Bear Cannot Live By Theater Alone

I usually write on budget ways to go to theater, but you also need to grab a bite before or after a show.

Here’s some deals I uncovered on my last trip to New York and I will give them a try again next month on my way to Europe.

Perhaps one of the best pre-fix deals around is at Becco at 355 West 46th Street.. For lunch at $17.95 and dinner for $22.95 (oops I said $21.95 on the podcast; I was wrong) per person you can try the Sinfonia di Pasta in which you get a 2 course meal that includes a Caesar salad or Anitpasto Misto, as well as, a trio of daily pasta specials. THREE PASTAS!! And it’s all you can eat!! Don’t think of this mall-like all you can eat buffet with canned & flavorless foods…this is fresh, high quality, extremely Italian cuisine served tableside by a very attentive staff. You’d expect nothing less from famed owner Lidia Bastianich, who has instructed many of us how to create great Italian dinner with her television show. You can even get a bottle of Italian wine from their extensive wine list all priced at $25.

Located in the heart of the Theater District, Restaurant Row was created to draw tourists and theatergoers in from their pre and post theater dinners. Becco is a shining beacon in what can easily be a tourist trap. In Becco’s case, the heavy trafficked Restaurant Row is a blessing as they are able to keep their pre-fixed menu available year round. Reservations are highly recommended, especially for a pre-theater or weekend dinner!

And if you want a feast for the eyes as well, Executive Chef William Gallagher sure is woofy!

If you’re craving some diner food before or after a show, you might try Westway Diner, which is open 24 hours and is the place Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David used to meet to discuss “Seinfeld” before it went on television. Located at 614 Ninth Ave., Westway also has free delivery in the area via its website. If you want the best they have to offer, I’d stick to anything breakfasty among Eggs and Omelets, burgers, sandwiches or anything Greek (since they are Greek). You get nice portions, good food and it won’t break the bank. The menu is a bit overly extensive and they don’t excel at dinner items or anything fried.

If you’re even more budget conscious, try:

FOR PIZZA SLICES: My favorite slices are at Patzeria at 233 W. 46th Street, right across the street from the “In the Heights” musical. Open until midnight, I love their Grandma’s slice, lasagna slice and the white cheese as well as the normal slices and whole pies. They don’t have a website but they do offer great service, good variety, catering and breakfast specials from 7-11am.

There’s also the ever increasing in popularity Fat Sal’s, which has four locations in Manhattan and has a $3 off coupon on their website. Their pizzas are also pretty good – I tried a variety of slices. I don’t know who fat Sal is but the pizza slices sure are.

CHEAP BREAD AND BAKED GOODS: During the day, Amy’s Breads is simply known as the great reasonably priced bakery with quality breads, critically acclaimed sticky buns and fantastic pre-made sandwiches (great to take on the airplane). But after 4pm, Amy’s becomes the bakery bargain spot. As everything is fresh daily, at 4pm they sell off their leftover sandwiches at half-priced to make room for the fresh ones that become available at 6pm. Amy’s has three NYC locations – check them out at www.amysbread.com and at the same time you can read all about their awards, expansions and buy Amy’s cookbook.

TIME FOR A SPLURGE: While all of the restaurant listed here are mostly near the Theater District so you can easily grab a bite before or after a show, sometimes you need to get away and splurge. The place I go to is Sarabeth’s Kitchen. With three restaurants in Manhattan, one in Florida, a bakery in Chelsea and two outlets at the Whitney and Lord & Taylor, Sarabeth must be doing something right. While I have not strayed for my fondness of her baked goods and jams (which you can order online at www.sarabeth.com, which I did and made many people happy for Christmas), Sarabeth’s does do lunch and dinner too. But since I am so drawn to her basket of muffins and jams, I always order breakfast. I prefer the Central Park South location as you can walk off your breakfast in the park. But do get there and try one of her fluffier than air omelets and no matter how full you are, get that basket of muffins and enjoy. Be sure to bring cash to buy some of her spreadable fruit to take with you. Yes, you can order online and ship it home. But you might just get the craving later that day for another taste of her fine baked goods. In a way, it’s nice that Oprah Winfrey talked about her baked goods – as no matter how tasty everything is, we’re sure Sarabeth’s could use a little push in this economy.

That’s it for now. When I come back from Europe, I’ll have stories and tips for you!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 at 11:36 pm and is filed under Food & Drink. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.