Also, in a neighborhood filled with Jung Sik and Atera, it was nice to have someplace you could always show up sans reservation and get a solid meal for about $20/person. Tribeca is very much lacking in the everyday dining category.

Max Brenner and ABC Kitchen are very different places, so I'm not sure they give guidance for what you're looking for.

Norma's is a classic brunch spot in midtown, though, so it might be a good place to start.

Ai Fiori is definitely corporate for lunch, and the atmosphere can be a little cold, but at dinner, it really is no more or less romantic than Marea and Le Bernadin. At least the two times I've been there at the evening, there were more couples sharing bottles of wine than there were closing dinners.

North End Grill. I'd recommend the bar side over the formal restaurant.

Esca is really close, does excellent seafood, and is totally doable within that budget (though the non-seafood options are limited).

Ai Fiori has more non-seafood options and would be my first choice, but it's more expensive and may exceed what you want to spend if you're looking to order 3 courses each and a bottle of wine.

The Modern bar room is another option, though it can get a bit loud.

I wanted either Friday or Saturday one of two weekends in December, and Amex platinum failed all four times. I called myself three times (had a meeting one day), and was waitlisted twice and successful on the the last go. This was despite the fact that I reminded Amex platinum each time on the afternoon before the lines opened. It also wasn't the first time they messed up reservation requests.

In retrospect, I would have chosen the bar over the 9:30 reservation that I finally got. They were running slow, and we first seated at our table around 10. I personally was just to full and too tired to appreciate the last five or so courses. After the main course, the waiter came to check in and said we had a bunch more to go--he almost acted like he was hoping we would cut it short, but instead they just rushed us through, and we left nauseously full. I would definitely pick Bouley at 8 PM over EMP at a bad time.

Lupa is a good recommendation.

For your price range, you could also try Public (http://public-nyc.com/private-events/dinner/) or take a step down from Craft to Craftbar (http://www.craftrestaurantsinc.com/cr...).

Unfortunately, there simply is no restaurant that meets these requirements.

It's possible you can find Moroccan catering in that price range for your hotel if there's a room you can eat in there. There aren't that many Moroccan restaurants in the city, and most of what I can think of falls into either teeny and unable to cope with a party of 25 or clubby and inappropriate for a bunch of high schoolers.

If you're willing to do something Middle Eastern/Ethiopian/Afghani, there are a few places you can try contacting, though I suspect they won't be overly excited to serve 25 kids on a low budget. These are

Ariana Afghan Kebab Restaurant
SIpSak
Hummus Kitchen
Meske Ethiopian
Queen of Sheeba

None of them is terribly close (your hotel is surrounded largely by office buildings), but all are within a New Yorker's definition of walking distinance.

I don't know about the cost of private dining at Marea, but it's possible that it would fall into your budget.

My second choice for seafood would be Esca, which has been around forever but is still reliable.

I've also heard good (albeit not raving) reviews of Fishtail, and it's probably doable in budget, though I know David Burke restaurants are not overly loved on Chowhound.

Possible options that fit your time/location/cost requirements and show OpenTable availability

Apizz (solid Italian, pretty room, on a dead street in the LES, much quieter than Locanda Verde and imo better for parents)

La Sirene (French, BYOB so save on costs if plan to drink)

Balaboosta (Mediterranean, have heard complaints about portion size, but they're fine for me)

Public (eclectic international, probably the most upscale of the available options)

ABC Kitchen - Roasted Carrot & Avocado Salad

RedFarm - Okra and Thai Eggplant Curry

Cinnamon Snail - Korean BBQ Seitan

Empellon Cocina - Guacamole

Lady M - Green Tea Crepe Cake

EMP - Bread Course

Coolhaus - Salted Caramel Ice Cream btwn Double Chocolate Cookies w/ Sea Salt

I was just here this weekend and also thought it was a great new addition to the neighborhood.

Falafel, which seemed to be made for each order, was warm and crispy. Good quality pita bread. The sandwiches were also quite large--only wanted soup by time dinner came around.

Also try the cauliflower side. It seemed to be deep fried and was covered in tahini, and the result was completely delicious.

Second North End Grill. Not only is it in BPC where you're staying, but the food is excellent (albeit slightly overpriced), and, perhaps cause its used to dealing with the BPC/Tribeca parents, it's very accommodating about kids. Last time, the table next two us had two kids (would guess about 7 and 10), and they offered the choice of a childrens menu or adapting some things on the standard menu.

Drinks first . . .

For cocktails before Babbo, Little Branch and Blue Ribbon Downing Street Bar are both excellent and about a 5-10 minute walk from Babbo. The couple blocks around Babbo are primarily filled with undergrads chugging cheap beer, so I don't know if you'll be able to

As far as the other places, Gin Palace is a bit dungeon feeling. The drinks, other than the gin and tonic on tap (which is pretty bad), are solid and cheap for New York. The Nomad Bar is definitely a tier up in both price and quality. Haven't been to the others.

On the LES, I recommend stopping by the bar at WD-50 for unique cocktails.

As for food mid-priced food in Flatiron, I recommend you stop by one of the Eataly restaurants. The beer garden serves decent food and takes reservations, but there are lots of other options there too.

Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria would definitely be my first choice. It's not too far from Union Square, delicious Italian, and doable within that budget (depending on what you order), but reservations are hard to come by.

As a backup, ilili is Medeterranean but always reliable, not too difficult a reservation, and easy to keep under $100/couple.

Agree with both of Kathryn's suggestions.

I haven't been there recently, but as a vegetarian, I always thought Picholine was wonderful. To me, the fact that they have multiple options for each course, so that both you and your bf can order different things and try a variety is a huge plus.

Scaleni doesn't have much vegetarian on it's menu, though they are accommodating. Just not in the same league in my opinion.

Somehow, I've never been to Babbo.

I feel like you've barely limited the city.

You could do lunch at the Dutch, wine at The Room around the corner (SoHo).

Lunch at Locanda Verde, wine at Terroir Tribeca (Tribeca).

Lunch in the Tavern Room at Gramercy Tavern, wine at Corkbuzz Wine Studio (Greenwich Village).

Lunch at Empellion Taqueria, wine at Vin Sur Vingt (W. Village).

Really not sure what you're expecting as far as a "special" menu.

There are places where you can get same-week reservations for a Wednesday that would be impossible to get same-week for a Friday, if that's all you're after.

Based on current OpenTable availability, I recommend either Perilla or Market Table. Both are just fresh, very well done American food. I like the food slightly more at Perilla (and the service), but Market Table is a prettier space.

I'll third Rouge et Blanc, but beware that the size of dishes varies tremendously (and is not perfectly correlated with price), so for that amount, you can wind up hungry or stuffed depending on what you order.

The brussels sprouts are amazing.

I've never been impressed with Blue Hill in the city. I've heard the same from my other non-vegetarian friends. I think my main course was a slab of slightly crunch cauliflower. If I'm just looking for fresh and simply, I much prefer ABC Kitchen and North End Grill, though neither is as upscale as you seem to be looking for.

Picholine was great when I was last there (around 3 years ago). You may want to consider Cafe Boulud, which is very vegetarian friendly.

Kathryn is right. There really aren't many options.

Kitchenette is pretty average brunch. Essex also looks to be open if you prefer a very boozy brunch.

Kutschers looks to be doing lunch, but if you're trying to avoid getting stuck with a limited Christmas menu, it's a good option.

I was there last spring and again over the summer, both for business lunches, so I can't speak to dinner. Both times were a two hour affair, even though we were one of the only tables and we tried to hurry things along. Sides were forgotten. Main courses were decent, but appetizers were eh and dessert, which came with the lunch pre fixe, is inedible.

In my opinion, Junoon's options were less creative but much better executed.

I really wanted to like it cause I'm vegetarian and work a few blocks away from my office, but I just don't.

If you're willing to travel a few blocks and ditch FiDi, Ward III and Silver Lining are in the southern part of Tribeca and are excellent. If you're over by World Financial Center, try the bar at North End Grill.

Not sure what your price is, but just planned a similar dinner and Otto was one of the cheapest options I found, so if budgets an issue, it's probably the way to go. We ended up at Rubirosa, which was the only other option in the same price range. The management there was super-accommodating and the food was both excellent and abundant, but know you're not looking at Nolita.

The first place that sprung to mind is Comodo, which is lively, friendly, and well within your budget.

It looks like it's open on Christmas Day (wasn't sure from your post when this dinner is planned for). If you're not looking for Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, you'll have far more options.

I know you said no bagels, but the Russ & Daughter options offer way more than that: http://shop.russanddaughters.com/stor...

Silver Lining, which is only a few blocks farther than Ward III, is never mobbed, and, probably because the staff isn't crushed, I think they make the best drinks and have the nicest bartenders in the city.

Thank you both for the feedback.

I've never loved Bouley, though I haven't been there since the old space. I appreciate the feedback about The NoMad.

I think I'm okay with doing January and slipping a save the date into a holiday cart. Weeknights tend to be hard with our schedules. Already on the wait list for all those days, so maybe something will come through in the meantime. If not, I have a backup reservation for The NoMad on December 28.

Also, as an FYI, asked while I was getting put on the wait list, and EMP does not have anyone there to take walk in reservations in the morning.

All my bf wants for the holidays is dinner at EMP or Le Bernadin. I'm a vegetarian (not vegan), so Le Bernadin just looks like a total waste to me, and he wouldn't enjoy a meal where my only option was salad and bland veggies.

I've tried getting EMP reservations for the weekend of the December 22-23 and 28 (29 become available tomorrow), and have failed repeatedly. Today, after dialing at 9 AM and waiting 30+ minutes on hold, I had to give up and go to a meeting.

Going to try for the 29 tomorrow. Two questions:

1. Can you make reservations for EMP in person? At this point I'd be happy to get on the subway and be waiting there at 8:55 AM.

2. If I fail, which of these do you think is the best alternative: Toqueville, Gramercy Tavern tasting menu (only eaten in the Tavern previously), or The NoMad? Would also consider Jungsik if someone could confirm they'll make vegetarian accommodations, but the menu doesn't look to veggie friendly.

He's big on fish and really likes creative cocktails, which would make me pick The NoMad, except I'm worried its not special enough (kinda looks like ABC Kitchen, which I love, but not exactly what I'm looking for).

All input appreciated.