Uppies and Cuppies on the Road

Smalls, Grandma, and I just got back from a road trip to Wisconsin. Some of the highlights of the trip were
- stopping in Bloomington, Illinois to have a raisin extracted from Smalls's nose. She claims she put it there because my mom and I "were making too much noise."
- seeing roadside attractions like a life-size pink elephant wearing glasses, giant corn, a giant cow and a giant bull, and the House on the Rock.
- eating and eating and eating. We had some great food on the trip, and my uncle took us to some really great restaurants in and around Madison, Wisconsin. A few were brewpubs, and I love that they're kid-friendly but also make great beer. Here a few of the best places we ate on our trip.

Great Dane Pub, Madison WI

The Great Dane. Look at that neat bicycle shadow.

Great Dane is a pub and brewery based in Madison. They have a great kids' menu (http://www.greatdanepub.com/sites/default/files/kids%20menu.pdf) with fruit and vegetables available as sides. We got to sit outside in a courtyard, but they have lots of indoor seating, too.
We ate here before attending a free outdoor concert by Brother, a Celtic-Australian fusion band. They played didgeridoos while wearing kilts. It was awesome and inspired Smalls to dance wildly.

The Grumpy Troll, Mt. Horeb WI

Mount Horeb is the Troll Capital of the World.

Another brewery and restaurant, in a small town outside of Madison known for their troll carvings (the main street is known as the Trollway). You can eat in the main dining room or the pizzeria upstairs; we ate in the main dining room. It's very kid-friendly, with coloring sheets and crayons and a kids' menu and a changing table in the women's bathroom. Here's a link to their Junior Troll menu: http://www.thegrumpytroll.com/menu/kids_menu.pdf.
We visited Mount Horeb after visiting House on the Rock (the first time), so I was reeling a little from trollway/Wally Keller/Infinity Room weirdness.

Culver's

A giant bull in Stewardson, Illinois. It has nothing to do with Culver's.

Culver's is a Wisconsin-based chain of fast-food restaurants. They are known for butter burgers and frozen custard. Both are as wonderful as they sound. Frozen custard is like the densest, creamiest, smoothest soft-serve ice cream you've ever had.
On our way home, after a detour to see a giant bull in Stewardson, Illinois, we stopped at the Culver's in Effingham (within sight of the World's Largest Cross). Here's a link to their kids' menu: http://www.culvers.com/menu/ScoopieKidsMeals.aspx. It's butter burgers and chicken fingers, but they do offer applesauce as a side.

Pie in the Sky

I went to the new Target in Madison before Pie in the Sky was open, and before their sign was complete, and tried to figure out what it was going to be. I thought, pies? Like, apple pies? British-style steak pies? Duh. It's pizza pies.

Pie in the Sky is in the Shoppes of Madison on highway 72.

This made me happy. I love pizza, especially places that you can sit and eat the pizza, as opposed to places that rely on carryout and delivery. But I also would have been happy about British pies.
Beardy, Smalls, and I visited Pie in the Sky on a Sunday, late lunchtime (I think we missed most of the after-church crowd). They told us it would be a 25-minute wait, but it was only 15. We went outside to wait, and as soon as Beardy went inside to check the status of our wait, we were led to a table. We suspect they called our name inside and marked us off the list when we weren't in there. When you go, maybe you should make sure at least one member of your party waits inside.

What are these screens called? Where you touch the screen and lightning seems to gather at your finger? There's one in the waiting area.

We were seated in a booth, and we got a booster seat for Smalls. However, the booster seat made me want to give booster seats themselves a booster-seat rating of ZERO. This one slid all around the booth, and once Smalls fell over onto me (she is very wiggly). I think she would have done better just sitting on the bench. This is not specific to Pie in the Sky; this is just a general tirade about booster seats.

Here's the kids' menu.

Pie in the Sky has a kids' menu. The sides you can choose from are steamed broccoli (yay), spaghetti, fettuccine Alfredo, pasta salad, fries, and kettle chips. You can see the entire menu here http://www.pieintheskypizza.com/menu.
We didn't order off the kids' menu; we just shared a pizza with Smalls. We got a medium 1/2 Greek, 1/2 pesto. The waitress actually offered the half-and-half option, which I thought was nice. The Greek had kalamata olives that were delicious, but Smalls got one with a pit (Ppp-too. "I not yike iss part"). So check your olives.
They also offer gluten-free crust. It's $2.50 extra for a small pizza. Other sizes are not mentioned, so I don't know if this means this option is only available for a small.
Pie in the Sky has local beer, so if you're interested, ask for a separate beer menu. They had draft beer from Back Forty (whoo! Gadsden!), Blue Pants, Good People, Old Black Bear, Straight to Ale, and Yellowhammer.
To entertain the kiddies, they have a counter with about four stools where kids can watch the pizza chefs at work. They plop little dough balls through a dough hole in the glass to the kids. Smalls kept trying to toss it back through the hole. Back at the table, Smalls dropped her doughball under the table several times and it just kept picking up floor dirt and it grossed me out a little. It also explained the strange sticky lumps melting in the puddles on the sidewalk outside the restaurant that I spotted while we waited for a table. Maybe I'm not a fan of the doughballs.

