Archive for July, 2008
Touch Supper Club & Momocho
I’d love to say that I’ll be posting every day, but we’re in the midst of a kitchen remodel (completely gutted the thing and now it’s being put back together) and with working full-time and chasing around Grady there’s only so much time in a day! I’m probably preaching to the choir. However, here are a few more off the list. I’ll try not to go so long between posts, but bear with me.
Touch Supper Club
2710 Lorain Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 631-5200
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday 6p-close; Friday 5p–close; Sunday Brunch 11a-5p
Prices: Apps and salads, $4-12; sandwiches, burgers and pizzas, $7-14; entrees, $9-20. Sunday brunch, $5-10.
Reservations: Yes, but not always necessary.
Date of visit: Sunday • July 20, 2007 (Brunch visit)
Called ahead: No, but I went in and asked if they had high chairs before we all made our way in.
High Chairs: They had at least one and mentioned something about a booster seat as well. We ended up not needing it because Grady fell asleep in the car on the way there and slept through the entire brunch!
Changing Tables: Not sure about women’s, but men’s room did not.
Kids plates: None offered, but tator tots come with each brunch entree. Items can also be ordered a la carte and they offer things like a breakfast pizza. Seems like some items on the dinner menu would work too if you’re looking for a separate meal for the kids.
Other notes: Our waitress was extremely friendly and very welcoming when I told her we had a baby with us. The window booth seat was a perfect spot. Great option for Sunday brunch in general!
Momocho
1835 Fulton Rd.
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 694-2122
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday 5p–close; Sundays 4p–9:30p; Happy hour + ½ / Tuesday–Friday 5p-6:30p.
Prices: Inexpensive for apps, salads, guacamoles and sides ($5-10 range). Inexpensive to moderate for taquitos and entrees ($10-20 range). I’ll have to post back with a more exact numbers.
Reservations: Yes, and recommended.
Date of visit: Multiple visits
Called ahead: No
High Chairs: Yes
Changing Tables: No, but the bathrooms are singles and there’s plenty of room to spread out if you need to.
Kids plates: None offered. Lots of finger foods and exciting flavors for the little ones to try. On one visit we had Grady and a 11 and 13-year-old and all were pleased with the offerings. Especially the guacamole.
***UPDATE*** Turns out there is a super-secret kids’ menu after all...
Other notes: Everyone at Momocho has always been very accommodating and friendly, the food is fantastic and not your typical Mexican fare as most probably know by now. This is definitely one of our favorite places to dine, and yet another place to help Grady expand his palate!
1 comment July 30, 2008
Let’s Start the List
To get rolling, and get to the point of this blog, here are a couple places that, in my opinion, should be featured first. The first restaurant was what gave me the inspiration to start this catalog, and the other has become a favorite that I’d love to go back to again and again. More to follow…
Tremont Tap House
2572 Scranton Road
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 298-4451
Hours: Monday-Saturday 4p-2a; Sunday 10a-2a (Dinner served M-Th 5p-1a; F/Sat 5p-2; Sun 4p-10p; Brunch served Sun 10a-4p)
Prices: Small plates and salads, $4-10; sandwiches, burgers and pizzas, $8-12; entrees, $12-19. Sunday brunch, $6-16.
Reservations: Yes, and recommended on weekends.
Date of visit: Winter ‘07…don’t recall the exact date
Called ahead: Yes
High Chairs: Not at the time, but they were getting them. They welcomed the portable and we hooked it to the table inside the booth we sat in. We were told that they would be starting Sunday brunches and were very much wanting a “families welcomed” atmosphere even though the feel of the place was very much “bar.” Very cool space though. Looks like the brunches are happening and we haven’t been back yet, but will be going back soon. You know how time flies! I’ll most likely call again to see what the status on the high chairs is though. Or if anyone knows, feel free to post.
Changing Tables: Not sure. Never used the bathroom while we were there.
Kids plates: None offered, but the food is great and I’d welcome Grady to try anything that we ordered off the menu. He was on solid food then and we gave him some of the mashed potatoes from my mom’s entree.
Other notes: They didn’t have a license to serve wine at the time. Just beer and liquor. I need to find out the status on that because they said they were in the process of getting the wine license. That’s my drink of choice, so added bonus if they offer it now.
Bar Cento
1948 W 25th St
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 274-1010
Hours: Sunday through Friday 4:30 p-2 a; Saturday noon-2a. The bar stays open one-half hour after closing every night.
Prices: Apps, $4-15; entrees, $6-17; desserts, $5. Daily Specials: $10.
Reservations: Yes, and recommended on weekends.
Date of visit: Multiple visits
Called ahead: No
High Chairs: Yes
Changing Tables: Yes *UPDATE* It’s in the back stall (larger, handicap accessible stall) and it’s literally a table. But it’s secure and there’s even a hand sanitizer dispenser above it.
Kids plates: None specific, but this is definitely a place to have your child try some fantastic food! And they will accommodate special requests.
Other notes: Tuesday night is “Cook Chefin’ night” where kids their parents make pizza with the chef and have dinner.
