Miss Nellie’s was one of those restaurants near the theaters that always appeared to have an interesting menu. I had this restaurant saved for a few years, so I figured we’d check this out before watching a show. We walked in without reservations for 2 around 5:30 PM without any issues. As I sat down and looked at the menu again, I noticed some of the things I was interested in, such as smoked French Dip, had mushrooms in it. This really narrowed what I would get, so I had some skepticism.

Giuletta is a new casual Italian restaurant right next to Grand Central Terminal and the Met Life building. The word signifies “youthful” in Italian. The restaurant comes from the team behind La Pecora Bianca, which is another casual Italian eatery across Manhattan. I made a reservation for Giuletta a few days in advance pretty easily for 2 people at 5:30 PM on a Friday night. According to the business owner, it is “inspired by the feeling of a summer on the Amalfi Coast, the restaurant combines classic Italian dishes, a lively atmosphere, and a welcoming approach to dining that feels both refined and relaxed.”

At a whim, we’re around near the Bryant Park area. We didn’t make any reservations, and we wanted to try something new. I offered the option of yakitori (or skewers) because I knew about Double Knot being part of this movement of Philly restaurants expanding to NYC. We were able to walk in to this restaurant at around 6:00 PM, when it was prime time for the Midtown after work crowd.

Bucatini has been on my list for a while. It stealthily opened not too long ago, and unfortunately my partner was not asking for Italian restaurant choices for many weeks. This week surprisingly was an exception, and we were able to go visit this restaurant. I made a reservation a few days in advance very easily for a 5:30 PM outing on a Friday evening. Note that when I looked at reservations prior to January, it wasn’t as easy, so I suspect maybe this is the low season for many restaurants except for the most popular ones.

Dubu Haus has been on my list for a while since it opened. I really enjoy homemade tofu, especially the medium+ firm kind. What also appealed to me about this restaurant was the bossam wraps. I’m also a fan of wrapping pork belly with vegetables in general. I felt like this would be a very decent Korean homemade type of restaurant that wasn’t centered on BBQ. I was able to make a reservation for 2 a few days in advance without any issue.

For a pre-Valentine’s day dinner, this was one of the few restaurants where it was incredibly easy to make a reservation just a few days in advance. Ying Tao was on my list for a while, and the menu always looked mildly interesting to me. I remember when it first opened, it was one of the few individual Chinese “tasting” in Manhattan that was prepared in a gourmand style way. I was easily able to make a reservation for 2 for 5:30 PM on the Friday before Valentine’s.

Palladino’s Steak and Seafood is owned by Joseph Palladino, who was a former NYPD officer and opened Nick and Sam’s Steakhouse in Dallas 20 years ago. He wanted to bring this restaurant type back to his motherland city, NYC. This restaurant recently opened in Grand Central Terminal, just opposite of the Apple store in the main concourse on the second level. I was able to make a reservation for 2 very easily for 5:45 for the dining area that has fantastic views of the main Grand Central floor and its beautiful ceiling.

We’ve heard of Lillie’s Victorian Establishment, and it’s been on a list for a while because it’s a very festive restaurant. It’s always difficult to get last minute reservations, but fortunately as we won theater lottery on a cold single-digit weather, there was not a lot of tourist or foot traffic at all in the Times Square area. I was able to make a reservation for 2 for 5:30 PM very easily just a few hours in advance. As you can tell from the picture, there was a lot of snow, and the exterior was already decorated with a lot of winter ornaments.

When we ate at Ogawa, we were talking to the restaurant manager in Miami, and he said his old friend ran this restaurant in NYC. Apparently this restaurant originally existed in Queens, but it moved into Manhattan. At last, we had a Friday where didn’t really have any plans, so I suggested this restaurant. I was able to book a table for 2 for 6:00 PM on a Friday evening a few days in advance without issues. This restaurant is known for their yuzu flavored ramen.

Four Twenty Five is a contemporary, elevated restaurant from Chef Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. This restaurant was open on Christmas Day, and it was on our list for a while. They offered a tasting menu which mostly resembled items off their normal menu. The day prior, I was very easily able to book reservations without any issues for 2 at 4 PM. We arrived about 15 minutes early, and they had us wait in the bar area while they prepared our table.