The kids' pizza viewing window. There's a dough hole in the glass to the left of the man's hat.

Overall, this place is very kid-friendly. I also like the local beer selection. I think the pizza's a little expensive (our medium-sized half Greek, half-pesto was $22). I think Famous Joe's has better pizza, and Big Ed's has cheaper pizza.

Bathroom report: Very nice and clean. Two stalls with a fold-down changing table in the large stall.

Toddler friendliness ratings:

Atmosphere: 4.5 out of 5. They cater to the kids by having dirt-collectors, I mean doughballs to play with. It's casual and fairly noisy (which can be a plus when your toddler decides to wail a little--just a little--like Smalls did at one point).

Food: 4 out of 5. It seems like the kids' menu is a natural offshoot of the regular menu (it has some of the same food as the regular menu, not just freezer fries and ChickieNobs), and I like broccoli as a side choice.

Pie in the Sky Pizza
Shoppes of Madison, Highway 72, Madison
256-722-2112

Hours:
Sunday-Thursday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday and Saturday 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Pie in the Sky is a small Nashville-based chain, and they have a nice Web site with menus and a list of other locations (in Nashville): http://www.pieintheskypizza.com/.

The menu is here: http://www.pieintheskypizza.com/menu.

 

Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant

Beardy, Smalls, and I went to Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant recently for lunch. Saigon is on Madison Boulevard, in the shopping center behind Golden Rule BBQ, with Dirt Cheap and Madison Cycles. We were there from about 11:15 to 12, and when we left, about 3/4 of the tables were full. Smalls was the only kid there, but that was ok. It's very casual.

Beardy and I had been here before; Beardy works nearby, and it's fairly popular with his co-workers. This time, I had bun ga nuong (charbroiled chicken on rice vermicelli), and Beardy had pad thai. Mine was good--noodles, chicken, cucumbers, and bean sprouts with a sweetish sauce on the side. Smalls ate most of my cucumbers, and tried but didn't like my chicken. She tried it before I added chili sauce. We have had the hot clay pot dishes before, and they're really good. I've had the pho, too. It comes in small, regular, and "x-large" bowls. I think I got regular, and it was still pretty huge. And good.

The kids' menu.

They do have a kids' menu, but we didn't end up ordering off of it. I did see rice noodles on the sides menu, though, and knew Smalls would like those. I also spotted "boiled egg." Ok, that's one of Smalls's favorite things right now--a hard boiled egg that she gets to peel herself. I asked the waitress if it was really a hard boiled egg, and it was. Perfect.

The egg came freshly boiled, so it was hot. I needed a way to cool down the egg quickly. I thought, how do I cool eggs at home? Dunk them in ice water. What am I drinking with lunch? Ice water. So... yes, the egg went into my drink. I tried to put it in and take it out while no one was looking. I'm pretty this is a horrible faux pas, but it worked. And I even drank my water afterwards. While the egg was cooling, Smalls commented that it looked like how we dyed eggs at Easter. My glass was even red plastic, so it's possible she expected the egg to come out pink.

The noodle and egg combo was a hit, and she even had bonus cucumbers. It was a good lunch.

Beardy's fortune (top) is just stating the obvious.
And the cookie knows that Smalls lacks patience (bottom).

Bathroom report: Go through a curtained door in the back of the restaurant (it's the same door the wait staff uses to bring your drinks, so be careful because they may not be expecting toddlers underfoot). The women's is a two-stall (one handicap-accessible) but there's no changing table. Also, there was a sign that said don't throw any paper in the toilet. I guess this includes toilet paper? Ew.

Toddler friendliness ratings: 4 out of 5 booster seats. 

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 booster seats.

Food: 3.5 out of 5 booster seats. The kids' menu is a little uncreative with chicken fingers and fries, but we did create a meal Smalls liked from the sides menu. And it was cheaper than the chicken fingers.

Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant
8760 Madison Blvd. P and Q
Madison, AL 35758
(256) 772-0202

Open Mon-Thur 11 AM - 9 PM
Fri-Sat 11 AM - 10 PM
Sunday 11 AM - 8 PM

Dim Sum available weekends from 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM (according to a sign in the window)

http://saigonrestaurant-al.com/

 

El Coyote, Huntsville

I like Bridge Street. But everyone likes Bridge Street, and this means on a nice evening after work, or on a weekend, it can get a little crowded. So if you're there, and you want to sit down and have an inexpensive, uncrowded dinner, consider leaving Bridge Street and going to El Coyote in the shopping center on Old Madison Pike just across the Research Park overpass. El Coyote is a Mexican restaurant with a small bar and a little bit of outside seating. But if you're in the area and don't want to pay $8 (at least) for a Cantina Laredo margarita, go there.

A satisfied customer leaving El Coyote.

Beardy, Smalls, and I went to El Coyote on a recent weeknight at about 5:30 (after a short visit to Bridge Street). Many of the customers looked like they'd just left work in Research Park. A loud man presided over a table of co-workers next to us. When he announced to his table that Max wasn't coming, Smalls looked concerned and asked me, "Max isn't coming?" We never found out why Max didn't come.

