Chipotle

A few weeks ago, dh had to figure out something quick for us to have for dinner and he decided to stop by Chipotle on Lancaster. We've eaten there several times before and have always really enjoyed their very fresh food. I especially like their vegetarian burritos.

While Chipotle doesn't have a children's menu specifically, they do offer a little listing of things they can do for kids such as smaller portions. I really wish more restaurants would do this instead of having a separate kids' menu, which always seems loaded with fried foods, few veggies or fruit and dessert.

Bug chose to have a quesadilla ($1!) along with some guacamole and chips. It's great to know that you can add things in and their menu makes it easy to choose items that are mild or a bit spicier depending on your child's taste.

I also love that their menu lists so much information about their ingredients including what may or may not have animal products in it and what may have wheat in it. They also have a section that talks about that they purchase organic free range meats and rGBH-free dairy.

Allergy Information

We have several people with food allergies as well as vegans in our family, so whenever I see a restaurant who goes the distance to provide information on allergens or animal products in their food, it earns big bonus points with me.

A few months ago we went to Red Robin and I was very surprised to see the manager come out and spend about 10 minutes talking with a family going over their menu to help them decide on entrees that would fit their gluten-free diet. He provided them with a printed menu that listed the ingredients as well. The official Red Robin website also provides information on food items that may contain certain allergens.

We have also had very good experiences with Sweet Tomatoes who have brought out a list of ingredients in their salad dressings. As I mentioned in my review for them, they also have salad bar items labeled if they have sulfites in them, which is the first restaurant I have ever seen that acknowledged sulfite sensitivity.

I'd love to get a list together of area restaurants that try their best to inform patrons of the ingredients in their menu items. Please let us know if there are places in the area that we can add to the list!

Links to information on allergen/animal products in menu items:
Red Robin
Subway

Friendly Area Restaurants We've Had Good Experiences With Asking About Ingredients:
Thai Cuisine in Keizer - Extremely friendly staff, many options for vegetarian/vegan.
Kwan's Original Cuisine - Offers a huge variety of oil and ingredient choices to fit a wide variety of special diets. Also offers mock meat.

Additional Resources:
Oregon Food Allergy Support Group
Salem Food Allergy Group (does anyone have contact information for them? I cannot find an updated website or phone number for them)

Oregon State Fair

I was lucky enough to win some tickets to the Oregon State Fair this year and we decided to make the trek out yesterday despite the rain. Because we stuck near the Northeast side of the fair looking at animals, we were inside mostly so the rain didn't bother us much.

A couple of hours into our trip Bug was getting a little antsy so I looked for the Bi-Mart-sponsored "Toddler Zone" that we'd found last year that was near the Oregon Department of Fish and Widlife area. I was thrilled to see that they were offering the space once again.

If you haven't seen it before, it's a nice tented area that's a perfect area to provide toddlers and their parents with a great place to stop, catch their breath and hit the reset button, which is what we were in desperate need of! They have several tables to eat at (including toddler-sized picnic tables!), an easel to draw on, several toys and a soft padded area for kids to climb/slide/jump on. They had a table out that had several samples on it including sunscreen. They also have an area for diaper changes.

We loved this area and I can't thank the fair and Bi-Mart enough for providing this much-needed space. I'm not sure how many years they've been offering this, but I hope it continues for a very long time!

After we spent almost an hour there, Bug was feeling much happier and was ready to go on to other adventures.

India Palace

We needed a quick stop lunch place last week before Bug's nap and dh came up with a brilliant idea - India Palace in downtown Salem.

It's been a while since we've been there, but it's always been a past favorite. They have a fantastic weekly lunch buffet deal there too - $8 per person for all you can eat and that includes the drink!

Bug was starving and needed food asap so it was great to walk in the door and start putting a plate together for her right away. It was a perfect lunch for little toddler fingers - salad, fresh fruit, rice, bread and a mild curry plus some rice pudding for desert.

The seating area was clean, the staff was very nice and because it was setup for their lunch buffet it was easy to get her a smaller plate, silverware, a straw, etc.

Dh did take her to the bathroom while we were there and he did say that their bathroom was very dirty and was all around old and worn.

I forgot to ask when they start to charge for kids, but the cashier didn't even ask us for dd's age and we weren't charged for her at all so it was a very reasonable price for lunch. We left stuffed and ready for naptime!

Coffee House Cafe Supports Breastfeeding

I was recently contacted by Nikki from the Coffee House Café on Liberty to tell me that they recently put up the International Symbol for Breastfeeding on their front door to show support for mothers breastfeeding in public! Kudos to Coffee House Café for creating a space that is safe for moms to breastfeed! What could be more kid friendly?

I’d love to see more businesses in our area show support for breastfeeding. I have not personally ever been asked to leave any local place of business for breastfeeding my daughter, but I’ve heard a lot of stories of that happening to others.

Word of Mouth Bistro

After hearing tons of fabulous reviews about Word of Mouth Bistro, we decided to give it a try last weekend.

