I generally try to avoid eating in the theatre district or anywhere near Times Square but Thursday afternoon my cousins invited me to go see Hairspray on the spur of the moment and I needed to pick something relatively close to the theatre that was also a place kids would enjoy. Since I'm really just an overgrown kid myself, Mars 2112 has always held a sort of secret fascination for me.
With just a little over an hour in which to eat and get to the theatre, we bypassed the five minute spaceship ride to the table, since there was a line for it, and instead zipped through the Hyperspeed door, or whatever it was called. We walked through a cavernous and labyrinthine tunnel of sorts, took a wrong turn and ended up in the bar. After getting directions we found our way without further incident and were seated immediately, which was pretty amazing for 6PM. Once we ordered and knew we'd have some time before the food arrived, I took the girls (my cousins aged 8 & 9) back out so we could go on the space ship.
the line for the ride; Lauren in the labyrinth
Our vessel held 18 passengers and for a restaurant simulation ride, it was pretty cool. My eight year old cousin Lauren was bored by it while the nine year old, Kristen, loved it. (I liked it too). Go figure.
Kristen ordered the Galactic Mac N' Cheese from the kids menu while Lauren went with the Magellan Mozerella Sticks and a glass of Martian Punch. Our menu left us with not very much to choose from-- a half page of appetizers, 3 salad choices; a handful of burgers & sandwiches, and maybe about 7 entrees, all of which were pricier than average, even for a theme restaurant. I ordered the Extra-Terrestial Tilapia, or something to that effect, which was waaaay too salty. Even squeezing my lemon wedge til it was dry did nothing to help with the salt. The garlic mashed potatoes that accompanied it were room temperature and didn't really qualify as mashed in my book but otherwise tasted alright; the asparagus, other than being puny, were alright. Bea had the Cobb Salad (sorry, its martian name escapes me) which she wasn't too happy with. We also got a side of fries which were actually very good-- nice and thin (but not shoestring thin) and perfectly salted.
During dinner, there were aliens walking around the dining room as well as other worldly performers that really caputred the kids' attention (well, mine too) with tricks and physical feats. The service was friendly and fast. Go for the fun, not for the food, unless you can get away with ordering off the kids' menu.
Mars 2112
1633 Broadway @ 51st St.
New York, NY 10019
212/ 582-2112
Oinks: 2/ 5
Why Bother: atmosphere; fries; kids' menu
Average Setback: $72 for 2 dishes from kids menu, 1 salad, 1 entree, 3 sodas