Add comment July 23, 2008
The Guidelines
Here are a few sites that I find to be useful regarding advice on how to dine with kids. I know some people who are a bit timid when it comes to venturing out to restaurants with kids in tow, but I think using advice like this might make it easier. And it might make people think about things that aren’t so obvious as well.
( Where they came from http://www.dinnersfromhell.com/dining-kids.htm)
Dining out with Kids in Restaurants
(non-chain, non family) or, Tales of Training a Future Restaurant Critic
http://www.forkandbottle.com/rants/other/dining_out_with_kids_in_restaurants.htm
7 Mistakes Not to Make When Dining Out with Kids
http://www.fodors.com/news/story_2628.html
How to dine out with kids … and enjoy it! (ages 2 to 4)
http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-to-dine-out-with-kids-and-enjoy-it-ages-2-to-4_63913.bc
From the point of view of the wait staff
There are a few things I’d add, just from personal experience (really only applies to kids in diapers and needing a high chair):
1) Do Some Research and Call Ahead: If we’re not sure a place is right for taking baby/kids, we call and ask a few questions. “Do you have high chairs?” being first and foremost. Most of the time we know the places that are definitely not for kids, but there are some that you’re just not sure (Tremont Tap House comes to mind, but more on that later). We also make sure to check the restaurant’s web site for hours and menu info. If there’s not one available those are also questions we ask when we call ahead.
2) Take The Portable High Chair: If a place tells us they don’t have high chairs, we ask if it’s cool to bring our own. We have this great chair that we actually use every day. It attaches to our island (no room for a big high chair) and detaches easily. Also folds up for easy portability. A lot of other models don’t fold up.
3) Make Sure You Have the Changing Pad: Not all places are equipped with changing tables so having that changing pad is essential. Counters and sometimes even the floor has worked. Some might think that’s gross, but most of the places we’ve gone have had very clean bathrooms, so we don’t worry about it. Plus the changing pad is washable. And we clean up after ourselves.
If anyone has any other advice to share, feel free to comment!
Add comment July 21, 2008
The Point
I would never claim to be an expert in the world of food, just one who enjoys and appreciates it. What I can say is that my husband Rich and I (and quite a few of our friends and family) really enjoy dining out and taking in all the culinary excellence that Northeast Ohio has to offer — as well as the culinary excellence of the rest of the country…and other countries…you get what I’m saying. We dine out as often as we can and when we travel the first thing we do is figure out where we’ll be eating throughout the trip. Luckily there are plenty of resources out there to give us the low down on just about every eatery out there. And that was fine until about 15 months ago.
May 3, 2007 we became the proud parents of a baby boy (Grady) and as every parent in the world could say “life as we knew it changed.” We expected it and knew we’d adjust, but we really, really, really didn’t want to give up our trek for great food finds. So we decided we’d take the little guy with us wherever we went, within reason of course. There have been date nights and times when it’s just some adults having kid-free time, but most of the time we pack him up and just head to dinner a little earlier than we used to. This is a good thing for a number of reasons:
1) It’s good to get your child out and about. Early exposure to public places gets them used to the world. Living in a bubble isn’t for us or him.
2) Dining earlier is pleasant because there isn’t much of a crowd and you can get in places without reservations (with some exceptions of course). Plus we know that not everyone enjoys children and may not want them around when they’re trying to enjoy a night out at 8 p.m. or later. And 8 p.m. is bedtime anyway.
3) We can come home, put the little man to bed and it’s still early enough for us to sit and watch a movie, play darts, listen to music, chat, hang with friends, etc.
It was especially easy the first few months where he mostly slept and we could tote him around in his car seat. I was amazed by the number of people who’d say to us as we sat at a table, “Enjoy it now! In a few months you won’t be able to do this!” And we’d laugh and nod like we knew our time was limited. But really we always hoped that wouldn’t be the case. Did we really have to give it up eventually? So far no, we haven’t had to. Things have gone well and our son really enjoys restaurants (must be in the genes) and we hope it continues. And this is where it comes back to the dining resources and getting the low down on where to go.
The information we need now is where are the kid-friendly restaurants? And I’m not referring to all the Applebee’s, Fridays, Champps or typical family restaurants out there — not that those aren’t fine at times. I’m referring to the chef-owned, inspired-cooking, local flare kinds of places that say “Hey! Kids can come too!” but it’s not really advertised (maybe for good reason, but we’re interested in breaking that stereotype of the loud, obnoxious kids out of control). These places do exist and we came across a number of them over the last year. And, thankfully, there is quite a selection. It’s good for us because we get out and keep up, and good for them because it’s business they’re not losing.
That brings me to the point of this blog. As we continue to dine with our child, and eventually children if we’re so blessed, I’m going to keep a running list of the places in Cleveland/NEO/wherever we travel that people can feel completely comfortable taking their kids to and still get the culinary experience they desire. Some offer more amenities like high chairs, changing tables in the bathroom and even kid-sized portions, and others don’t offer anything like that, but do welcome kids with open arms regardless. That will all be documented here, along with our own set of “Dining…with children rules.” But more about that in the next post.
Add comment July 18, 2008