We got extremely lucky and had a very small wait during Saturday breakfast last weekend, which I’ve heard is not very common since they are a hot spot, especially for breakfast. I was very grateful since I wasn’t sure how Bug would do with too long of a wait.

Bug is just under 3 years old so she still doesn’t eat very much at each sitting. We sometimes buy her a meal, but most of the time she shares with us. Unfortunately, WOM doesn’t offer a separate printed kids menu or smaller portions for kids, but they did tell me that if you ask, they can offer single pancakes for breakfast or a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch/dinner. I would really love to see even just a small menu for kids that maybe included some fresh fruit, steamed veggies, etc. for a more well-rounded meal. At other restaurants, we’ve sometimes ordered items ala carte for Bug, but that can get pretty expensive pretty fast.

The staff was very friendly and helpful and brought us an extra plate for Bug so she could share our veggie hash, corned beef hash and creme brulee french toast. Sharing our meals works well for us now (though I have to admit that their food is so delicious that I don't really want to share), but we may need to stop going there once Bug is eating too large of portions to share but not enough for a full-sized plate, because buying a full-sized breakfast portion for a little would get pretty expensive, as they are around about $8. We did order her an orange juice, which they do offer in a kid size, and it was brought to us in a small to-go cup with a little straw. The cost was $1 per cup of juice.

Their bathroom was very clean except for a dirty plug-in air freshener that is right next to the toilet, which of course Bug went right for. There also wasn’t a foot stool in the bathroom to assist with washing her hands. Though we didn’t use one, I did see their booster seats and high chairs and they looked exceptionally clean.

We’ve been there twice so far and have enjoyed almost everything that we’ve ordered. Bug really loved their sunflower seed toast with their yummy homemade strawberry jam. They have nice portion sizes and I think their pricing for adult portions is extremely reasonable, especially considering that the food is very fresh, made from scratch, the quality is excellent and they try to buy local whenever possible.

Splash Fountains

I just came across a great link for the area splash fountains! What a great resource!

Come On In - The Water's Fine!

Yet again, long time no post! I've been ill over most of the summer and we have rarely gotten out and about to check out new places. I'm also finding that when we do go out, we tend to go to the same places over and over again because we know that they'll make an easier family day out.

I'd love to start receiving some reviews from the readers out there! Check out our rules for submitting a review and send them in!

Salem Saturday Market

I'm very behind on posting lately - spring cleaning and life has kept me away, but I definitely want to make sure that I keep the posting up!

This last Saturday, we decided to make a quick trip to the Salem Saturday Market. I am not as familiar with the Salem market as the Eugene one, because for years we have taken road trips down to Eugene for their farmer's market (as well as a quick stop into Ben and Jerry's!). It's probably been 2-3 years since I've been back to Salem's Saturday Market.

What is really nice about the Salem market is their parking. I really appreciate easy parking in the gravel lot just across the street that provides easy in and out.

We got going much later on Saturday morning than expected so by the time we made it to the market there was just a little over an hour until it closed so I'm sure we missed out on the early morning bounty. I had a list in mind of things I wanted to get: basil (and lots of it to make some homemade pesto!), maybe some carrots, peas and beans. Unfortunately though, I wasn't able to find any of those things (could only find basil plants and only 1 stand had some peas).

One huge advantage that Salem has over Eugene is wide walking areas making it easier to maneuver through the crowds.

Organization is a bit lacking - I would much prefer to have the farmer's market stands in one area, hot food in another and homemade goods in another so I wouldn't have to walk the entire market if I only wanted to go to the farmer stands.

I didn't spot any restrooms while we were walking, but I'm sure that they were around somewhere.

There is a Friends of Salem Saturday Market site that lists some upcoming free events, but none specific geared towards kids. It'd be great to see some activities maybe like how the Ag Fest provides!

The Original Roadhouse Grill

This weekend we were running late getting going with dinner. It was so hot outside that we decided to just go for a drive and pick up some take out.

We decided to head to the Original Roadhouse Grill on Lancaster because we like their salads and dinner rolls and we can usually split an appetizer as our main meal and then add salads and it isn't too expensive.

We didn't have a menu with us or their number so dh ran inside to place the order and Bug and I stayed out in the car to wait. Dh placed the order and came back outside.

About 20 minutes later, Bug said she needed to go potty so dh took her inside. Dh said that the bathrooms seemed clean but were pretty dark. On their way back out to the car the hostess noticed him and said that she'd gotten so busy she'd forgotten to put his order in but she'd try to push a rush on it. By that time, Bug was distracted by the peanuts they have to snack on so they decided to stay inside and wait for the food.

It was extremely busy even for a Saturday night, as there must have been a prom going on. While inside, dh said there was a waiter who was messing around acting silly who started swearing like crazy in front of people in line plenty loud enough for everyone, including my 2-year-old, to hear. Not so great.

They finally got our food and we headed home, only to be disappointed once we got back that they'd forgotten a few things in our order. I made sure to send off a comment via their website, though I haven't heard a response back yet.

Since we only got take out I wasn't able to rate their overall family friendliness - has anyone else dined there recently that could shed some light?