Why we love Chik Fil A for kids, and one thing we don't love so much.

We are still eating out and we end up at Chik Fil A a lot, because it is yummy and really very good for kids. Here's what we love about our Chik Fil A. Note that all of the stores are independently owned & operated so your mileage may vary. Ours is the one on Sunset Hills Road in Reston, across from the Target. Anyway, here we are:

• Ambiance is pretty cool. There are flowers on the tables!

• Kids meals are lovely. You can replace fries with fruit, and the fruit is actual fresh fruit and not canned/syrup stuff. Both kids love the fruit and my bigger one rarely asks for the fries. 

• The toy that comes in the kids meal is usually not particularly annoying. If you ask for the under 3 toy, it's actually a book. Recently we've gotten some educational stuff. Not too bad.

• They have lemonade as an option to drink, and it's real lemonade (I found pits in it last time we were there). It's a nice change of pace from the usual choice of soda or juice.

• If you happen to have a baby who is going to be eat off of the table, they give you a plastic table topper to use.

• If you walk in with a baby in one arm and a kiddo holding onto your other hand, they will take your food to your table and get a high chair for you, and make sure you're all set up. And, they'll come back and make sure you're ok and ask if you need a drink refill. That's pretty awesome. 

• They have kid's events all the time. Like, on Monday mornings, you can bring the kids for breakfast and they have entertainment, crafts, story time, etc. And they have Family Night on Tuesdays. 

• They have a nifty kid's play area.

So all in all, for the kids and me, it's a great place. Here's what we don't like:

• They cook in peanut oil. 

Which means my husband cannot join us. I'm sure the flavor of everything would change if they changed the oil, but I don't think that it would change all that much, and it would open the place to far more people. It's pretty much my only complaint.  

Kid Menu Review: Mimi's Cafe

First of all, my background with Mimi's: for the most part, I only go here with my office for our quarterly sales meeting. I did go with friends one time, but I didn't really pay attention to the kid's menu (since my son just wanted a burger that day)

This past weekend, though, we found ourselves headed to Dulles Town Center (so that I could trade in my size 12 jeans for size 6 ones at the Gap Trade-in Event!!) and I really did not want to eat at the food court. My brain kind of went on auto-pilot while I was driving in to the mall, and I found us headed toward Mimi's. Adam suggested we just eat there, because I had commented that they had some good, lower fat options, and I had also read that it was highly recommended by parents as one of the best chain restaurants for kids.

We got there and were told there was a 20-minute wait, but when I made the "OMG I think we have to leave" face, the hostess noticed the kids and said she would see if she could get us in sooner. She did, and within 10 minutes we were seated. My 3 year old got a kid's menu with crayons, and no one even blinked when I put my 7 month old in a high chair.

The kid's menu was a mix of breakfast and lunch/dinner items, and healthful and not so healthful. Here's the rundown:

Breakfast:

"Mimi Mouse" Pancakes with fruit

Scrambled Eggs w/ Bacon

Chocolate chip pancakes w/ fruit

Lunch or dinner (includes drink, entree, dessert, and choice of side (0g trans fat fries, apple sauce, sliced apples, mashed potatoes, fresh fruit)):

Chicken Fingers

Mimi Burger (with our without cheese)

Mini Corn Dogs

Mac & Cheese

Pepperoni Pizzadillas

Grilled cheese

PB&J

Turkey dinner

Spaghetti

Soup & Salad

Now, as kid's menus go, this has a lot of variety, but a lot of it is a variety of not-so-healthful foods. But let's face it, some kids are so used to the "burger or nuggets" option that not including it might make the place feel less kid-friendly. The addition of the turkey dinner and soup & salad option really saves this menu, as does the option of fruit or vegetables on the side.

That said, my own kid wanted a cheeseburger. With apple slices.

Kids can also choose from soda (ick), whole, 2%, or skim milk, chocolate milk, lemonade, strawberry lemonade (hidden option not on the menu), orange juice, apple juice, or Hi-C (ick). Micah asked for lemonade and was given an option of regular or strawberry lemonade, and he was happy to have the strawberry.

They asked if we needed anything else for the baby, and I asked for some grapes, which they gladly brought to me, along with a plate for each kid containing a small cup of cheerios, some fruit, a wet wipe, and a bib. I was so impressed! Our server asked if it was our first time there, and I told her that it was not mine, but it was our first as a family. She brought us 4 giant muffins to take home! Not so great for the weight watchers, but a very nice thing that this restaurant does for its new customers. (Oh a note about the grapes before the internet starts flailing at me: we did sit and peel the grapes and cut them up for her. The girl loves her grapes.)

