Last week I saw a meme on Instagram that said something like, “What Do you Want for Christmas this year?” And then the mom responds, “a Saturday night babysitter.” Boy can I relate to that one.

I really, really love restaurant dining, and well, parenting cramps your dining style.  We do our fair share of dragging the kids out to eat, as well as paying a sitter so that we can dash into NYC for an adult meal. But even still, I don’t get rock star fine dining on nearly as much as my heart would like.

Here now are the spots in New York City that I would hit if given the gift this holiday season of a sitter AND a magic reservationist that could actually get me in at a reasonable hour. Oh and another big “if” here is IF I had unlimited funds. These restaurants are not cheap - but if you’re going to splurge, these are places to do it.