Smalls,
Beardy, and I took a trip to New York City over Thanksgiving this year. We were
a little nervous about hauling a two-year old through airports, and then around
the city for a week, but the trip went great. We found an apartment to rent on
VRBO.com instead of trying to all pack into a tiny NYC hotel room. That was
good, too because we could cook there if we wanted, or go out. We did plenty of
both. I carried a container of apple slices and carrot and celery sticks the
whole time, just in case we ended up at a restaurant Smalls didn’t like, but
mostly she did fine. Here are some highlights of our dining adventures.
Sabor a Mexico
This is a small
Mexican restaurant in the Yorkville area near the apartment we rented. We went
on a Tuesday night, and we were the only people there, but it looks like they
do a lot of delivery and take out. It was perfectly comfortable for dining in,
though. We had an assortment of tacos (very good), and shared the chicken ones
with Smalls. She seemed happy with the tacos and the chips and salsa.
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| This is Buzz Lightyear's fist. The closest we got to seeing the Macy's parade was looking at the inflated balloons the day before the parade. |
Afterwards, we
went to the Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, just down the street from the
restaurant. Smalls got strawberry, I got green tea, and Beardy got lychee
sorbet (dairy free). There’s nowhere to sit inside, so walk up Bayard Street to
Columbus Park to eat your ice cream. There are plenty of benches and you can
watch people play mahjong and card games at the tables. Even if it’s only 50 about
degrees.
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| This lovely elephant can be found across the street from the Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory on Bayard Street. |
Fatty Fish
This one was
an adventure (or I thought it might be—it turned out pretty tame). Smalls and I
met one of my friends from high school here for lunch on Saturday, and Beardy
stayed at the apartment to watch the Iron Bowl (that’s the Alabama vs. Auburn
football game. It’s kind of a big deal). So I rode the bus by myself with
Smalls and a stroller, and it went fine. Someone even held the bus door open as
we got out, and other passengers gave us the “she’s so cute” as Smalls nodded
off on the bus ride back to the apartment. Smalls ate yakisoba (just noodles)
and my friend and I ate sushi and talked for about two and a half hours. Smalls
ate the noodles and put sparkly taxi and bus stickers on paper the whole time
(really! I was amazed). I probably wouldn’t recommend Fatty Fish for a dinner
with kids, because the restaurant wasn’t that big, but for a late lunch on a
Saturday, it wasn’t crowded, so it was just fine. The sushi was very good.
Sabor a Mexico
1744 1st Ave, New York, NY 10128
(212) 289-2641
Old Shanghai
Deluxe
50 Mott St
(between
Pell St & Bayard St)
New York, NY
(212) 566-4884
Original
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
65 Bayard
Street
New York, NY
10013
(212) 608-4170
Fatty Fish
406 East 64
Street, New York, NY 10065
1 212 813 9338
A couple extra:
Uno Chicago Grill
This is a chain and we ate at the location behind the Natural History museum (432 Columbus Avenue). They have a kids' menu, a huge dining room, and calorie counts on the menu.
Mole Mexican Bar and Grill
We actually ate at the UES location twice--once for dinner and once for lunch. No kids' menu, but good margaritas.