As for adults, I have, as I had told Adam, very good luck with Mimi's either finding a healthful choice or creating one. For instance, any omlette can be changed to an egg-beaters omlette, and potatoes on the side can be changed to fruit. And for lunch and dinner, they have a lighter side menu, where the lowest calorie item seems to be around 360 calories. That was the "Just Enough" Citrus Salmon, which came with a 3 oz salmon filet, citrus wedges, and a salad with strawberries and fat free dressing. If you're really hankering for a soup, you can have a naked onion soup, which has all of the oniony goodness and none of the bread and cheese. It was all delicious, and I did not feel like I was depriving myself at all. In fact, I felt downright full on that lunch! And then I got to walk around the mall for some exercise.

As a note, Adam got the turkey sandwich and he said it was a bit dry and needed more mayo. It was HUGE though, and he ate half and took the other half to lunch the next day.

So, my final verdict: great for kids, great for weight watchering, great for people who don't have kids or weight issues too! :)

Oh and by the way: weight watchers count is 19 weeks (16 meetings), -23.2 lbs, 1.6 pounds from goal.

Kid Menu Review: Disney World

We went back to Disney World for a few days this winter, and went to eat at a few places. When we went last year, my son was not three years old yet, so we did not pay for his food; we either went to a buffet and he got his own plate or we went to a restaurant and shared with him. On rare occasion, we got him his own kid's meal, but we found that for the most part, the option for kids was Hamburger or Chicken Nuggets, and that was no way to eat for a whole week.

Options for children, in general, seem to have improved, or we just went to better places this time. Here's a short review of the kids offerings at the places where we ate.

Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano

Hollywood Studios -- backlot area near Muppets 3D

Seemingly less popular than many of the other sit-down places, we were able to get a table without a reservation for lunch during Christmas week. The adult menu was mostly flatbread pizzas and pastas, and the kids menu was mostly the same. A typical kid's meal included an appetizer, main course, and dessert. Micah had minestrone, pizza, and fruit, but he could have had pasta, grilled chicken, or grilled fish as well. Service was great, and this turned out to be one of our most enjoyable meals at Disney this trip.

El Pirata y El Perico Restaurant

Magic Kingdom -- across from Pirates of the Caribbean

This is a counter service restaurant that serves tacos, burritos, taco salads, etc. It's fairly simple for adults--order a taco or taco salad and you get a shell with meat in it. Then there's a toppings bar to make it your own. Kids menu is pretty straightforward--they can have a taco or a quesadilla, both of which work well with the theme of the restaurant. Micah chose the quesadilla, which was perfectly child-sized and came with a side of fruit. Perfect for a quick lunchtime meal at the Magic Kingdom. We were not disappointed.

Teppan Edo

Epcot -- at the Japan Pavilion

This is your American-Style Teppanyaki Restaurant in Epcot. Just so you know, we have gone here before with and without reservations. Without reservations, during Christmas week, it took an hour to get a table, which is absolutely not bad at all. Now, we were seated with another family, and we all talked about how, when we were kids (the parents) and came to Epcot, this restaurant offered more food included in the meal. They used to include soup and fried rice, and now it is just meat and veggies and noodles. That said, it was just enough food and we did not feel like we needed to be rolled out of the restaurant. The kids menu gave the option for nuggets and burgers, but also had the option for a shrimp or chicken teryaki dish. My son chose shrimp, because it is his favorite, and he seemed to get just a marginally smaller version from the adults. Of all the places we have been, we have consistently been happy here.

Flame Tree Barbeque

Animal Kingdom -- Discovery Island

Really? YUM. Eat here, even if the line looks long. It's a great counter service place serving barbeque ribs and chicken. For the kids, hotdog or barbeque chicken, which is perfectly respectable. My son chose hot dog (haha) which was fine with us. It came with carrots and grapes, so there was something healthful in there. As for my husband and I, we eat a lot of barbeque chicken and ribs and we were very very happy.

So that's it. One restaurant at each of four parks, and in general we were happy with all of the options for our son.

Great Kids Menus: The Tortilla Factory

Last week, on a day when I could not bear to cook or even eat something out of the freezer, we decided to visit the Tortilla Factory in Herndon, VA. It's a pretty famous place that I have only been to a few times. We had taken the kiddo before but it was back when he was young enough to eat of of our plates. So I wasn't sure what to expect from the Kid's Menu. 

