Lime Fresh Mexican Grill

Smalls, my mom, and I had a fun day out last Saturday. We started the morning standing in line for an hour to drop off our items for the Kid’s Market consignment sale (it’s my first consignment sale). And no, I’m not being sarcastic about it being a fun day—Smalls was really good in line, the weather was cold but sunny, and the day got better from there. We went to Bridge Street next, mostly because Grandma promised Smalls strawberry “up con” (ice cream) if she was good. She was, so we went to Orange Tree for strawberry frozen yogurt… a little healthier than ice cream, right? By the way, advertising works on two year olds. Every time we pass that giant McDonald’s billboard with the green St. Patrick’s Day milkshake on it, Smalls goes nuts. “UP CON! UP CON!” We have not had one, though, so it's not completely effective.

After our midmorning fro yo (sorry), we shopped, looked at expensive shoes, and dropped leaves in the water from the bridges until lunchtime. I suggested Lime Fresh Mexican Grill. It was a sunny (but not warm) day and Bridge Street was fairly crowded, and so was the restaurant. Even the tables outside by the water were occupied, and it wasn’t quite warm enough to enjoy eating outside. A cheerful employee gave us menus to look at while we waited in line outside for about 15 minutes. When we got to the door, it kind of felt like when you wait in line for a ride at Six Flags, and you get to a door or a corner, and you think you must be at the ride by now, but what you see is more line, maybe even one of those queues that snakes around a whole room. My point is, there was more line inside when we got to the door of the restaurant.

The activity book is cute. I like the sad salsa bowl.

At Lime, you order and pay at the counter. They give you a number sign to put on your table and a cup to fill your own drink (unless you order a beer or a (sub-par) margarita). Then you find a table and go get your drink and your salsa at the salsa bar. This process wouldn’t work very well if you were dining alone with your young kids and already had your hands too full to carry drinks and tiny cups of salsa. The only indoor seating that’s not tall barstool-height tables is a room with about four or five tables and booths in the back. This is something I never thought of before I had one, but two-year olds can’t sit on barstools. The back room is kind of grubby because that’s where all the little kids eat. An employee does bring your food to your table, though, so that’s good.

They do have a kids’ menu, and it’s cheap. They offer a taco ($2.50), a burrito ($3.50), or a quesadilla (3.50). Smalls had the chicken quesadilla and loved it. (NOTE: The kids’ menu activity sheet says the quesadilla is cheese only, but the regular menu says the kids’ quesadilla can be cheese, chicken, or beef.) Drinks are not included in that price. The side is tortilla chips. Hmm. Is salsa a vegetable? I’d love to see them offer fruit or a salad (Smalls will eat a mix of little tomatoes, cucumber chunks, and avocado. We call that salad.) The kids’ menu is also a cute activity sheet, and there are communal crayons near the front entrance. The kids' menu is online here.
Currently, kids eat free on Tuesday nights at the FLORIDA locations only. According to the Lime website (actually, their Twitter feed which was displayed on their website), they’re working on getting the Huntsville location do this, too.

 

You can also see the "Lil' Jumpin' Beans" menu here:

http://www.limefreshmexicangrill.com/menu/lil-jumpin-beans

Toddler friendliness ratings:

Atmosphere: 2 out of 5 booster seats. It can be crowded, so it’s hard to work your way back to the grubby kid-friendly seating. And it’s loud. But you should go when it’s 70 degrees out and you can sit outside. Then you can give it a higher rating.

Food: 3 out of 5 booster seats. Quesadilla got a good review from Smalls, but tortilla chips are not a healthy side.

Lime Fresh Mexican Grill

Bridge Street Town Centre, suite 127 (on the other side of the carousel from the food court)

256-327-8726

http://www.limefreshmexicangrill.com/