My cheap, but tasty, eats:
Peanut Butter and Company - the seating area is small, but the food is really tasty.
burger joint in Le Parker Meridian hotel (go through the front, and hang a left right past the check-in desk) - excellent burgers in a place that looks like a throwback to the 70s. The menu is basic: burgers, fries, shakes and sodas.
Le Pain Quotidien is a chain in NYC, but it's really tasty. The chain started in Belgium, so the outlets have a very European cafe feel.
Brooklyn has a lot of eateries, but I've never been over there. I would suggest checking out the TimeOut NY eating guide.
I'm actually going to be down in NY on that Friday night (2/23) for a friend's birthday party.