Friday, May 10, 2013

Taqueria El Cazador 2

Me: So... we're going to eat in a bus restaurant for lunch today.
Smalls: I don't want to!

Well, we did anyway, and it was fun.

Taqueria El Cazador #2 is the bus that's parked on Governors Drive in Huntsville. They have another location at 10099 South Memorial Parkway.

We had a good experience, but you can be more prepared than I was (which is always a good thing when you have a toddler with you). Here's what you do: first, you go up into the bus. There are about ten seats inside, counter-style, facing the windows. They were mostly full when we got there at 11:45 on a Friday. Next, you order at the counter that separates the back 1/3 of the bus, which is the kitchen, from the dining area. You pay, then you get a ticket with a number. Pick up your napkins and utensils from inside. Then you go sit and wait inside the bus (we would have enjoyed sitting in the bus, but it was mostly full) or outside, on the covered picnic table. Then they call your number, and if you're outside, an employee hands you your order through a window in the bus (that was neat).

While waiting for our food at the picnic table outside:
Smalls: I thought the bus was going to be moving while we ate!
Me: Oh, well, it doesn't. It stays here.
Smalls: Why does it have wheels, then?

Smalls and I shared a chicken quesadilla plate and a bottle of water. It was $6. The drink choices are bottled water, Coke, and Jarritos. As far as I could tell, there's no kids' menu, and most of the choices were like combo plates, so I don't know if you can order, say, one cheese quesadilla or something (which is what Smalls likes at Mexican restaurants). But Smalls loved the quesadilla we shared (she said it was "forty" good--I think that's a lot).


You can eat here with your toddlers, and you should because the food is good (for grownups, at least), and it's fun to eat food cooked in a bus. But bring another adult with you, and go on a warm day, so one of you can stay outside of the bus with the kids while the other goes inside to order. It was a little tight waiting to order in the bus, and I didn't want to annoy anyone sitting at the counter/window seats. You can take the kids in one at a time if they're curious, so they can see the bus restaurant and say they've done it. But there's no room for playing around or pretending you're a pigeon that wants to drive the bus or anything. You know, normal things people want to do on buses.

Bathroom report: None.

Toddler friendliness ratings:
Atmosphere: 2.5 out of 5. There's not much room to maneuver with a toddler inside the bus.
Food: 3 out of 5. Smalls liked the chicken quesadilla, but I didn't see a way to get smaller portions. Sharing off your plate might be the way to go.

Taqueria El Cazador #2
3414 Governors Drive
Huntsville, AL
(256) 698-8682
Hours: 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM Taqueria El Cazador 2 on Urbanspoon

Friday, April 19, 2013

5 A's

5 A's is a Greek/Mediterranean restaurant on 53 in Harvest. It used to be the (J)iffy Mart gas station and convienence store, but got a total revamp a year or two ago. It's also really good. Beardy, Smalls, and I have been there several times; Grandma, Smalls, and I went recently for lunch; and we've gotten take-away there once for dinner. I've never been disappointed. 
5A's is on 53 in Harvest, north of Publix.
I've gotten the traditional gyro (meat cone!), and the chicken gyro, and both are so good. The tzatziki sauce is wonderful. They do have a kids' menu, and the standout is the hot dog. Really. They slash it and grill it, and it is really better than you think it's going to be (comes out really hot, though). We've also gotten Smalls the veggie pizza, and it was too big for her to finish alone, but she loved it. Yes, Beardy and I sampled it, too. I think the crust is the same pita bread they make the gyros on (that's a good thing). 
Smalls thinks the dolmades look like... um... poop. But that's a 3-year-old's opinion. They taste fine. Let's move on. 
The hot dog is better than you think it's going to be.
Overall, this is a great toddler-friendly place. The owner is always so nice to Smalls, and the atmosphere is very casual.

Bathroom report: Clean. 2 stalls. No changing table. Bonus: you get to walk through a beaded curtain to get there.

Toddler friendliness ratings
Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 booster seats.
Food: 3 out of 5 booster seats. Healthy side choices would be better than fries only. Veggie sticks, pita wedges, and hummus?

