Fine dining

Visiting NYC with my partner on her 40th birthday so would like to take her somewhere special. Have considered Per Se but $300 a head looks a bit steep...i know i love her but not sure that much, is that mean of me? If you don%26#39;t think so any other suggestions?

Fine dining

Then take her to The River Cafe:

It is a beautiful setting in Brooklyn overlooking Manhattan.

The service is impeccable.

The food is very, very good.

It is wonderful.

www.rivercafe.com

And, no, you are not mean.

Fine dining

A dinner at River Cafe and you%26#39;ll both feel like a million bucks.

Hi Carterbequest,

River Cafe is nice but its in Brooklyn, and unless you have plans in brooklyn quite out of the way.

I just got back from a romantic weekend in NYC with my bf, and we had dinner at a place called March, which voyagereuse recommended on her awesome sticky post of places to eat in NYC. March is a bit out of the city centre, but not too far (E 58th st and 1st Ave), and it is VERY romantic! It%26#39;s in an old victorian house, and the terrace out back is GORGEOUS. There were only about five tables out there, and you feel very nestles between the other buildings and lots of trees. There is one huge tree with long branches that canopy over part of the balcony and the leaves fluttered over our heads beautifully. It is a tasting menu and the food was Delicious! They asked if it was a special occasion when I made the reservation, and when we got there, the hostess immediately wished us a happy anniversary, and they put nice messages on our desserts. The only thing that was a little off, was our server seemed a little stiff, and when he tried to crack a joke at the end of the meal, it was to tease us for taking a picture of the desserts saying it was a bit %26#39;freaky%26#39;. But I think he was just trying to be friendly, and the whole evening was very nice. You could have a three couse dinner for just $68 a person, or a four course meal for $88 a person. Drinks are extra. Everyone in the restaurant appeared to be there for a special occasion.

I don%26#39;t consider River Cafe to be out of the way at all. It%26#39;s a five-minute taxi ride over the Brooklyn Bridge. The restaurant sits on a barge on the Brooklyn side.

By the way, when friends ate at Per Se, the bill came to $660 a person! Ouch!

I agree with Bettina, The River Cafe is not out of the way at all, and you will be hard pressed to find a better view and better ambiance for a special dinner.

As far as March being ';stuffy';, who wants ';stuffy';?

You thought is was great with a big but......the service!

I doubt that will happen at TRC.

I think River Cafe and March are both good ideas. River Cafe awesome view, March, more intimate.

In the same building as Per Se, but actually with much better views b/c higher up is Asiate in the Mandarin Oriental hotel. Nice if you like Asian food.

What KIND of food and ambiance would you like and what IS the budget?

carterbequest, you ask whether it is mean of you to forsake the $300 (or more) a head Per Se restaurant in favour of a cheaper option. My instinctive answer would be know. If, however, you%26#39;re already sitting on a fortune of a billion or so dollars, then, of course my answer might be different.

It seems to me - given the thrust of most of the posts and the tenor of your thread - that you will end up dining at the River Cafe.

I don%26#39;t think it%26#39;s mean (and I like the double meaning here especially) to not take your partner to Per Se. UNLESS...she has heard of it, and mentioned that it is her only birthday wish. If she barely knows it exists it would not even cross my mind that you were shorting her in some way. And chances are you would not be able to get a reservation anyway. Moot point.

I think March on the Terrace sounded divine, as does the River Cafe. But I would ask what SHE likes - what type of food, a quiet atmosphere or would she prefer a ';scene';? I think something more personalized to her tastes would be the most romantic place of all, because it showed that you chose something you thought she would like, instead of what is supposed to be the ';best';.

How far in advance is it best to book River Cafe ? I intend on taking my husband there and wondered if I should call up a few weeks in advance - also I was considering having a meal before walking back over the bridge to see the views but I suppose it is not advisable to do this too late? What do you think?

You should book as far in advance as possible.