Yes… but also seafood in various stew-like forms, called by Brazilians moquecas or bobos or vatapás.
If you want the full-on meat overdose there is a special kind of Brazilian restaurant called a churrascaria where typically each diner pays a fixed price - $50 perhaps - and you eat meat sliced off of spits by waiters at your table. It would be a great option for the kind of budget the OP has, but I don’t know of such a place in the immediate vicinity (although why not take a taxi?). Google “churrascaria Manhattan.”
Go to Rothmann’s Steakhouse on 3 East 54th Street. It’s not far from the Palace. They have great seafood and steaks. Business casual should be fine. You will need reservations.
In a pinch you can go to Maloney and Porcelli on 37 East 50th Street, right next door to the Palace.
Plataforma is very good. I’ve been twice and wish I had the appetite to really take advantage of the place more often. It is on 49th between 8th and 9th. Churrascarias generally (at least all I’ve visited) have a buffet section where all the sides will be found (be careful as it is easy to fill up on these) and the wait staff will visit the tables with various types of meat on skewers which they will slice off and serve at the table. Plataforma was, by far, the best I’ve been to in terms of quality of meat and the selection and preparation of the buffet including, quite surprisingly, some decent sushi.
I also like Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain on 52nd St, around 6th (if memory serves).
ETA: I would suggest deciding and reserving a spot (or two or three, you can always call and cancel) today or tomorrow at the latest at any of the nicer restaurants for a Friday pre-theatre meal.
If you are interested in barbeque, rather than Virgil’s, I would suggest a trip down to 27th St to visit Blue Smoke. I’ve never been to Rothmann’s, but there is a Palm Steakhouse on 51st near 8th Avenue. There’s also a nice Mexican place across the street whose name I forget. I’ve only done drinks and bar appetizers there, but it was nice.
Is Sardi’s the place where they make you read the menu off the wall? It’s been a while since I’ve been there but I remember them having very good Italian food (if that’s the place I’m thinking of…)
I’m glad you mentioned this place. I’ve been to the downtown (Tribeca) incarnation of it and didn’t realize there was one up on 49th. That’s a perfect location for the OP.
Seconded. We went to db Bistro Moderne before seeing a show two years ago. We were one of the first diners in, so I’m guessing we had a 5:00 reservation, but we had tons of time. Very good food & service with an excellent wine list.
If you want even fancier, there’s the Modern, at MOMA. I’ve never been, but I’ve heard it’s an experience.
Unless something has changed recently, no, I don’t think so. They are the ones whose walls are covered with little pictures of all the celebrities who have eaten there.