nyc - where to have bday party for dh?

so dh turns 30 in november. he wants a party at tao in nyc. HAHAHAHA - right - way too much $!

anyone have any suggestions for places in nyc? here are the requirements:

- it can't be indian or italian - the crazier the food, the better. asian/pan asian fusion would be perfect, but not a requirement.

- must be able to provide sit down dinner and drink for 12-20 people.

- a private room would be great, but as long as we can all sit together, we're ok.

i have emails into kion lounge and forbidden city to see what they would charge for a small party. i did email tao, just to see if the skybox would be available, and emailed libation, who said that after dinner, we'd have to order bottles, which are between $200-$500 PER BOTTLE!!! and the list - things like ketel one, for 5 people - - - $300!!!!!!! obviously includes table service, but not tax and tip. also, anytime in october or november is great - i am thinking thanksgiving weekend b/c his best friend will be around, but if that weekend will be extra, then i'd pick another weekend. i'm going to try to make this a surprise, but idk if it'll work...

tia for all of your help!!!!

Hey there,

Here are a few suggestions:

- Asia de Cuba ( nice for large groups but don't think a private room is avail.) Family style portions

- Mad Dog and Beans on Stone st downtown is a fun mexican place. It's a party atmosphere but the upstairs is more chill. laidback. Guys love it here.

- Paris Commune - they do private parties in the rouge wine bar downstairs. Cute vibe, good food. Fashion/design crowd

If i think of anymore I'll let ya know!

Lauren, what about Buddakan?

i have emails into about 20 restaurants to see what they can do for small private or semi-private parties - buddakan is one of them, and now asia de cuba is another!

i'm REALLY interested in public, which serves kangaroo!

keep the ideas coming!

I haven't lived in NY in years, and it may not work for your group, but Lucky Cheng's is always fun for a party. Its asian food with a drag cabaret dinner show. With the right group, its a blast. And they can definitely accomodate a larger group. I took my mom there for her 50th b-day and she loved it!

jenn i was totally going to have my bachelorette party there! if it was me and my friends i'd do it, but that's not dh's scene.... thanks tho!

well, i had it narrowed down to 2 places. we went to one, and it was good, but there are so many places in nyc that i probably wouldn't go back. the 2nd would be a rented out place, but knowing dh, he'd want a party atmosphere, and be able to hear loud electronic music while eating. buddakhan, buddha bar, asia de cuba, wakiya, tao, etc. all too expensive once drinks are added on (i want open bar, or open wine for the amount of time we're there, 3 hrs-ish)...so back to square one...

so.....where are my ny peeps?

anyone ever been to:

ruby foo's uptown?

ruby foo's times square?

megu?

sushisamba?

any info about atmosphere, music, crowd would be great. food and drink are mostly covered by reviews, but i need to know all the other stuff...tiaa!

Hi Lauren,

Ruby Foo's uptown and times sq are pretty much the same except that the crowd in times sq. is more touristy. Personally, I don't love it there though. You named off some cool places and Ruby's doesn't have that same vibe. If you would consider something off the beaten path -Williamsburg- try Planet Thai. Very cool huge place and they have a dj spinning. Half the menu is japanese and half is thai at mega affordable prices. Great drinks too. That would be a really cool not right in the city spot. But I think that the whole point was to have it right in the city so that may not be what you want...

Sushi samba is fun and prob the vibe you want. I don't see it being much less expensive though. They also have a rooftop bar. If I had to choose location for Sushi samba I would do the one in greenwhich village but both locations seem to be full of attitude with no reason in my opinion.

I need to keep thinking cause you named off my pan asian type pics. Are you open to other food options or do you want to keep it asian?

i'm open to anything, but if he had a choice, it would be pan asian or small plate/tapas kind of places. mexican doesn't really do anything for him, and neither of us love italian (i know, i know....)

i have to run out now, but i'll look up planet thai when i get home...

keep the ideas rolling!

What about Spice Market? I think it's sort of along the same lines of what you were going for with Tao...Great atmosphere and also serves Pan Asian tapas but is a little less expensive if I recall correctly I would try contacting them. I haven't eaten there in a while but I went for a friends birthday a few years ago and we had so much fun!

Also, I second Asia de Cuba (really loved it and been there a few times!)...and I would give a personal thumbs down to Ruby Foo's for a special event. I have eaten at both locations more than once and have never been particularly impressed with my meal. Food's not bad, it's just not especially good and if you're going out and spending money on a birthday that's what you want.

Can you give us a general idea of how much you want to ask people to pay for dinner? I know the bottle service fees (bottles being in the $100s) sound outrageous but they're not unheard of and I doubt Buddakan or Asia de Cuba will be much less. Which do you think is more important to your DH? The location or having a private area/bottle service? Because you could probably get a reservation for the group and have them all be responsible for buying their own drinks and still have a large group at the table, or you could find a slightly lesser known place that's not as expensive and take the whole place over (more of less). Personally I think either way you go it's win-win, just depends on the expectations your DH and your crowd have for the evening.