DH and I were just in NYC for our 10th Anniversary. He surprised me with the trip and tickets to see the NYCB and Wicked. We had a great time. Our "special" dinner out was at a place called Daniel. It was fabulous, but pretty fancy. A totally different experience from our normal date nights though, so a LOT of fun. I'd highly recommend it if you want to try something wonderful. Have a great time! Jaymie

One if by Land is very nice; semi fancy but not uncomfortable.

im a native ny'er ad moved from ny a year ago and am very in touch with all restaurants...what type of food do you guys like? where are you staying? what price point are you looking to spend per person with or without alcohol? i'll try to point you in the right directions.

One of the places I have enjoyed is Cafe Boulud (i think that is how it is spelled)-- it is a much less fancy and intimidating restaurant owned by Daniel Boulud (of Daniel). This time of year, I'd eat out at the sidewalk tables. The menu changes seasonally and in the 4 times I have been there, I have had 4 completely different dishes all of which were superb. A small but special touch are the tiny warm madeleines they serve with coffee.. and the last time I was there, they brought us a very decadent dessert "compliments of the chef". I don't like chocolate but it was to die for.

This time of year I'd dine at the outdoor tables. (Though I recommend reservations as there are but a few). It's in the upper east side.

A little more casual/comfortable but every bit as yummy is Lupa, one of Mario Batali's restaurants. I still dream about the ricotta gnocchi. They were like eating clouds.

Enjoy the visit and anniversary no matter what you do or where you go!

Here is a link that might be useful: Cafe Boulud

I liked Angelo's on Mulberry in Little Italy. Great food but not much romance. You may want to try it while you are there, but not for your anniversary dinner.

gramercy tavern , decor and food exquisite. have a look at the pics !

Here is a link that might be useful: gramercy tavern

DH and I also celebrated our 10th anniversary in NYC - many years ago. We try to get to NYC either early spring or late fall every year. There are so many great restaurants as well as music, theatre - something for everyone.

Personal favorites: Gramercy Tavern - elegant but not stuffy - great unusual menu using seasonal ingredients. Yummy cocktails.

Baldoria (Frank Pellegrino's *Rao's Restaurant* son's restaurant) - italian restaurant with live dinner music on Fri/Sat nites. Lots of personal attention without hovering. Raw bar as well. Be sure to make reservation for upstairs seating if possible. If you can't go to Rao's, go to Baldoria. Rao's has approx. 10 tables and is heavily celebrity booked.

If you have time for a lunch, try Hudson Hotel's "cafeteria". Excellent food, inside and alfresco dining. We always stay at the Hudson Hotel and have had many lunches as well as dinners in the hotel. Worth a visit just to see this unique hotel. Marvelous.

The possibilities are endless. Buy a Zagat's NYC - great source for restaurants. Unfortunately, the restaurant business in NYC is a very competitive one, so new restaurants pop up. I have found that Zagat's has been very reliable.

At this early hour, those are what come to my fuzzy brain. I am anxious to see what others suggest!

Happy Anniversary and have a wonderful time.

I so enjoyed my dining experience at 'Tavern on the Green'. Totally a romantic experience-their outside dining patio, places you in a wonderland of white lights wrapped around every tree branch!
Following dinner-you could take a carriage ride thru Central Park-you get the carriage right there at the restaurant.

whatever you decide, book early

i use opentable.com it gives you an idea on how busy your date selection is

If you are looking for a pre- or post-theater dinner in the theater district, I highly recommend Angus McIndoe, a small restaurant at 258 W. 44th Street. It is a nice neighborhood bistro-type of ambience with really great food (and great martinis). It's not what you'd probably want for an anniversary dinner, but as a theater night choice it can't be beat.

Daniel would be a great choice for an anniversary dinner, or Le Bernardin, Picholine, or Le Cirque. WD 50, or Bouley.
You can get up to the minute reviews from customers at menupages.com for all the restaurants in New York, and make advance reservations on opentable.com

Have a wonderful trip, twingirlsmom. We lived in NYC for 7 years and love to go back and visit----and eat!

I have heard the restaurant at the Mayflower Hotel is fabulous. It was rated #5 in the world, some years back.

Happy Anniversary!

You'll have trouble booking at Rao's. Tavern on the Green is lovely, but the food's not so lovely. I vote for Gramercy Tavern, too.

Take a look at the NY magazine site for some other ideas. Or Chowhound's NY boards. www.chowhound.com

Here is a link that might be useful: New York magazine

Wow, thanks to all for such great info!! I am definitely going to look up the sites that you all have included. We actually leave this Sunday so I'm a bit concerned that I've waited too long to try and book a reservation at some of these places but I will look on opentable.com. Where I live, 1 week ahead is plenty of time to book a reservation...I'm thinking that just isn't the case in NYC :-) As far as food, I like more of a variety than my husband but I wouldn't say I'm all that daring when it comes to food. We like steak, seafood (we are from the Pacific NW so that's a no brainer :-))...pretty standard stuff. Italian is definitely a favorite of mine. As far as price, I was hoping to not spend more than $150.00'sh. Am I in for a surprise?? It will be next Friday night and we were thinking of a show afterwards. I'll have to see if getting tickets is still possible as well...thanks Jaymielo for the tip about Wicked. I think I should have looked into all of this much sooner...can you tell I'm a mom of 2 year old twins...not very on the ball!!!! Thanks to all for the nice anniversary wishes...this is our first vacation away from our girls and I'm feeling a little nervous but also very excited!!!!!

We were just in NYC a couple weeks ago and had a great dinner at Becco.
It's Italian, the food was great, it's in your price range, and it is in the theater district. We really enjoyed it. They have a big wine list too. We had the pre fix dinner before we went to see mama mia. It was a really fun night.

As far as getting tickets to a show, if you're not picky about seats you can by tickets the day of the show at the TKTS counter in times square.

Have a great trip and a happy anniversary!

Here is a link that might be useful: Becco NYC

here's my recommedation...

when i don't make a reservation ahead of time i pick the best restaurants that don't take them in the first place. there is normally a slight wait, but they make you pretty comfortable, and/or call you on your cell while you wait for a table.

For your price point and cuisine I HIGHLY recommend:
Blue Ribbon Brasserie
It's in the fabulous west village, and it's so fun and beautiful to walk around...just take a taxi, not a subway, because the streets are pretty confusing. I really think you'll love it...it's also a great value for the quality of food, wine, etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blue Ribbon