Category Archives: Kid-friendly Dining

Manners Count at Jackson Lake Lodge

  By Anne Patrone | September 26, 2011 - 8:39 am | , , , , ,
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View from the lobby of Jackson Lake Lodge

When we visited Grand Teton National Park, I knew that one of our stops was going to be at the Jackson Lake Lodge. With its lobby windows specifically designed for the most panoramic view of the Grand Tetons, it’s a breathtaking place to visit even for a short while.

When I mentioned to Kurt, our naturalist from our morning Wildlife Safari, that we were thinking of having lunch at this amazing resort before heading to Yellowstone, he recommended the Mural Room at Jackson Lake Lodge.

The Mural Room at the Jackson Lake Lodge

This lovely restaurant, with murals painted by Carl Roters, not only had wonderful food, but fabulous views as well.

View from the Mural Room at Jackson Lake Lodge

So why the strange title about manners, you ask?

Because during our lunch, a rather unique event happened . . . one that had never happened to me before . . . an event I’m proud to share . . .
Do you see the gentleman in the far right corner of the above picture? Seems like a nice guy just enjoying a pleasant meal with fabulous views, right?
He paid for our meal . . . telling the wait staff that he hadn’t seen such polite children in a long time!
To say I was surprised would be an understatement, because quite honestly, my boys were behaving the way they always do . . . saying “Please” and “Thank you” to the waiter and not acting out of control.
I’ve been complimented before on my boys’ polite manners and several times since, but a meal paid for by a total stranger??
Amazing . . . 
Guess manners really do count for something in an increasingly impolite world.
 

Subway Saved My Family’s Sanity

  By Anne Patrone | September 14, 2011 - 9:59 am | , , , ,
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Subway at Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, UT

We’ve all been there . . . hungry kids in the backseat . . . miles to go before you get to where you want to be . . . and nothing but high-calorie fast food chains along the interstate.

What’s a family to do?

Thank goodness for Subway – they literally were our “go-to” spot for a quick breakfast or lunch while we were on our Western US road trip, providing us with a (relatively) healthy option for our meals.

The Subway franchise seems to be popping up everywhere, so there are plenty of locations to choose from – as we learned when my sons were nearly in tears because they “were soooooo hungry” on our way to the Golden Spike National Historical Site outside of Salt Lake City, UT.

Inside, the restaurants were always clean and well-lit with plenty of seating so we didn’t have to wolf down our food in the car. The sandwich makers were friendly and cheerful. And best of all, there was always a bathroom for us to use!

Doesn’t that look healthier than McDonalds?

From Nevada to Nebraska, Utah to South Dakota, Subway was guaranteed to satisfy our hunger with sandwich options like their six inch Steak & Cheese (around 380 calories) which my oldest son inhaled or a healthy salad like the Spinach salad (around 280 calories) which I regularly enjoyed.

Yummy salads now available at Subway

Subway – an “Eat Fresh” alternative for road trips!

 

Relaxing on the San Antonio Riverwalk

  By Anne Patrone | July 6, 2011 - 9:00 am | , , , , , , , , ,
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San Antonio River Walk

The heart of San Antonio is the Paseo del Rio – its River Walk - and we would have enjoyed it during our time in San Antonio even if it wasn’t also one of the “500″ on Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up (although it didn’t make it onto the second edition).

Developed a way to control flooding in the 1920s, the San Antonio River Walk has become a major tourist attraction. Hotels, restaurants, and shops line the shady, meandering sidewalks. You could easily spend a day along the River Walk without ever missing the busy, noisy (and much hotter) city streets above.

On our San Antonio vacation, we stayed at the Hotel Contessa, a family-friendly, all-suites hotel located on a quieter section of the river, but there are several other options from expensive to budget located along the river.

Food-wise, the options are extremely broad. Tex-Mex, Cal-Mex, American, Barbeque, Italian, and Pizza are just some of the options available. We enjoyed Rio Rio Cantina (huge portions) and Acenar (a more upscale, modern Tex-Mex restaurant). Both were extremely kid-friendly and within walking distance to our hotel.

Dining on the San Antonio River Walk

The number of activities available on San Antonio’s River Walk are endless, but the one “must-do” is a narrated tour on one of the river boats silently cruising the river.