5 A's
6297 Highway 53
Harvest, AL 35749

http://www.5asrestaurant.com
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Closed Mondays

5 A's Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Red Robin

Dear Red Robin, 
Thank you for having so many choices of sides on the kids' menu. 
Your friend,
Uppies and Cuppies

Smalls, Grandma, Aunt W, Smalls's cousin Jo, and I went to Red Robin for lunch yesterday. It was the last day of spring break and it was actually not raining or snowing and it's above 55 degrees, so everyone was out at Bridge Street. We had to wait about 25 minutes to get in, but it wasn't that bad. We watched Harlem Shake videos and chatted, and before we knew it, our name was called.
Just look at this: Mandarin oranges, salad, apples, baby carrots, broccoli, fruit salad. Nice.
Red Robin is loud. It may only be loud when it's busy, but I've actually never been when it's not busy, so I wouldn't know. But I couldn't hear Smalls talk, and she was next to me. It was like she was a baby  chick: "Cheep, cheep... Cheep? CHEEP!" So, that's good and bad. As Aunt W pointed out, your kids can be going crazy and no one else will know or care. Also, there's a TV in the floor in the waiting area. We got crayons and an activity sheet when we sat down. There are some kids' activities on their website, and you can look at the kids' menu there, too.

Smalls got the mac and cheese and Mandarin oranges. The mac and cheese was mostly sauce; it was meh... ok. The grown-up food is pretty good: good burgers (I like the turkey burger) and salads and chicken sandwiches.

Bathroom report: clean, two stalls. I didn't check for a changing table in the larger stall--the bathroom was crowded during the last day of spring break.

Toddler friendliness ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.5 out of 5. Casual, noisy, crayons provided.
Food: 4 out of 5. Thank you for that broccoli, Red Robin, but watch the sauce-to-noodle ratio on that mac and cheese.

Red Robin, Bridge Street
(256) 327-8530
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Friday and Saturday 11:00 AM - Midnight


Red Robin on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Chuck Wagon BBQ

Smalls and I just experienced our first visit to Chuck Wagon BBQ in Madison. It was Beardy's birthday, and he'd been wanting us to meet him there for lunch for a while. But you can't just show up to the Chuck Wagon. One does not simply walk into the Chuck Wagon. He had a plan--we'd snag a table right at 11 when they open, while he stood in line. At one point I texted him to let him know I wanted the coleslaw instead of potato salad. This plan was necessary, because there are only about nine tables inside (there are more in a covered patio area, but it was cold Monday), and the line is long. People start getting in line before they open for lunch. We were early enough to get a booth, (the style of which reminded me of the booths they used to have at the skating rink when I was little. Smalls did enough squirming during this meal. Thank God she wasn't on skates, too.)

I love that green cow... steer? Bull? Cow.
When the tables do fill up, it's hard to move around, especially with a toddler or a baby, and you wouldn't want to stand in line while corralling a kid. So, do what we did and snag a table and have someone in line. Or get your lunch or dinner to go and enjoy it at home.

First time I've seen jeans-butt seat covers. Also plastic covered. The fact that the chairs had pockets is still amusing Smalls.
The food is great, though. It's BBQ meats (brisket, chicken, ribs, sausage) and sides (corn on the cob, coleslaw, potato salad, beans). I had brisket and mild sausage, beans, and coleslaw (vinegar-based, not mayo). I brought a lunch from home for Smalls (which kept her busy at the table while Beardy was in line), but thought she'd like to try the sausage, which is why Beardy got me the mild one. She ended up eating about half of my sausage, bread, and some beans. The spicy sausage is good, too, and I don't even like baked beans, but I liked these. Beardy says the person serving the food (it's sort of cafeteria-style) scrapes the brisket ends into the beans all day as he serves the brisket (yeah, so the beans are NOT vegetarian). 

Bathroom report: The women's is a single (meaning toilet and sink are all in there together--no stalls). There's no changing table.

More jeans decor on the bathroom doors.

Toddler friendliness ratings


Atmosphere: 2 out of 5 booster seats (too crowded to accommodate younger kids).

Food: 3.5 out of 5 booster seats. Personally I think the BBQ is great, but the menu is limited to meats and a few sides.


Chuck Wagon BBQ
8982 Madison Boulevard
Madison, AL 35758
(256) 772-5179
Hours: 11:00 AM-2:30 PM, 5:00 PM-8:00 PM (but check their Facebook site for updates to the hours. I think they're on "winter" hours right now.)

Chuck Wagon on Urbanspoon