Vancouver Comfort Food

[Mooshmouse]

With all due respect, I'm calling bullshit. You show me a three year old whos idea of fun is sitting quietly for long periods of time in a stationary upright position, and I'll show you a child that is well disciplined, but not really living the pint sized vida loca.

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I thought I heard the sound of a gauntlet being thrown down.

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Thud.

Who says our son is stationary and upright the whole time?!

After we order dinner, our strategy is for one of us to take him for a short walk outside, see the fountain in the foyer, see the live lobster and crab in the tanks, chat up the hostess, or something like that while the other enjoys their cocktail or first glass of wine. Post walk, there's the inevitable family stint with crayons and paper or his book of mazes until appetizers arrive, which he shares with us.

Our son's dinner usually arrives before ours, so we all eat together. If he finishes before we do, he breaks out his small bag of Micro Machine vehicles and drives those across the back of his chair or around the table until his dessert arrives. Whichever parent finishes their main course first might also take him for another promenade (or two, depending on how antsy he is) and a bathroom run. And he's more than welcome to hop up into either one of our laps for a cuddle after he's eaten at least half of his dinner. By then, we've successfully reached the end of our meal. Almost invariably, our son's the one who wants to stay longer at the restaurant because he's having so much fun. No bullshit there.

I understand the concerns. When our son's tired, squirmy or having a rough day, then we certainly don't attempt a restaurant meal in lieu of a rambunctious one at home.

Remember Keith, we don't have twins. So it is doable.

And Andrew, my kid loves all kinds of cuisine including Thai, Filipino, Malaysian, Japanese including sushi (and tobiko), Chinese, Greek, Indian... you name it. So I'm happy.

[*Deborah*]

If your kids love foie gras, start working overtime now.

[nwyles]

It is a shame Pygmy blowgun darts and Tasers have fallen out of vogue, dinner would be so much more civilized. I brought the laptop once and played a movie for the kids - I know that sort of defeats the purpose of teaching them how to eat dinner out but once you are there and it is not working out, what do you do, dinner is on it's way and you are hungry. Eat and live to fight another day !

[DameD]

With all due respect, I'm calling bullshit. You show me a three year old whos idea of fun is sitting quietly for long periods of time in a stationary upright position, and I'll show you a child that is well disciplined, but not really living the pint sized vida loca.

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I thought I heard the sound of a gauntlet being thrown down.

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Thud

And Andrew, my kid loves all kinds of cuisine including Thai, Filipino, Malaysian, Japanese including sushi (and tobiko), Chinese, Greek, Indian... you name it. So I'm happy.

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My 2 year is the same will eat anything and will sit properly at the table, we started taking to restaurants from 3 weeks on. Now that she is older I just have to plan better with little toys and books etc.

[Andrew Morrison]

pygmy blowgun darts are not out of fashion. gasp. i refuse to believe it.

tasers are just cruel and unusual.

full body casts are kinda cool, but remain somewhat of a hindrance with feeding, even though they do make for an interesting canvas come crayon time.

Andrew

editor@waiterblog

waiterblog.com

Edited January 6, 2005 by editor@waiterblog (log)

[Viola da gamba]

pygmy blowgun darts are not out of fashion. gasp. i refuse to believe it.

tasers are just cruel and unusual. 

full body casts are kinda cool, but remain somewhat of a hindrance with feeding, even though they do make for an interesting canvas come crayon time.

Andrew

editor@waiterblog

Here comes social services now .....

[peppyre]

I'm still trying to convince my sister that it's a good idea for her to start taking her baby to restaurants almost as soon as she's born. Get her used to them from an early age and nothing will ever be a problem...I hope. I'm planning on being "fun Aunty Tricia" that teaches the kids all sorts of bad habits, but also takes them out to restaurants and introduces them to different food, and I want to do this when they are very young. Now, if her children end up being unruly, precocious brats, then there isn't a hope in hell of me taking them to any restaurant. including child friendly ones

[nwyles]

Good luck with that. Let us know how it works out.

[peppyre]

Hey, if it doesn't work out...BACK THEY GO! The joys of just being an Aunt and of course, I would be frequenting restaurants in her neighborhood...*ahem*yaletown......

[Daddy-A]

I have to laugh as I read all you proud parents tout the exploits of your sons and daughters and how you can dine with them everywhere from West to Whitespot. Do you not realise you're setting yourself up for a major shot in the pocket book when they reach their teenage years?

True story:

After J & I were married, we took the kids and the wedding party (a whopping group of 6 people including us!) out to dinner at The Fish House. We told the kids that since it was a special occaision, they could order anything they wanted. Ryan was true to form and ordered the fish & chips. Matthew, who had been out to dinner with me many times before, had his eyes on bigger and better things. "I'll have the lobster" he said proudly, figuring that market price meant that it would be the same price as a market, not a restaurant, and therefore, cheaper.

