Please list any/all good restaurants near the Pennsylvania Hotel and the Garden. like, within a couple of blocks, preferably. TIA!

Having lived in NYC and graduated from NYU I can tell you Cheap will be hard to find. Almost all the food is great in NYC. Its as diverse as there are countries in the world.

I would go straight to Times Square and experience a NY Deli where the meat is piled on mile high on Rye and Pumpernickle with all the pickles you can eat. Since everything is a short taxi ride from Madison Square, no trip would be complete w/o eating in China Town somewhere for authentic Chinese. Then just down the street go to Little Italy and look for Puglias where there are Italian singers and all patrons share long pick nick tables and order Linquini with Clam Sauce. Its to die for. If you want an expensive delicious steak, check out the Palm Restaurant. I could go on and on. Have a ball and Good Luck!

Thank you, Leeda. There is a taste special in China town we are doing. multiple restaurants. Right now,
in January, the very best restaurants are having a
special...under $25 for lunch and $35 for dinner. I called one and it will be tripe to quadruple those prices in February! I'm looking for specific names
of places NEAR the Garden, are there any?

There are a few 1000 or so. I would go to NYrestaurants.com and go to yellowpages. Then narrow down the several thousands to M or Madison Ave. location. There are several pages to check on with ratings as well. I would jump into taxis and do the areas I mentioned. The Village has some killer Greek food as well.

Everytime I went to NYC I would eat at "Tir Na Nog". http://www.tirnanognyc.com/homepage.php
I have never had a bad meal there no one I have ever sent there has been disappointed. It is the block behind Madison Sq Garden between MSG and the New Yorker Hotel.
I am jealous that you can eat there.
Also for a kick, go to St. Andrews. The waiters all wear kilts and are scottish. Good food too. http://standrewsnyc.com/
Have fun but wear a hat. The wind is really cold and blows in NYC this time of year.

http://www.zabars.com/

Pizza! Wooohooo yummy pizza!

Famous Rays pizza

carnegie deli

victors sidewalk cafe

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showforum=4

Extraordinary reviews of food and restaurants by geography, considering all venues, price ranges, and ambiance; strickly considering the quality of the food. If you are a foodie this site has a great collaboration of knowledge regarding all things food and cooking. I always consult this site when I travel. I was smart enough to take a recommendtion and booked a reservation three weeks in advance to Spaggia in Chicago, five days after the election. Barack and Michelle walked past our table after we passed on dessert. Apparently Spaggia is their special place for celebrations. Needless to say (in my case) we ordered dessert and more wine to ride out the night.

I am a NYC newbie - I played tourist in September, so don't know much about it. I DO know that the Stage Door Delis have food I like. I ate at one in the theater district, but there is one close to MSG also. If you order one of the combo sandwiches, plan to take half of it with you or split one with a friend they are HUGE. Price is medium except for the giant sandwiches ($12+), but they will feed two people.

I went to the deli just for the beet borscht - a comfort food from my childhood. For some people its grilled cheese and tomato soup - for me it was beet borscht and bailys

There are also Au Bon Pain shops all over the area. they are like Panera in other parts of the country. Good sandwiches, salads, soups, bakery items, etc. There is another local "chain" that I loved and can't remember the name - maybe one of the locals can chime in with it. They are tiny "hole in the wall" store fronts and make cooked-to-order pasta in addition to the general sandwich/carry-out fare. It was some of the BEST pasta I have had in awhile because it was made from fresh ingredients. They let you select what you want to add in the way of meat, vegies, sauce, etc. and pan cook it in front of you. EXCELLENT. Very inexpensive for good food - and FAST.

and if you are too, there is simply nothing like Junior's Cheese Cake.

I forgot to include a link to a map with places marked for eating in the MSG area.
Restaurants near MSG

Here is a link to the Stage Door Deli also so you can drool over a menu
http://www.stagedoordeli.com/

Having travelled allot to the City this is one of my favorite inexpensive places.
http://pescatorerestaurant.com/

Lucky you, wish I were going again. Lots of good times to be had. Enjoy. Pizza, Deli's, you won't hurt for good food.