Unless we’re traveling, we eat at a lot of chain restaurants (when we travel, we are all about the local flavor). Thing is that not every small restaurant is conducive to having children around (I’ll never forget trying Figgie’s in Fairview and having nothing appropriate on the menu for Zoe; I was surprised they had high chairs). So with chains, we’re safe that way. Thing is our choices are limited in Altoona. We have Eat N Park, Hoss’s (the HQ is in Duncansville, a.k.a. East Bumblefuck), Cracker Barrel, Pizzeria Uno, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Pizza Hut, Outback, Ruby Tuesday (where they didn’t even approach our table after we’d been seated 20+ minutes), Friendly’s Denny’s, TGIFriday and Chili’s. We don’t care for seafood in general so RL isn’t really an option. There’s a place called Jethro’s that we’ve given a second chance and it’s really just fair. Otherwise, we haven’t been to much more than Eat N Park, Cracker Barrel and Chili’s lately. Outback is a good option when we’re eating late; we usually have a late lunch when we eat out. Our Outback is good.
So anyway, I found this at Paula’s and it showed me some local restaurants that aren’t chains. We’ll need to check those out.
In Erie it was much easier. There are lots of non-chain restaurants in Erie and many of them are quite good. Of course we still stuck to the chains post-kids, in general. If someone in Erie did restaurant reviews that had let us know about children’s menus, high chair availability, atmosphere etc. (w/o asking for registration of course), we might have been able to eat in those places more often. Like Pufferbelly was a favorite of ours when it was just us but their children’s menu is non-existent. It’s “eat off the grown-up menu” and I was like “portion size? side dish options? not everything for adults is fine for kids.” Zoe did like the decor though. Besides, I don’t want to go to a place that’s grown-up-centric and have my kids being kids beside someone who’s trying to have a romantic meal. The kids are very good when we eat out but still. Ya know?
What’s your eating-out approach? How often? Where? Take-out? Criteria? Experimentation? Extra napkins? Dijon ketchups?
11 Comments
April 5, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Eating out is a hot topic here. When we moved from SD we though – hey! we’re moving to the city! Restaurants galore! But no. Even in Ramona/BFE we had more choice than we have here in Tacoma. It’s all about the fast food here. If it’s not fast food, it’s pretty upscale. The upscale stuff is fantastic, but I can’t afford to pay $100 for the two of us to eat out every time we go to a restaurant.
We also have the chains – but we pretty much loathe them. TGI Fridays (ew), Applebees (ick), Olive Garden (gross). I would give anything for California Pizza Kitchen to open down here. All the descent chains have spots in Seattle and Bellevue, but not Tacoma. There is a Chipotle that just opened about 15 minutes North of us. Red Robin has great chicken strips, and Marie Calendars has excellent food and pie.
Things I miss like crazy from SD – Pick Up Stix (oh House Special Chicken, where art thou?), Pat and Oscars (breadsticks from heaven), good Mexican food, and the Chicken Pie shop (open since the 1930s – $5 buys you the BEST chicken pie and potatoes you’ve EVER had).
April 5, 2007 at 7:50 pm
There was an Oscar’s in Erie. We went once. It was okay.
Some of that stuff you mentioned we had in CO (Red Robin, CPK). They were just okay. We liked Black Eyed Pea and The Egg & I.
April 5, 2007 at 8:08 pm
I think your experience depends on what you like to eat. We love Asian/Indian food and we have found a few real authentic Asian restaurants around us. And not to be stereotypical but so far it seems like Asians LOVE children. As soon as we walk in the door they are all over our kids and they are so kind to us.
It’s such a nice change from restaurants where everyone from the staff to the guests give you a dirty look as soon as you walk in with a kid under 12. And our kids are seriously angelic in public, people are always approaching our table and complimenting us. And yet, there are people who clearly resent our presence.
And I don’t breastfeed in bathrooms, so I try to keep up on the latest bfing in public debacle and avoid places that are unfriendly. (Although depending on my mood, I just might seek them out and whip out the ol’ udder, just for fun.
)
If we are going somewhere new, I always call ahead to see if they have high chairs, kids menus, cups w/ lids and crayons. It amazed me how many places have high chairs but no plastic cups. WTF?