Matt would have been 9 then. He's now 13, taller than J, and wants to go to Lumiere for his 16th birthday! Ryan's 11 in February, and wants to go to Happa. And I've got news for you parents ... they don't order from the kids menu anymore!

I say, let them develop expensive tastes on their own dime!

A.

[nwyles]

Hey, if it doesn't work out...BACK THEY GO!  The joys of just being an Aunt   and of course, I would be frequenting restaurants in her neighborhood...*ahem*yaletown......

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I might be closed that day !

[*Deborah*]

I have to laugh as I read all you proud parents tout the exploits of your sons and daughters and how you can dine with them everywhere from West to Whitespot.  Do you not realise you're setting yourself up for a major shot in the pocket book when they reach their teenage years?

True story:

After J & I were married, we took the kids and the wedding party (a whopping group of 6 people including us!) out to dinner at The Fish House.  We told the kids that since it was a special occaision, they could order anything they wanted.  Ryan was true to form and ordered the fish & chips.  Matthew, who had been out to dinner with me many times before, had his eyes on bigger and better things.  "I'll have the lobster" he said proudly, figuring that market price meant that it would be the same price as a market, not a restaurant, and therefore, cheaper.

Matt would have been 9 then.  He's now 13, taller than J, and wants to go to Lumiere for his 16th birthday!  Ryan's 11 in February, and wants to go to Happa.  And I've got news for you parents ... they don't order from the kids menu anymore! 

I say, let them develop expensive tastes on their own dime! 

A.

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Exactly!!!

My mother was always SO happy that I didn't like lobster or asparagus as otherwise my tastebuds seemed to be connected to an invisible price gauge.

The caviare, duck, foie gras, Champagne and Pauillac she wasn't so lucky with.

[Mooshmouse]

And I've got news for you parents ... they don't order from the kids menu anymore!

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Most ethnic restaurants don't have a kids' menu. That's a very North American phenomenon... Europeans and Asians will attest to that. Whenever we eat anywhere that's not "Canadian" food, Noah always shares what we've ordered for ourselves.

I was born into a culture where meals are a social activity, either at home or at a restaurant. As a child, I dined out with my family approximately twice a week; we'll likely do about the same with Noah. It certainly won't be Bistro Pastis all the time, but it's nice to know that he's learned to behave appropriately enough that we have it as an option.

[Daddy-A]

At the risk of actually staying on topic ...

Where else can we find such dining experiences in Vancouver & Western Canada? Some good suggestions earlier ...

I took my boys to Happa before the Halloween Train this year. My youngest liked it so much he wants to go there for his birthday in February.

Also wondering if "kid friendly-dining" is the only criteria for "comfort food"? I understand that was introduced when editor opened this thread, but is that all it takes? Or is that just a Vancouver thing?

A.

[Viola da gamba]

Exactly!!!

My mother was always SO happy that I didn't like lobster or asparagus as otherwise my tastebuds seemed to be connected to an invisible price gauge.

The caviare, duck, foie gras, Champagne and Pauillac she wasn't so lucky with.

My parents always told us that we wouldn't like them - that they were an acquired taste that we could develop as we grew older, but that until then, they were too expensive to teach us on. Stupid us - we believed them. Man, was I pissed the first time I tasted duck confit.

[Daddy-A]

There's some great discussion of the "Children & Food" topic in the following threads:

Kids in Restaurants

Children & Food

Raising Food Savvy Children

A.

Forum Narc

Edited January 7, 2005 by Daddy-A (log)

[PaoPao]

Ever tried Congee Noodle House on Broadway close to Main? They have an endless menu of interesting and tasty items. Kids are there all the time, but I think you'll be hard pressed to get them to give you crayons.

This is the #1 place I take my wife to when she has had a hard day. Besides Congee and Noodles, they have expecially good BBQ Items and spicy crispy things (Chicken, Pheasent, etc.).

Mmmm, getting hungry for their crispy chicken wings now.......

They are open until about 2 a.m. so it's also a great place to stop by after coming back from a late night out.

[nwyles]

I'm going to direct the "Children & Food" discussion to the following threads:

Kids in Restaurants

Children & Food

Raising Food Savvy Children

Thanks!

A.

Forum Narc

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I see a coup d'etat in the very near future.

[Coop]

Imagine my horror. One son quickly approaching drinking age with an eye on my cellar. Another who can alway's come up with suggestions like" this is good but it would be better if you added pancetta". Perhap's I have created a couple of monsters who will suck every dollar out of me before I die, or maybe I have found a couple of dining companions who will put up with me until the day they shovel dirt on my cold body.

BTW Arne I feel more comfortable talking about this on this board with people I kind of know. If you want to direct people to other forums how about this week's WOW!

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=57991

Edited January 7, 2005 by Coop (log)

[Andrew Morrison]

they're kids, so all of the above...