I was pleasantly surprised, actually. There were three Standard American meals on the kid's menu. But there were nearly twice as many meals that were smaller versions of items available for adults. The Standard American options were the ubiquitous Burger or Chicken Nuggets with the addition of the somewhat-less-ubiquitous Hot Dog. 

But that's where the boring ended. There were 5 Mexican/Southwestern options on the kid's menu:

1. Beef Taco, Mexican Rice and Refried Beans
   
2. Cheese Enchilada, Mexican Rice and Refried Beans
   
3. Beef Enchilada, Mexican Rice and Refried Beans
   
4. Chicken Enchilada, Mexican Rice and Refried Beans
   
5. Quesadilla (did not come with rice or beans)
   

My son declared that he did not want any meat, so that left us with Cheese Enchilada or Quesadilla. Now, I realize that a Quesadilla is basically a Southwestern Grilled Cheese Sandwich, but I figured he'd also share some of my food, so I allowed it. 

What came out was the cutest and yet biggest Quesadilla that I have ever seen. Big? Take the biggest oversized tortilla you've ever seen and fold it in half. Cute? It was cut into a dozen or so little triangles, just ready for a toddler to pick up without mom having to spend time cutting. I appreciated the simplicity. He appreciated the cheese.

Micah also did eat some of my pork tamale, though he really wasn't very interested in meat at all that night. Hey, we all have our daily preferences, right? He ate every drop of the quesadilla, without once stopping to demand dessert instead (something he has been doing a lot recently). I haven't seen my kid clean a plate in a very long time.

As for the adult menu, it's so vast and delicious looking that Adam and I took much longer than usual to make our decisions. Everything was fantastic, and they were very accomodating of Adam's legume allergy (they let him have double rice instead of rice & beans). The service was a bit slow, but I was feeling forgiving since the food was so good. It has been fast in the past, and it was a busy night.

The Tortilla Factory also has a folk song night on Tuesdays every week. I keep meaning to check it out, but I think I'll have to wait until Adam is not on travel; it's a bit late for Micah though he'd probably love the music. 

Here's your link. If you live in the area, check it out!  

Great Kid's Menus: Great American Restaurants

It's a recurring theme in my life: I highly disapprove of the Hamburger and Chicken Nugget Kid's Menu. In fact, I will usually order an appetizer for my son from the adult menu rather than allow him the option of Burger or Nuggets.

That said, there are some restaurants that get it right, and in a big way. So I've decided as part of this blog to let the world know which restaurants are really good with the Kid's Thing. 

This time, it's the Great American Restaurant chain in Northern Virginia. 

http://www.greatamericanrestaurants.com

For those not in the area, Great American is a local chain of different restaurants that all have some basic items in common. The Best Buns Bakery makes all of the bread and many of the desserts for the ten restaurants, and other menu items cross restaurants. From there, everything is different. One is more of a steakhouse. Another is more of a seafood restaurant. One is extra fancy. All have different themes and decor. The newest, Jackson's, recently opened about five minutes from me at Reston Town Center, and I was thrilled. Jackson's is more of a neighborhood hangout with a very large bar but also a grand dining room with an open kitchen. We have been twice, and will gladly take anyone who comes to visit for lunch or dinner, because it is great food, great ambiance, and great service.

And (since this is the actual topic of the blog post), they have a great kid's menu. All of the GA restaurants that I have been to since my son was born have great kid's food.  Now, yes, they do have hamburgers--but Jackson's serves hamburgers to adults, too, so I am not terribly concerned (actually they serve the most amazing Duck Burger to adults as well, and my husband highly recommends it!).

Here's the awesome thing about their kid's menu. Just about everything on the menu can be found on the adult menu as well, in a larger size. Even their Mac n Cheese, another kid's menu staple, is actually the gourmet Mac n Cheese that they offer as a side to the adults. Along with that, kids have an option of Grouper Fingers, Grilled Short Smoked Salmon, or Tenderloin Steak.  Kid's meals come with the option of fries, applesauce, or carrots (my kid usually will go for the carrots or applesauce).  Those are options I can live with.

I have not eaten at Coastal Flats or Artie's (and yes, I have been to all of the others), but from looking at the GA web site, it appears that their Kid's Meals are generally the same. Just as the adult menus have certain dishes that follow through all of the restaurants (and do get the Lobster Bisque), so do the kid menus. I like this, because I know that I can get fish or steak for my son no matter which of the restaurants I go to. What I like is that I'm not saying "I know I can get my kid a hamburger or chicken nuggets."

So thanks, Great American Restaurants! Keep it up!