Bogota and Dinosaur

Issue: Where to celebrate a big birthday with a big guest list.

Rule: Dinner for more than 6 people is extremely difficult. Many restaurants are not equipped with tables set for more than 6 or 8 people unless you book for a large party. A very large party. But what if you just want to celebrate with a big group without the hassle of pre-ordering or getting a separate party space? Two friends recently celebrated their 30th birthdays with big dinner parties out minus the headache.

Application: Sarah celebrated her 30th birthday at Bogota in Park Slope with 17 of her closest buddies. Bogota is always jam packed and busy, but this was especially true since Sarah's birthday falls on Valentines Day. Beware that almost every single person needs to be present in order for your party to be seated. This always becomes an issue with big birthday parties because someone is always late. Once seated we were able to enjoy a delicious meal with amazing drinks. The drink list in two pages with fruit margaritas, mojitos, beers and specialty cocktails. Due to the large number of drinks ordered there was a bit of a mix up. The cocktails took a few minutes to arrive and my margarita without salt became a margarita with salt when I got too thirsty to ask for my correct order.
Our meals arrived much faster than anticipated and I believe everyone got what they requested. For only $14 I had the vegetable taco entree which comes with two side orders. Everyone around me was getting the maduros so I could not resist. My second side was kale- another item I have trouble resisting. Two tacos came with my order stuffed with mushrooms, corn, feta and tomatoes. They were super filling and delicious, especially with the chipotle tomato sauce on the side. The long table was filled with smiling faces all dinner long and even though the place was busy, you could truly hear all conversations and never felt like yelling was necessary. Service was friendly and attentive and everyone seemed to enjoy their meals.
Dave celebrated his birthday in a slightly different fashion at Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem. The group dinner was enjoyed family style with a HUGE amount of food ordered ahead of time. And I do mean HUGE. Corn bread, deviled eggs, pulled pork, ribs, mac and cheese, potato salad... the list goes on and on. Family style made dividing the monster check a little easier and we left with approximately 10 take out boxes. And the food was terrific! I will always root for an upstate NY icon but the tasty food makes it impossible not to. The only problem with family style dining (especially family style dining at a BBQ joint) is the lack of vegetarian options available. I loved the fried green tomatoes but I certainly ate much more pork than I normally would in a month.
The noise level was insanely high at Dinosaur. The place is gigantic and the service was right on top of everything but it was difficult to hear the person sitting right next to me. However, yelling while passing a big plate of pulled pork and creating hand signals to express the desire for more mac and cheese certainly made for a friendly atmosphere.

Conclusion: When booking a big birthday party with a big group of people it is always important to factor cost into the equation. (No one wants to be stuck holding a check and cash while $400 short) With friends and family members being in different wage brackets it is always nice to try to make dinner out less of an anxiety producing affair and more budget friendly so that everyone feels welcome and excited to be there. Both Dinosaur (family style) and Bogota (individual orders off a regular menu) were not terribly expensive for good meals that included drinks. Dinosaur ended up being a little more pricy but there was a lot more food that went around.
Another important factor is flavor. Both meals were delicious yet entirely different cuisines. Everyone had a lovely time and I think the birthday kids were pleased. Which is, of course the most important factor of all!