Rachel takes us trolling with the next generation of HowChow readers. Her family loves grownup food, but they go with 3 1/2-year-old twins and a one-year-old. So Rachel says that they have found a few non-chain restaurants that we have come to rely on for our family meals away from home.
Everyone in our house loves Frisco Grill in Columbia (soon to move and become the Frisco Tap House). Yes, it is mostly a bar but the atmosphere is calm and inviting. The children's menu satisfies with cheese quesadillas and burritos. The grownups fight over who is eating the chorizo nachos too fast and there is always a beer or two that keeps us happy.
We have also had good luck with Bangkok Delight in Columbia. The umbrellas on the ceiling, two interesting water fountains, and a children's menu that has "chicken on a stick" (chicken satay) keep our children entertained. The staff is super friendly and very welcoming to the children. I stick with the pad thai (discovered at Noodles Corner ages ago) and finish off the kid's satays. My husband is working his way through the various curries and hasn't developed a favorite yet.
The Kings Contrivance Village Center is our spot for pizza and a quick dessert, especially in warm weather. Trattoria de Enrico has reliable quality and our twins are fans of the pizza and the baked ziti. After dinner we can't resist a walk across the courtyard to Rita's for a nice dessert which we enjoy by the fountain.Trolling on Tuesday is my attempt at a series where readers would share three things with other HowChow readers -- favorite restaurant dishes, food to buy, food experiences, etc. Click here for all the Trolling posts. Click here for the explanation and the rules. Anyone can submit.
Very cool addition to the trolling series. I'll have to keep this in mind when kids come along to evening out so everyone is happy!
ReplyDeleteI second Frisco Grill. My kids love the Tacos. I love anything of the special menu. But my kids groan every time "not the beer place again..." :-)
ReplyDeleteGood point about the special menu.
ReplyDeleteThey also have occasional specials that are not printed on the special/bonus menu, but you usually have to ask for them.
Sometimes its been gourmet corn dogs, sometimes its a huge delicious bowl of red beans and rice, currently they have this ancho rubbed steak with asparagus and scalloped potato side that everyone seems to love.
But ask about those, they're kind of kept low profile.
"My husband is working his way through the various curries and hasn't developed a favorite yet." Maybe because Bangkok Delight isn't particularly good? Try Bangkok Garden, instead.
ReplyDeleteGreat addition to the trolling!
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, it's interesting to see the whole notion of kid friendly food take a hold in the last decade or two.
When I grew up (at least in my house) I either ate my portion of exactly what the grown ups were eating or I went hungry! --K