Eating out with kids
When you have an active kid—or two, eating out just isn't as much fun as it used to be.
Here are our criteria for "fine dining" with kids...
• buffet or salad bar (usually kid buffet meal is pretty cheap—they are not making money off my kid...)
• booths
Our current Twin City faves are:
1) Ruby Tuesdays, at Rosedale or MOA. Salad bar has grapes, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, chick peas and string beans (plus a puddle of Ranch) to keep M busy while we wait for the food. She loves the noodles with a side of marinara that she likes to dip. If you drink water, or they don't charge your kiddo for sharing your salad bar, its a great deal. (Soda is $2.75!)
2) Cleveland Wok on Cleveland in Highland. Buffet, and booths (sometimes). Has great green beans and a yummy broccoli dish: add shrimp and noodles and a fortune cookie and M is in heaven. I love the options too. Even my husband, who generally avoids buffets, likes this place.
3) Taste of Thailand on Selby in St. Paul. Buffet (not on weekends!!!) and booths! Usually a noodle, rice, broccoli option. Careful though, sometimes the noodles are REALLY spicy and M won't eat them.
4) DQ recently M had her first positive hot dog experience. A fairly quick, easy stop, with a kiddie DQ cone makes a nice occasional meal out.
5) Genghis Grill off Yankee Doodle and I-35. Booth, noodle, shrimp, broccoli. (Notice a trend?) Fast and yummy, and a kid size.
6) New China Buffet Yankee Doodle and I-35 mini-mall. Ditto above...
7) Korean place in strip mall across from Gleason's Gym in Edina (Silver Bell Road) they have karaoke too!
8) Noodles and Co. Just hearing a 3 year old say "pesto cavatappi" is worth it, and its fast even though there is no buffet. M is not a huge fan of this place though...
9) Dukem Ethiopian on West 7th. The lamb Tibs are AMAZING!!! (OK, we haven't taken M there yet, but we went there on our anniversary and it was SO delicious, and cheap. Apparently they are having a Valentine's Day special.)
10) Tiger Asian place at the Minnesota Zoo cafeteria. M likes the noodles and broccoli dish, yet again...
11) St Clair Broiler on St. Clair and Snelling. Kid friendly, actually has a mac-n-cheese she will eat. Downside is slow service sometimes. Awesome Cobb salad, and M loves to eat the guacamole off my salad. And, we can walk here!
12) Whole Foods. M likes their pizza slices, and they usually have enough fruit and guacamole samples that she eats a little of those on our way to the deli counter.
Any of your favorites you'd care to share?