April 5, 2007 at 8:49 pm
I carry a cup for H but Z still needs a plastic, lidded cup. That’s exactly the kind of thing I mean about small restaurants. It’s not that I don’t want to eat at them but if they don’t have what I need, it’s simply not an option for us.
We get that in restaurants too. A younger mom with a boy a little younger than H once asked us how we got them to eat so nicely. I said that when they’re as old as her son was, they were messy too (and we always increase the tip in proportion to the amount of food H leaves on the floor but he’s getting neater every time
). I said we just don’t tolerate nonsense at the table out or at home and we try to set an example. And you’re right. The act of having a kid in a restaurant is enough to get a pre-emptive dirty look or two. Oh and when we last left our local Applebees (it’s in the mall), the waitress came out to the hostess to ask for a vacuum and she was all huffy & pissy about it. It’s like, we just gave you an over 20% tip and you can’t even wait until we’ve left to come and bitch? She was nice to our faces and my was she surprised we were still loading the kids up in the stroller when she came up to say “Yeah it’s a MESS.” It wasn’t. There was a little m&c on the floor and some on the seat & table, which I would have cleaned if she’d brought the extra napkins I’d asked for twice. *sigh* When we went to our Chili’s for the first time, our waiter started off by bringing us extra napkins when he came to take the drink order. I love that.
BTW: I agree: Breastfeeding in a bathroom is gross. It’s one thing if they have a lounge area (we had a lot of that in Colorado; none here). People don’t pee in the dining area. Why should babies eat in the bathroom?
April 5, 2007 at 9:06 pm
We have a BBQ resturant up the street from our house where they LOVE the kids. No kids meals, but nothing we can’t share. Both are mostly ok with real glasses. Otherwise, around here it’s usually McDicks, since they like it, and it’s close. Otherwise, we order in.
April 6, 2007 at 7:50 am
Being originally from the Bedford area there are some great little mom & pop restaurants around but you are right – there aren’t many that are child friendly. We transplanted to the Erie area quite awhile ago and I am surprised when I go back to Bedford to see family that there aren’t more places that are kid friendly – especially being right off the turnpike. Ed’s Steakhouse is decent and there is a little bitty dinor in town that serves the best coney island dogs (K&M dinor) but it’s kinda scary in there. The bar is attached and the restrooms (i mean closet with a toilet) is thru the bar. The restrooms don’t have a sink – it is in the hall & it looks like they do experiments in it. Blech. Usually we get the dogs to go. lol
http://www.bedfordspringsresort.com
I can’t wait until the Bedford Springs re-opens this summer. The renovation looks phenomenal. My parents met there over 50 years ago as teenagers and married on the front lawn. Their website shows some pictures (old & new) but half the links don’t work
April 6, 2007 at 9:49 am
with cammy we don’t beleive in a childrens menu – she always gets soemthing from the adult menu. Occasionally if she is just all about a burger – we’ll ask for a kid menu but she eats so many things – like Pad tai, and Greek food, and fish and the like – it normally isn’t necessary.
April 6, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Poodle’s cousin owns a restaurant up near you. Its kind of like a sports bar, but they definitely have good food and a delicious fish fry on Fridays, if you’re into that kind of thing. Also, all of my cousins call “Eat n’ Park” the “Eat and Puke”. I don’t think its that bad, though. I heart the smile cookies.
Wow, sometimes I write like a 3rd grader. It’s Friday and my brain has used all its power earlier this week.
April 6, 2007 at 3:25 pm
By the way…
People don’t pee in the dining area.
You must go to nicer restaurants than me.
April 6, 2007 at 8:54 pm
I’ll try Poodle’s cousin’s place and let you know how that is
E-mail me.
April 9, 2007 at 9:24 am
We stick to chains as well, or a local pizzeria. If we go at the right time we can usually finagle a visit to a favorite local bistro without bothering too many people (it helps that they cover the tables in paper and have a shot glass full of crayons right there).
I know that I hate hearing whiny kids when it’s just DH and I, so we do our best to keep F under control. A couple of times, this has involved getting our food to go when she got testy. As long as theres chocolate milk, crayons, paper, and chicken on the menu, she does pretty good.