El Coyote's food is standard Huntsville Mexican. I used to think their carne asada tacos were good until I had El Paso's. This time I had enchiladas suizas, and it was pretty good. They do have a kids' menu, and it's also pretty standard. Smalls ate a cheese quesadilla and salsa and enjoyed her dinner.

The cheese quesadilla got a good review from Smalls, but some healthy sides would be very welcome.

Nice chairs!

Exciting table art.

Bathroom report: The women's is a single (meaning toilet and sink are all in there together--no stalls). It was clean, and has a fold-down changing table, and one of the biggest mirrors above the sink that I've ever seen. Really. I've been to Versailles, and this mirror still impressed me.

Toddler Friendliness Ratings

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 booster seats. No real complaints. They had plenty of booster seats and high chairs, and the ambiance was casual, so if Smalls had been a little loud I think it would have been ok. First she would have had to drown out our loud table neighbor, though.

Food: 3 out of 5 booster seats. Once again, I'd like to see healthy sides on the kids' menu.

El Coyote

6610 Old Madison Pike

Huntsville, AL 35806

Sun Cafe

One day last week, Smalls and I went out to lunch at Sun Café on Old Monrovia Road. This was kind of an impulse lunch. We had left the house a little late for all the morning errands we had to do that day, and we had a few left to do, but it was about 12:30 or 1:00, and we needed to eat. Sun Café had gotten on my mental list a few weeks ago when I was looking for somewhere to go for dinner (we ended up at Surin of Thailand that night), so I decided we’d try it for lunch.

It's in the shopping center with H. H. Gregg, across Old Monrovia Road from Madison Square Mall.

As a bonus, we got to see an inflatable air-noodle wavy-guy over at H. H. Gregg. Smalls likes to impersonate them; she makes a “whoop” noise as she waves her arms and bends her knees.

 They’re a little intimidating up close, though. Big.

It was about 12:30 or 1:00 when we arrived, and the restaurant wasn’t crowded. We were seated in a booth and Smalls got a highchair. They do have a kid’s menu, and it might be ok for an older kid, but I didn’t think Smalls would be interested. They did, however, have a salad with mango and cucumber (two of her favorite things), so I told the waitress Smalls really likes mango and cucumber, but asked what else was in the salad. When she said seaweed and mayo, I must have made a face, because she offered to have the chef make it with no seaweed and mayo. I thought that was really nice, and we ended up with a plate of shredded mango and cucumber that Smalls loved. We had the leftovers for dinner. I also ordered teriyaki chicken skewers (because I guess I’m obsessed with Smalls trying chicken on a stick—I just think it would be a great option for Smalls at restaurants where the chicken option for kids is “nugget”). She didn’t eat them, so we also had chicken skewers for dinner that night. But she WILL learn to love them.

The dreaded nugget. And French fried.

I really should have asked, but I don’t know what “no veg” on the kid’s menu lo mein or fried rice means. Maybe that you can’t order vegetarian fried rice or lo mein for kids? That seems odd.
I had the Singapore noodles and they were pretty good (not as fried/smoky tasting as the ones at P.F. Chang’s). Sun Café also has sushi, bento boxes, noodles, seafood, all kinds of stuff. The lunch entrees are about $8 and the dinner ones range from about $9 to $15. The menu is online here: http://www.suncafeal.com/menu.html.

Bathroom report: No changing table in the women’s, but it was clean and large—a private bathroom, not one with stalls.

Toddler friendliness ratings:

Atmosphere: 3.5 out of 5 booster seats. It was a little quiet and dark, so I felt like I needed to keep Smalls really quiet so we wouldn’t disturb anyone’s lunch. It didn't feel like it ever gets too crowded, though.

Food: 3.5 out of 5 booster seats. They were really accommodating about making Smalls a special salad, so if you don’t like the kid’s menu, I bet they’ll work with you to find something your kids will like.

Sun Café
930 Old Monrovia Rd, Huntsville AL 35806
(in the shopping center with H.H. Gregg)
256-585-1422
http://www.suncafeal.com/

Hours: Lunch: Mon-Sat 11 AM-3 PM
Dinner: Mon-Thurs 3 PM-9:30 PM
Fri and Sat 3 PM-10 PM
Sun 12 PM-9 PM

 

El Paso

It’s hard for me to even think of this restaurant as “El Paso.” It’s called “Best Food Yes” to us (the picture should explain why). We go here so much that last time we visited, when we walked in, the hostess said, “I have something that I think belongs to you.” She produced a bag from behind the counter, containing one of Smalls’ dolls that we had forgotten last time we were there. How nice is that?

Bad picture, yes? Actually it's mine from Intsagram, so I suppose wanted it to look this bad.

Surin of Thailand

I was kind of nervous about this one for some reason. Maybe it’s because I remember going here several times when Beardy and I were dating and just married, so I kind of associated it with going out without kids. Once we ordered fancy martinis and didn’t realize they were $10 each so we were surprised when the check came. This became a running joke between us.