nyc - where to have bday party for dh?

There's a PLanet thai in the city as well.. on 24th street between 6th & 7th.. you can check them out.. i think it'll be a little less expensive than sushi samba, tao, megu, etc.

you can also try chop suey in the renaissance times square hotel.. it's a hidden gem.. nobody seems to know about it but it has the BEST Times Square view! i don't think pricing would be too bad either.. the contact there is Rachel Pedone.. & they can offer a large group seating reservation.

ok i attached all the info from different places...not like it will really help you guys, but it's kinda helping me.

i know it's silly to be planning now, but i'm off during the summer, and i start grad school in sept, so i won't have any free time then.

leaning toward sushisamba....??

gifts 08.xls

based on your excel spreadsheet, i like kitti chai & stanton social.. stanton social is great w/ large groups too bc it's family style plates.. but not sure if that would be too costly for you w/ open bar.. you'll be in LES & there's a lot of fun bars around there if you're lookin to head elsewhere afterwards.. Piano's plays great music in the upstairs room..

i also like the other options, i.e. japonais, sushi samba, asia de cuba.. but it comes out to be a lot..

keep in mind that chop suey doesn't have the same vibe as the others but the food is good & the view at night is amazing bc you're literaly above times square.. you can call rachel pedone at: 212-261-5101. She's the Area Dir. of Sales & Marketing. Let her know that Laura with Empire Force Events referred you. Hopefully she can take care of you! hey, it's another option..

Let us know what you decide! =)

I agree with Laybar. Based on your spreadsheet I would go with Stanton Social. It's a cool spot and good location. Blue water grill has great food but not a fun atmosphere at all. More stuffy and sort of an older crowd at night. I am trying to remember the name of a spanish tapas place where I had my borthday in the meatpacking district and I can't. Starts with a K... really cute and they move tables and have someone spinning and people dance after 11. If i think of it ill let ya know! It was a while a go

anyone been to megu? if i can get the chick to agree to my final price, i'm going there. stanton social is my 2nd choice, and i'll pay for 2 hrs of open bar.

is that tacky? only paying for 2 hrs? i want to make menus and i guess i'll include it somehow (open bar from 9-11) but don't want ppl to be like "wtf, she can't pay for 3 hrs?"...don't think they would, as they're his friends, not his mom's, lol.

btw, if you like tapas, go to the divine bar. went there for my bachelorette dinner and it was SO good.

Lauren-

I think that if you pick a place that has dinner and a lounge area- then say that you are taking care of the dinner tab (which includes drinks) cause I am guessing that's 2-3 hours with a large group right? Then when you move into the lounge area or go to a different place for drinks/dancing then everyone's on their own. KWIM?

I've never been to Megu

Laybar- Son cubano wasn't what I meant but I love that place! It's super fun and maybe you should check that out too Lauren? The place that I was thinking about is small and dark and very rustic looking. Argh!! I need to remember the name. Son cubano might be a really fun option though. Check it out!

yeah, i'd have the coordinator or whoever not start those 2-3 hrs until we got there, b/c it's a surprise and guests will be there before us. hopefully we'd be done eating w/in those 2-3 hrs (3 hrs at megu, 2 at stanton social), and then go to the bar or somewhere else. i need to make it clear to his friends that i'm not paying for them all night. i wouldn't ask them to chip in, but worse comes to worse, if we're still sitting there, i can make sure the waiters know to tell guests that the open bar is closed. if i were going out to dinner for someone else's bday, i wouldn't expect them to pay for dinner, so that would be a bonus for me. i could even put it on the e-vite....hrm....

megu tribeca has better reviews than midtown. tribeca has 4-5 stars on yelp, whereas midtown has 2-3. however, i just found out there is a room fee, even if it's not private...which makes no sense to me...

i'll go check out son cubano. what kind of music is it? dh is into electronica/paul van dyke, but something tells me that's not what's played there (not like it matters, we can go elsewhere afterward).

EDIT: at son cubano, a dj starts at 11:30, so that would be interesting if we're still there then...i just emailed the contact, and asked if it's possible to have a large group w/o renting out their private room. there is no room fee for megu if i eat in the main dining.

so let's say you get an invite for a party...would YOU expect to pay for dinner? drinks? would you be surprised if you were in the main dining area with other patrons rather than in your own room? (would you be surprised if you knew i was on a teacher's salary )...while i may need to cut some corners, i would just HATE for it to look tacky in any way.