Pan, Pisticci's menu looks good, and I like that it's "green." Will definitely consider this for lunch or dinner--there are even a couple of things my daughter can eat if she decides to join us for lunch.

I'm excited to hear that Levain is near the hotel--I've tried to go to the Upper West Side location on previous trips but never had time. I will definitely stop at the Harlem location! May also try to go to Red Rooster.
Our daughter used to live in Harlem on 125th St (I don't remember the cross street) but I'm having a hard time figuring out whether the hotel is in the same area. When she lived there we used to go to a nearby cafe-type place that I think was called the Harlem Tea Room--have you heard of it and do you know if it's the same area?

Yes, I've heard Pio Pio is good but we have a lot of Peruvian chicken places near our home (suburban DC) and often have that for dinner, so would rather have some different restaurant experiences in NYC.

Thanks, you've all given me some good suggestions. I've wanted to try Esca for a long time but have not had the chance on past visits to NYC--glad you reminded me. We can try more than one place for lunches and dinners because we'll be in the city Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. I will also need to look up posts on Harlem restaurants, because we're staying at Aloft Harlem (at or near 125th, I think).

My daughter just told me she will not be able to join us for dinner on performance night (she is one of the performers), so that means we don't have to worry about vegan options. Dafni does sound good and it's pretty close, so we may go there anyway. We might consider Zen Palate for another meal with our daughter that weekend, although I think we ate there on another NYC visit 3-4 years ago and I was not thrilled.
I'm still open to other suggestions close to BAC, now that we are not restricted by vegan requirements.

Yes, that is the right address. Sorry I didn't give it originally--I just figured that locals would be familiar with the location. When we attended a performance there a few months ago I remember that we had to walk quite a long way to get to a restaurant, but in that case we were following our daughter, who had a specific place in mind and didn't mind a long walk. This time I would prefer to be closer.
Dafni looks like a nice place and the menu works. I'd love to hear what people think of the food.
Are there other places nearby?

My husband and I will be attending an evening performance at the Baryshnikov Arts Center on Saturday Nov. 3. We'd like to have dinner in the area (preferably easy walking distance to BAC) either before or after the performance. We like almost any kind of food, but our vegan daughter may join us so there need to be at least a couple of options for her (preferably more than just ordering vegetables that are normally side dishes; she also does not eat raw vegetables--only cooked--so salad won't work for her). We visit NYC a couple of times a year so are prepared for high prices, but would prefer not to go someplace extremely expensive. Ethnic cuisine is fine.
Looking forward to your suggestions.

Thanks, Kathryn, West Bank Cafe menu looks like it would work and location is good.

-----
West Bank Cafe
407 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036

On Oct. 15 or 16 (Fri or Sat) my daughter and I are coming in from the DC area and want to meet my parents for lunch or early dinner in Manhattan; preferably not more than about $25/person for food but will go higher if necessary. My daughter and I have fairly wide-ranging tastes but she can't eat dairy or raw fruits/vegs (cooked fruits/vegs are OK except for tomatoes) My parents are in their 80s and like what I consider bland food--think "early bird special" and diners. They also like Jewish delis, as I do, but I'm not sure my daughter can find anything there. My father does not like pasta so, along with my daughter's non-dairy diet, that probably rules out Italian. I also don't think Asian would work--if it's authentic (which my daughter and I like), it will be too exotic for them. Meat is OK for all, but not a steakhouse (for various reasons).

Aside from food challenges, my father has trouble hearing conversation in noisy places, so it's important that the place be fairly quiet. Also, the location must be not too far or expensive a ride by taxi from the Port Authority bus station. And the restaurant must either take reservations or not have a long wait at lunch or early dinner, because my parents can't stand a long time.

In previous Manhattan get-togethers with my parents we have eaten at Josephina and at Josie's on Upper West Side (they liked the former, not so much the latter) and at Cookshop in Chelsea (too noisy). We would consider Josephina again but I'd like to have some alternatives--please help with what feels like an impossible challenge to find someplace with good food that meets these requirements!

Kittichai does look great and we like Thai, but I noticed that all the review quotes and awards mentioned on the website are from 2004-5. Have you eaten there recently? Also, do you know if casual dress is OK there?

-----
Kittichai
60 Thompson St, New York, NY 10012

My husband and I will be in Manhattan this weekend and treating our daughter and her boyfriend plus 3 cousins to dinner Sunday. My husband and I are staying in Soho (Hampton Inn) but the others are in UWS and Brooklyn. I'm looking for a restaurant within reasonable walking distance or short subway or taxi ride from the hotel (am I right in thinking that means Soho, the Village, or Chelsea?), although I'd be willing to travel farther for a good place. It's important that we go someplace that takes reservations, because we don't want to wait for a long time. It also has to take credit cards.

Alhough my husband and I are treating, we don't want to spend a fortune--would be nice to keep under $30/person (not including drinks and tip). We all enjoy cuisines of various regions and also like places that emphasize seasonal ingredients. My daughter and one cousin prefer vegetarian food, but they will eat meat or fish at times. We don't like pretentious food or service. We do like a nice (not fancy) setting that's not too noisy to have a conversation. Some places that we've liked (with most of the same group) on other trips to the city are Cookshop (though that was noisier and more expensive than I wanted), Josie's Restaurant West, and Chennai Garden. My husband and I have also enjoyed Alouette and Cosette and would like recs for similar places closer to the hotel.

I saw that Zengo's is participating in Restaurant Week for Sunday dinner and it sounds like the kind of thing all might like--would you recommend it for us given the criteria above?

-----
Chennai Garden
129 E 27th St, New York, NY 10016

Alouette
2588 Broadway, New York, NY 10025

Zengo
622 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10016