Wife's 30th Birthday Celebration????

[eroz]

Hi

Was wondering if there were any good recommendations for a restaurant for my wife's 30th birthday in September.

We have already booked dinner on a canal boat for one of the nights which looks pretty good.

We like a variety of different foods - italian, steak and seafood being our usual preference - but we are willing to try anything really good.

As it's a celebration, money isn't really a problem for the meal (within reason). Having said that, we prefer a more comfortable restaurant/experience than really stuffy. I much prefer a good friendly atmosphere to one with waiters wearing white gloves and not much going on.

Any recommendation for places to go for lunch during our stay would also be excellent! I am thinking the pancake place looks pretty good: http://www.pancake.nl/indexeng.php

Many thanks and keep up the good work.

Eroz

[d3lt4-9]

Have you checked out TripAdvisor? You can sort all of the rated restaurants on the site by popularity. Some of the top choices are quite low-priced and too casual for your occassion, but there's quite a few extensive reviews of some really nice places.

I'd like to be more help, but I'm a garbage can when it comes to food in Amsterdam. I don't think the wife would appreciate a FEBO kroket with a candle in it very much.

[Iko]

Any recommendation for places to go for lunch during our stay would also be excellent!<<<

V and D department store.
The BEST lunch in the city.
https://www.coffeeshopdirect.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13792

[Bob2]

Mc Donalds

[titus wong]

So yer looking for the wife's 30th b'day dinner venue? Last year, my bud and I went to Café Bern in Nieuwmarkt. It has a justified rep as a local's favorite and is a quaint little eetcafe that is PACKED every night. I wanted to try it out as it's touted in all the tour books as being "affordable" (turns out that the dutch and I have different interpretations of the word). It has all the elements you asked for -- bruin cafe environs, lively setting, saucy barmaids slinging one-liners, and good food. The daily menu is usually comprised of five or six items, two of which are guaranteed to be fondue and entrecote. Entrecote, if yer unfamiliar with the dish as I was, is to meat, what fondue is to bread. In the case of entrecote, filet mignon is dipped into a herb-infused butter sauce.

I hadda great time and the atmosphere sounds like it would fill your prerequisites. The bill, for one order each of the entrecote and the fondue, with 4 La Chouffes, came to about €60 - €70. More than I expected to pay, but definitely worth it. Because it's so popular, you need to reserve a table a week in advance.

For a post-prandial smoke afterwards, I would saunter across the Nieuwmarkt square to Green Place or Basjoe. Coffeeshop Solo, neé Stix, is around the corner and down the street.

Café Bern
Nieuwmarkt 9
1011 JR Amsterdam, Nederland
020 6220034

Another possibility might be Balthazar's Keuken in de Jordaan. I've read favorable reports on this place, but have never visited. It's a high end culinary destination featuring seafood and local organic produce. However, they DO offer a prix fixe menu for €27,50 as well as a house wine for €15. From all appearances, this is a pretty nice resto with attentive service and positive critical acclaim, so it might fit the bill given the occasion. Reservations seem a must. Looks a bit stuffy, tho'. However, a Rokerij IS nearby to fix that afterwards.

Balthazar’s Keuken
Elandsgracht 108
1016 VA Amsterdam
Tel: +31 (0)20 420.21.14

Link to Balthazar's Keuken's 3D virtual tour

Lastly, I would mention Café De Blaffende Vis, another eetcafe in de Jordaan. The name itself ('the Barking Fish') is enough to arouse anyone's curiosity. I don't know much about this place except for the reviews on Tripadvisor. From reports, it's pretty "affordable" so it may be a trifle unsuitable for your wife's birthday celebration. I'm aiming to sup there myself this upcoming trip so I'll know a little more in a few months.

Café De Blaffende Vis
Westerstraat 118
1015 MN Amsterdam, Nederland
020 6251721

[Sir Niall of Essex-sire]

Mc Donalds

Agreed,

make sure she pays though, we're not running a charity here.

[baked]

there are some brilliant michelin star restaurants in amsterdam, if that is an option.

[Strawberries]

try either Ciel Bleu or Yamazato at the Hotel Okura. click on the restaurant and then you can see the menu

http://www.okura.nl/en/okura-gastronomy/overview.html

[Boner]

If you want to be made like you're a local then give de Klos ago: https://www.coffeeshopdirect.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13609

the banter with the wait staff has always made my meal better.

[Roccy Tittzenbeer]

Hello Eroz,
A nice place to go for a special meal is the traditional Dutch style Haesje Claes restaurant. Have been a number of times both in the evening and at lunchtime.
The food has always been good, busy Thur, Fri, Sat evenings. The other diners and waitresses very friendly and quite lively. A lot of locals dine there and easy to find quite central location.
Take a look at the website for menu and photo's etc, (press the Union Flag icon top right for translation into English) http://www.haesjeclaes.nl
You could always wander by during the day for a few drinks to check it out.
Wish you both a great time and an early Happy 30th Birthday wish to Mrs Eroz.

[eroz]

Many thanks for the excellent recommendations! I appreciate the time.

I think Haesje Claes looks fantastic and the wife will love it. The other look very good also . . . . apart from McDonalds of course.

Please . . . keep the suggestions 'rolling' in...

Eroz