Numi doesn’t just give tips. He gives pro-tips.
^ respect. I’m filing these tips away for when I’ll be up at the end of August.
Great tip, I’ll give this a shot when I’m in New York later in the year.
Does anyone have a views on NYCs best fine dining places? I managed to get a booking for Daniel but would welcome any other recommendations.
and whats with the dress codes? I wasn’t planning to turn up in flip flops and a wife beater but don’t really like the idea of cracking out the sports jacket to go out for a meal.
There is a super abundance of great restaurants in New York; I only do fine dining on good deals though. Luckily there are many decent ones if you know where to look. Some other places I’d recommend besides Per Se salon dinner and Jean-Georges lunch:
Less Casual
Bouley - go for lunch - five courses for $55. Really amazing. I’ve never once had a bad meal at Bouley but the lunch menu is where its at. If you have lunch on the later side, you’ll likely be full for the rest of the day. One Michelin star but one of Zagat’s top rated restaurants, and really should be two or three Michelin stars in my view.
Gotham Bar and Grill - another one Michelin star restaurant. Three-course lunch for $34. Not sure about dinner since lunch menu is best bang for your buck. Contemporary American, Alfred Portale’s restaurant that’s been around for 20+ years, grand cafe-style space. Great to hit up if you have plans to be in Union Square or SoHo.
wd-50 - Wylie Dufresne’s restaurant is closing in October. Reportedly some real estate company is buying up the space and building a new high-rise in its place…and pretty much everywhere in lower Manhattan that has a decent property. Five course tasting menu is $90 for dinner; no need to splurge for more, as this will be plenty to eat.
Juni - Shaun Hergatt’s new restaurant in Gramercy. Opened in August 2013. Go for either lunch or dinner - lunch is 2 course prix-fixe for $30, 3 course prix-fixe for $35; for dinner, you can order a la carte appetizers for $20 (they’re big) or entrees for $40. This is a new restaurant with large food portions and a huge space, though something about the decor makes it feel homely. Shaun is usually on site as well so there’s a good chance you’ll run into him, he might stop by and say hello too. Very nice guy, great food and a “hidden gem” for now – pretty sure this will get one or two Michelin stars in the next guide (his former place, SHO Shaun Hergatt, got two Michelin stars but I heard it eventually closed because the rents downtown are too expensive and it wasn’t bringing enough traffic despite great meals)
Sushi Nakazawa - if you’ve ever seen Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Nakazawa is the apprentice featured in the movie. This place is totally worth it - it’s $150/pp at the sushi bar and $120/pp dining room for ~20 piece omakase. I’ve been to sushi places in New York where I’ve spent more for much less, almost invariably to my regret. They take reservations 30 days in advance; you have to be ready to hit up OpenTable at midnight 30 days prior to get a good table or you’ll be shut out by 12:01am.
More Casual
Laut - Thai food in Union Square. One Michelin stars. Probably the one “true” value meal here - most entrees are around $15, cocktails around $8-10. Make reservations ahead of time because there will always be people trying to show up ad hoc and considering the crowds in Union Square and the pretty good food, it’s not worth coming without having a table saved. This is much more low key than all the rest but a good place to have a relatively expensive but filling meal
The Breslin - great brunch spot, also an affordable choice, and very casual. One Michelin Star; around $25/pp including drinks. In the Ace Hotel.
Go to one of the places mentioned above and you’ll feel like you got a good value investment while your girlfriend/fiancee/wife will come out feeling like you treated them like a princess. Then she will brag to her friends about how awesome you are, making all her friends and their significant others envious in the process (this is a GOOD thing for you). What’s up with the dress codes? Well, these are nice establishments with a good ambiance, so it’s just part of the scene. None of the places I mentioned above are pretentious, but they’re classy so have to look the part – except for Breslin and Laut which are more casual.
Gringo - I’m a big fan of Le Bernadin. Make sure you get the langoustine appetizer if you go.
Disclosure: I’ve never paid for a meal there, so I’m commenting purely from a taste perceptive, not value.
edit: I also endorse Numi’s suggestion of WD-50 - it’s truly a unique and memorable experience.
I agree with king_kong, Le Bernardin is great – another place I’d recommend the lunch menu for because it’s much better bang for your buck. However, at $76, you’re best off going if someone else is paying for it.
Anyone here ever been to Momofuku Ko?
You run away before the check comes? 
Loving the suggestions, thanks all. FWIW, we’ll actually be doing dinner after the matinee, not lunch before.
Ahhh, the good ol’ dine and dash.
Maybe this is just the difference between Texas and NYC, but is this supposed to be a badge of honor? I have never ever paid anywhere close to that for dinner. The most I’ve ever paid (for one person) was $90, at the Wynn in Las Vegas. (And actually, I didn’t pay for it. The company did.)
You’re never going to get a table at Dorsia with that attitude.
^ Hahahah!
higgmond asked about good dining options near theater row as someone visiting from out of town, and those were the first to come to mind. Personally, when I travel places I like to eat well, especially if I’m traveling with someone dear to me.
Of course there a ton of other places in New York where you can get a cheaper meal. Ordinarily, I do a pretty good job saving money on most occasions, buying stuff on sale, cooking for myself, and the like. So when I travel, I personally like to find a great restaurant at good value and eat like the f*ckin’ beast that I am 
^Don’t misunderstand me–I like me some good food. (One look at my burgeoning waistline will tell you the same.) But it’s hard for me to justify paying $300 for dinner, regardless of the occasion. I don’t think a $300 dinner will get you 4x as full, or taste 4x as good as a $75 dinner.
That being said, remember that I live in a pretty low cost-of-living area. When I went to Vegas a few years ago (at the aforementioned Wynn), my first meal was at some random hotel cafe. I wanted to watch the Cowboys vs. Eagles on SNF. So I walked up and ordered a Reuben, fries, and a soda. The total came out to almost $40, which I thought was rather exorbitant.
Later, at the conference, I mentioned this to a girl in my class, and she said, “Is $40 a lot or a little?” It turns out that she lived in San Francisco, and she thought that $40 was actually pretty cheap.
awesome tips, many thanks mate.
Lots of people have recommended Bouley so I’ll definitely check it out. Laut sounds amazing too.
In the UK, you only get dress codes at really old fashioned places, most top restaurants don’t bother with them. Are they strictly enforced in NYC? If i rocked up at Daniel looking dapper but with no jacket in mid summer would they really turn us away?
Breslin looks great too, whoever 1st mixed brunch with unlimited alcohol should be knighted…
^Numi is talking about Michelin 3-star restaurants, which are some of the most famous. That’s about how much they cost regardless of location.
Prices of Michelin starred places get ridiculous so Numi’s tips are good stuff and kind of exemplify what i like about AF, getting an analysts view of random topics.
The Per Se one is a particularly good tip as to get a table isn’t easy and you’d usually be looking at maybe $400 a head
Amazing how something that started off as a marketing ploy to get people to buy more cars so they would buy more tires can now make or break a business in a totally unrelated industry.
gringo, when are you going to be in NYC?
Pro Tip: You need a jacket at Per Se, even in the salon.