Narrated tour cruise of the San Antonio River Walk

My young guys thought this was going to be “so lame,” but in the end, they loved the fun, 40 minute tour of the river. We got some history of the River Walk (and lots of corny jokes) from our guide while we cruised around the two-mile main section of the River Walk.

San Antonio Riverwalk Cruise

San Antonio Riverwalk Cruise

Sadly, we didn’t have time to fully explore all the shops at La Villita and we missed the fabulous Fiesta Noche del Rio, a musical and dance extravaganza covering the dance of Mexico, Spain, and Texas, (both located on the River Walk) but if we make it back to San Antonio, we’ll be sure to make time to do those activities.

Until then, fifty-five places visited, 445 to go!

Photo of San Antonio River Walk and Narrated tour cruise courtesy of Jody McNary Photography via Flickr.

Photo of Dining on the San Antonio River Walk courtesy of H. Sanchez via Flickr.

Kid-Friendly Dining Around the National Mall

  By Anne Patrone | June 9, 2011 - 8:00 am | , , ,
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Dining at the National Museum of the American Indian

Finding kid-friendly dining while on vacation is always a challenge for us – I’ve got one child who thinks pasta is acceptable for every meal and another that loves red meat.  Needless to say, we eat at a lot of steakhouses and Italian restaurants.

Although Washington DC has several great restaurants, I thought I’d share my thoughts on the ones we went to on or near the National Mall since that’s where a lot of families will spend their time while in Washington DC:

Mitsitam (inside the National Museum of the American Indian) – by far the best and most original food we ate on the entire trip.  Although my guys had burgers from the Great Plains section, my hubby enjoyed salmon from the Northwest and I had a tamale with pumpkin seed salsa (MesoAmerican).

Lunch at Mitsitam

Atrium Cafe (inside the National Museum of Natural History) – a pricey lunch-time option, but with several healthy selections for both kids and adults. Enjoyed the sandwiches.

Inside the Atrium Cafe – National Museum of Natural History

Stars & Stripes Cafe (inside the National Museum of American History) – one of the better cafeteria options with a great salad bar for adults (you pay by weight, so avoid the heavier items . . . )

A selection of fast-food restaurants at National Place

Twitter Travel Trivia: Last, but not least, if your guys insist upon eating fast-food, you should know that there is a Five Guys restaurant at a nearby food court located a few blocks away from the National Mall on H Street at the National Place Food Court.  My “guys” love their greasy fries and burgers from Five Guys . . . I opted for a healthier yogurt!

A Word About Dining in Mexico . . . You CAN Drink the Water

  By Anne Patrone | March 24, 2011 - 9:13 am | , , ,
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In preparation for our trip to Mexico, I stocked up on anti-diarrheal medicines, bought water purification tablets from a local hiking store, and made sure we had granola bars close by in case we got sick, couldn’t drink the water, or couldn’t find a place to eat.

As per usual, I over-prepared and the only thing we used were the granola bars because the kids wanted a snack.

What I discovered was that even though I ate salads and fruit (supposedly a big no-no when traveling in Mexico) and drank tons of water (although all from bottles), the image of Mexico as a destination where one gets “Montezuma’s revenge” by eating local was overblown.

Plaza in Valladolid

To be fair, we didn’t eat at any of the roadside stands offering grilled carne or pollo, but at traditional restaurants, we ordered local specialities with no problem.  We drank margaritas (only the adults!) and enjoyed panuchos (fried tortillas topped with black beans, meat, and veggies), tamales, and cochinita pibil (a marinated pork dish).  Traditional Mexican staples like quesdillas, enchiladas, and fajitas were also enjoyed by our entire family.

I can’t say enough about the breakfasts (my favorite meal of the day) where the boys gobbled up huevos con tocino (scrambled eggs with bacon) while I enjoyed fresh corn tortillas served with eggs scrambled with peppers and onions.

And the guacamole??  To die for.

Central Plaza in Valladolid

Maybe it was all the fresh ingredients.  Or perhaps it was the spices they used.  But going local and dining in Mexico is NOT a problem.  Plus, it’s a welcome change for the kids to learn that there are other food groups than burgers/hot dogs/pizzas.