Foodie Baby
We went to
IHOP Sunday. For some reason, little girls flock to me there. Last time we ate here, we had girls from the next table over waving and talking to me. This time, I had two little girls from the next booth over sitting enraptured while I told tales of my harrowing adventures at the Brookside Park playground. (That's Mommy's best guess, at least.)
I think they were also impressed by my drinking a whole cup of orange juice through a straw and eating my whole dish of fruit, leaving my grilled cheese alone on the plate uneaten.
I'm a lean mean climbing machine and I gotta keep it that way!
And I ate the grilled cheese when I got home.
There are lots of people to look at here, and it is a loud enough restaurant on a Sunday morning no one cares how much talking I do, so I just let loose and enjoy myself here.
Mommy
Foodie Baby has only eaten breakfast here (who goes for dinner and plans to eat dinner food anyway?) so we will be focusing on that.
I have figured out the room in the back is the first place they try to stick a family with small children- we've eaten there several times since Foodie baby started coming with us.
Of course, everyone in the restaurant can still hear his happy cheers, so nice try! Haha.
The breakfast menu at IHOP is pretty much what you'd expect- lots of pancakes, eggs and meat. The
kid's menu is pretty much the same- five out of eight breakfasts have pancakes, then there is a french toast option and eggs. All accompanied by varying levels of fruit, bacon, and eggs.
All of the lunch/dinner options come with fresh fruit except for the fish, which comes with broccoli.
I always pack water, but since the weather was gray I let Foodie Baby have a treat of unwatered down orange juice, which he drank voraciously. the IHOP cups are disposable and thin, so keep a close eye on it or hold it for a messier kid.
An orange juice is also the same charge as an adult one.
I usually have decent service here- it doesn't change on how busy the restaurant is, just which waitress I get. (I am horrible at names, so I can't name any.)
I have horrible luck with highchairs here. Whether I get to check it or not, I've only had a working one once. Thankfully, the strap was long enough this last weekend I just tied Foodie Baby in loosely.
NOTE: I could have asked for a new one, just didn't, and the waitress asked if it was OK, I just didn't see the missing piece until after I sat him down and she was gone.
IHOP is, on my kid list, definitely a sometimes place to eat for Foodie Baby.
He adores the bowl of fruit, which you can order on its own. That plus a few bites from your pancakes and eggs can be a good meal for a little one. Or get five little pancakes with egg and bacon (perhaps grabbing the bacon for yourself, we let Foodie Baby have a couple of bites but not a whole strip.).
Otherwise, Foodie Baby goes for the (usually a good choice) grilled cheese for a late breakfast (we rarely roll into there before 10 a.m.).
For healthier options, IHOP offers 'egg substitute' and other options with their
'Simple and Fit' options, which is anything under 600 calories.
Note that every kid's meal is considered 'Simple and Fit' by these standards. However, the Simple and Fit guidelines can be good for a mommy that can resist the
Nutella crepes. (I however avoided both and got the cheapest all-you-can-eat pancake meal for $5.)
I would leave the stroller at home for here- there are a minimal number of tables here, mostly booths.
A couple of deals now for those of us looking for a cheap meal occasionally-
register for their
'Pancake Revolution' mailing list and get two free meals a year!
March 1st is their fundraiser for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Here is a snippet from a press release-
On National Pancake Day, Tuesday, March 1, 2011, IHOP will give guests one free short stack of its signature buttermilk pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at more than 1,500 restaurants throughout the United States. In return, IHOP will ask guests to make a voluntary donation to support Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities. Additionally, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals' "Miracle Balloons" will be sold for $1 and $5 each and will be personalized and displayed at participating IHOP restaurants from February 1 through March 1, 2011.
That free stack of pancakes might make a hungry little one very excited for dinner! Add a bowl of fruit to that and there is a cheap, big, special treat.
Checklist
Changing table available
Mostly booths, few tables- difficult to accommodate stroller
Plastic molded highchairs available- check straps first!
Kid's Meals available
Kid's drinks available- soda, milk, hot chocolate, chocolate milk, orange juice...
By the Saturday Morning farmer's market there are several good coffee shops. The one in the Citibank building (forgive me for forgetting the name at the moment) has a delicious coffee with vanilla and honey. Augie's is also right on 5th Street right by the market. Foodie Baby and I have shared a fruit salad, banana nut muffin, or a cookie several times (it's also my fave latte around.)
Unfortunately, it can be a hassle unpacking a toddler and going into a shop, especially when they would rather run around and pound on the glass display cases or try to go outside than sit and eat a treat. So I don't get to enjoy sitting at a coffee shop often, but when I do it's a real treat for both Foodie Baby and I.
