As soon as I was seated and comfortable, a really cute waitress brought me a plate of bread and bananas. Now that's service! I dove into that and Mommy was happy she could look at the menu without wrestling me. Usually Mommy finds a snack in the bag or
It was nice to sit in the aisle, lean back and get every waitress to smile at me. Especially after that guy in the red suit wanting me to take pictures with him. I was cool with a total stranger handing me candy, but pictures with him were a bit much. And my mommy, daddy and uncle were laughing.
Mommy
We went to go see the best Santa Claus in our area (according to me! We've seen him the last two years, which makes total Santa visits for Foodie Baby... two.)
It was a nice rainy Saturday (which turned into a rainy Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and now Wednesday) which made the line for Santa a short two minutes (my friend wanted to go see the South Coast Plaza one, which was a 3 hour wait. They didn't make it).
I hinted and hinted and soon my husband, Foodie Baby, his uncle and I were sitting in Cheesecake Factory.
I have been to that location before, and outside on the patio is a nice place to eat with a child in a stroller (as well as nurse on a nice spring day).
I stepped into the rest room (only changing table in the handicapped stall) and when I was back, Foodie Baby was seated at the end of a booth waiting for me.
After getting the high chair replaced quickly (the strap was broken) Foodie Baby was brought a snack plate.
We had never gotten one anywhere, and since it was a cold rainy day and past lunch time, both Foodie baby and I were appreciative of the offering of bananas and bread.
Note: Foodie Baby did not wait for me to take a picture before he starting devouring banana.
For lunch, we all split an order of the avocado egg rolls (Foodie Baby bit to bite into part of a whole egg roll, or you could pull out some of the avocado) and then had bites of my portabella on a bun burger (cut into bites for him) with sweet potato fries.
I highly recommend the avocado egg rolls. And the green tea (I even order a green tea at Starbucks, iced, sweetened, and I get the venti with one pump of peppermint besides the classic sweetener, just to pretend it's the Cheesecake Factory green tea).
The children's menu is disappointingly not online. Luckily, I snapped a quick pic of it in the restaurant. (click for bigger pic).
I have tried the butter-and Parmesan-covered noodles before for Foodie Baby, but he loved then a little too much and they gave him a tummy ache.
Unless you're willing to feed your baby or you have an older child adept with a fork, I would stay away from any of the pastas.
The pizza, like all Cheesecake Factory pizza, is thin crust.
Another great option would be to supplement some of the food off of your plate with something from the small bites menu.
As long as you're OK with having fried foods items like the fried zucchini, corn fritters, or opt instead for helping them with a dish of dish of edamame (shell for them) or sharing hummus with some flatbread with them for a smaller meal.
You could also add a side of broccoli or another choice to create a mini-meal.
Checklist
Changing table in handicapped stall
High chairs available
Much of the seating is booths or close together- plan to park stroller and use high chair if eating inside (especially if it's busy) dining outside easily accommodates use of stroller
Kid's menu/appetizers/small plates available
Kid's menu items come with choice of milk, apple juice, lemonade, or a soft drink
Another trip showed the hummus appetizer was delicious! Foodie baby has learned to dip his own food so I tore the bread into bites for him. A smaller baby could suck it off the bread as well.
ReplyDelete