recommendations for what location to stay in in Amsterdam....

The Central Canal Area is excellent. Historic, near everything you might want.
We stayed at Hotel l’Ambassade, recommended by a friend who had lived in Amsterdam and stays at this hotel when she visits. We enjoyed it too.

What is your price range? The average for a mid-level room is $400.00, per Cameron Hewitt's Blog here.
We loved staying in Harlem, at the Hotel Boutique Staats. Took about 20 minutes from the time we left our hotel room until we were in Amsterdam Central station.
Enjoy this wonderful country!

Take a look at Booking.com They will display (in the map mode) what rooms are running for your dates, as well as show what rooms are booked. They also have a range of accommodation types, depending on your interest.

But, as others said, Amsterdam rooms are premium places. Anyplace in central Amsterdam, within the first 4 or 5 canal belts are a great location.

Many will get a better deal by staying out a bit, I have stayed in Haarlem, Leiden, and near the Sloterdijk train station. Haarlem and Leiden are great towns in their own right (I'm staying in Leiden again at the end of a September trip), and the Sloterdijk area is only 5 minutes or so by train to Centraal (and I will be staying there a couple nights at the beginning of the September trip)

Restaurants I always struggle with. Indonesian is worth a consideration, Blauw being the leader. The Pantry is oft mentioned for "Dutch" food, The Pancake Bakery is also worth a visit, more brunch, but really anytime, for savory and sweet Dutch pancakes. The Albert Cuyp market is great for wandering, plus getting some "street foods" like herring, kibbeling, stroopwaffels, poffertjes, plus other things that would suffice for lunch. If you are brave, stop by a FEBO and get one of everything you have no idea what they are.

An addition: If you are into beer, or Dutch gin (Genever), I can give you a quick guide.

I also like Leiden, (per Paul), in addition to Haarlem. Have a wonderful trip!

For first time visitors to Amsterdam the Museum quarter, area around the major museums is the best area to stay. From there you can easily walk to the sights that most first time visitors would like to see. This all depends on your interests of course and what you want to see and do while in Amsterdam.

My wife and I have enjoyed being near the Jordaan area. It's very close to the heart of the action without losing the charm of a real living neighborhood. It's quiet at night and in the morning, with plenty of restaurants, cafes, and a couple of outdoor markets. It's scenic, historic, and the top sights are walkable.

We stayed near Westerpark in an apartment. Very close to everything but in a quiet area. And a fry shop the corner.

I agree with @dutchtraveler on the Museum Quarter being a good area to stay. For the most part, you'll be near a lot of the key museums, various canals, and parks, but remember it is so easy to get around AMS, you can walk/ride/tram pretty much anywhere in a very short time. In the Museum area, our Marriott rewards make the AMS Marriott (near Leidseplein) an easy choice. Outside of the Museum Quarter, we really like the Kimpton de Witt which had loaner bikes and had easy access to the train station and ferries but also was in a little less "pretty" area and nearer the core downtown crowds. Pluses and minuses.

These are great recommendations, all. I think we are happy with the Citizen M. Amstel, which is right on the Amstel canal, about a ten minute Tram ride from the museum district, and surrounded (as far as I can tell from researching it) by decent restaurants and bars. I'll report back after our vacation in October.

The Chicken Bar has fabulous rotessorie chicken (a favorite meal of mine while in Amsterdam).