtown and the Mad Ave oneway northbound.
Neue Gallery is 16 Blocks N of the Frick - which seems to be returning to its original, beautiful home at Fifth and 70th Street by the time of your visit. Would be a shame to lunch there without a visit.
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I know OP said he’d “like to spend less” than Benoit. However, I don’t think Tatiana is out of sight (5 of us ate and drank ourselves silly for $850 including a very large tip) for my birthday, and I wouldn’t pre-judge what the OP might be willing to spend for a truly memorable meal before the opera and East Side hotel experiences.
I wish they had not taken the crab legs off the menu (am waiting till they are back on to go back), but there are so many dishes that are amazing there. We ate all of the appetizers at my birthday (except one salad), and we loved every one of them. This was my second visit after being walk-ins over the summer for a first exceptional meal. I don’t think Benoit comes close (except perhaps in prices). At an early dinner, they could stick to appetizers and cocktails and definitely get out of there for less than Benoit, and have an amazing culinary experience (if it appeals) to boot!
When I say I’ve lunched at Café Sabarsky as a walk-in, I meant that I lunched there without a reservation. I have never made a reservation. I visit weekdays. I always visit the Neue Galerie if I’m in the vicinity.
I used to work at the Frick.
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Agreed - they are both great places. Im looking forward to getting back into the Frick but a little scared of the changes. I was just intending to say that NG may not be so convenient for lunch after the Frick . IMO it would also be a shame to go there without seeing the collection and they may not be up for 2 museums in one day.
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I’ve just resurfaced after a barbecue trip to NC, and, thanks to your help, I’ve got a lot of menus to review.
Just how expensive is Tatiana? The menu is interesting, but this isn’t a celebration/splurge weekend — thus my hesitancy over Benoit.
What’s the con side on Fiorella? Bar Boloud is in the lead for pre-theatre right now, but …
Cuisines are pretty wide open, but then there are carb issues. Thai and Chinese are favorites, but the bride is off white rice these days. Turkish looks good, and that’s pretty weak here. Mediterranean
[NYC] LumLum Thai Seafood Bar (9th Ave) is at W 49th and 9th. I used to go to Pam Real Thai which had been at the same location before or after theatre.
If you are watching your budget, and need to eat within walking distance of the Broadway theatres, the value is found on Ninth Ave.
I would have thought Bar Boulud is around the same price as Benoit.
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Have you been? We did a group dinner there, and my general impression was that the food was too sweet and not spicy enough, although we enjoyed what we had.
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No, I haven’t been yet.
Good to know.
I haven’t been able to get back to NYC since August 2019. I used to see 3 or 4 Broadway shows when I’d visit once a year or so. I had worked out my favourites ( Pam Real Thai (RIP), Shake Shack on 8th Ave, Real Kung Fu on 8th, a few other places that have closed over the past 4 years) in the vicinity for when I needed to eat before a show.
One of my most recent perfect NYC moments came when I visited the Whitney, after having walked the High Line, and then followed by lunch at Pastis.
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I googled “tatiana prices menu”.
" How much is a meal at Tatiana NYC?
Everything comes in massive portions, so most couples can get away with sharing one appetizer and one entrée—useful to know since the appetizers mostly cost in the mid $20s, and the mains run from $42 to $50, with the star dish, an African interpretation of on-the-bone pastrami, at a whopping $72…"
IMO, Cafe Fiorello wouldn’t survive if it wasnt located directly across the street from Lincoln Center for decades, in an area with few other options. Lincoln Center attendees and the area’s residents skew towards elderly. Guests need very close dining options before the philharmonic and opera. It’s average.
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At Benoit I’d have to order the Dover Sole. It’s a law. And that much for an entree is special occasion territory
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That’s $75 so that means a lot of other places are now an option. I mean, that’s not exactly an inexpensive choice.
