I spent 2 weeks researching restaurants at every price point before my mom came to visit NYC, and here's where we went

Kathleen Elkins

My favorite spot of the weekend was Oatmeals, an oatmeal bar in Greenwich Village.

About a month ago, my food-loving mom flew in from North Carolina to spend a weekend in New York City with me.

She was in charge of picking activities; I was in charge of picking food.

I wanted her to experience a variety of cuisines and see different neighborhoods of Manhattan. I also had to account for one "splurge" night - to celebrate her new job - but wanted to balance that out with affordable spots.

Most importantly, I wanted these places to have really good food.

There were a lot of factors to consider, but after two weeks of indecision and second-guessing, here's what I came up with, from $4 oats at a tiny oatmeal bar to $14 guacamole at Richard Sandoval's elegant Mexican restaurant, Pampano.