Where to Eat in NYC - My Picks and Pictures!

One of my blogger friends had asked for suggestions about places to eat in NYC. I would have written about this anyway, but since there was a specific request, I thought of coming up with it at the earliest!! Hope you find this useful.

NYC is a place where you get almost all cuisines, and in all price ranges. Pizza/ pasta/ salad/ burgers/ hot dogs are available readily and make the cheapest meal anywhere, any time. You can get a slice of yummy pizza with all possible meat toppings for just around $2-$3. And trust me, you will love it! As I mentioned in my one of my earlier posts, though pizza was first made in Italy, I bet it can't be yummier from the ones I had in NYC!!

Typical American or even British dishes like say Fish and Chips have may be a bland. So if you like it spicy, you have to let them know!

Now coming to the restaurants.. I obviously have not explored the food options completely to give an expert opinion, but I am writing about the ones I really liked and were located in the most popular destinations. These are all reasonably restaurants.

Times Square
Times square has a plethora of restaurants. And the funny bit is that I have not been disappointed by whichever restaurant I have tried! My favorite ones are.

Olive Garden
It is basically an Italian place but offers a decent variety of items on the menu. The best part I like about this place is that they offer a very nice and wholesome complimentary salad. The ambiance is nice and casual, and it's a good place to with date or family both :)
http://www.olivegarden.com/
Meal for 2: < $60

Bubba Gump Shrimp
This is a seafood place based on the theme of the movie 'Forrest Gump'. If you can answer 5 questions about the movie, you get candies too :). I also managed to win a really nice cocktail glass. You get a huuuge variety of shrimp items here. My favorite is the Cajun Shrimp, nice and spicy and suits the Indian palette.
Another interesting thing about this place is the way you're supposed to call your sever. They come and attend you if you display the 'STOP' board. Else you hold the 'Keep Running' board. They also have a nice way to celebrate birthdays :)
http://www.bubbagump.com/
Meal for 2:  $90

Hard Rock Cafe
This of course needs to introduction. They usually serve very nicely mixed drinks though I was a bit disappointed in my last visit I hate to say. The decor is grand and nice. It's located right in the heart of Times Square, and so has long waiting time.
The suggestion that I have here is that since HRC is there almost everywhere including Delhi/ Mumbai etc, you could skip this and try something new!
http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/
Meal for 2:  $70





Chevy's Fresh Mex
This is one of my favorite Mexican joints. They have some nice Margaritas too! And is very reasonable.
My absolute favorite here is Shrimp fajitas.
http://www.chevys.com/
Meal for 2:  $60

Red Lobster 
By now you can feel my love for seafood! And if you are a fan of seafood like me, you will like this place too :). The restaurant welcomes you with a display of live lobsters in an aquarium! They have decent variety and also offer a nice complimentary ceaser salad.. I usually avoid lobster as they are a bit cumbersome to eat. But I did not want to not eat lobster in a restaurant that had lobster in the name! So after our server promised that it would be not be that big a deal,  we ordered the Fire-Grilled Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops! And it was pretty good and easy to eat too!!
http://www.redlobster.com
Meal for 2:  $70-$80

34th Street: Lucy's Cantina Royale
I will not rate this placevery well in terms of the menu but the location and the view from the top is pretty amazing! There is an open air section on the second floor from where you get a somewhat aerial view of the 34th street. You can see the Empire State building too! In terms of food, they do not have a great variety, you get the common American items like burgers etc and some mexican stuff too.

View of the Empire State from Lucy's

South Street Seaport - Pier 17
I have eaten at a few places here and frankly liked all of them. The USP of the restaurants here is the view they offer more than anything else. Having a romantic dinner (or actually any kind of meal) by the riverside is something I have always fancied. You get a breathtaking view of the Brooklyn bridge as well. Just choose something up the stairs, by the river! And if you like seafood, try the Grilled salmon.

One restaurant that I really thought was interesting but never visited is Beekman Beer Garden Beach. It's a relatively new place and looks great! They have created an open air restaurant on a water taxi with seats that glow in the dark. I thought it was pretty awesome, will try it the next time for sure!

Beekman Beer Garden Beach

China Town
This is different part of NYC altogether. All signs are in Chinese, many people here can't speak in English and you often may have to talk with your hands! Busy, crowded yet very lively, and I had one of the best Singapore noodles there. This is the best place for some authentic Chinese food. And all the restaurants are very reasonably prices, most items between $10-$15. And it is highly likely that you will get the bill also in Chinese :)

A Glimpse of China Town

Little Italy
Right next to China town is Little Italy, the place for some great Italian food. They also have some food festivals or the other all year round. An interesting place to be at!

Little Italy Food Festival

Bleeker Street
This is close to the university area and has a line of small and homely pubs catering to the student population. The pubs have an informal environment and give you a perfect value for money.

Meatpacking district
This is really known for the night clubs and the speakeasy bars. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to explore this place well, although we accidentally went into a restaurant that served us an amazing octopus dish! Here is a list of the restaurants you will find there. It's a rather long one!
http://www.meatpackingdistrict.com/restaurantsbarsclubs/