places to eat

Ella is not the most diverse eater. So, going out to eat with her can be challenging. She will not eat burgers, grilled cheese, or any kind of pasta (at least not more than one or two bites). There is only one kids menu staple that she does consume: chicken fingers/nuggets with french fries.

When Ella was younger our restaurant choices focused on the ideals of quick service and good high chairs. We brought all her food with us, so the menu didn't matter. Now we look for places with kids menus, and good high chairs/booster seats. We still don't have a wide selection worked out because when we do decide to go out with her, we tend to stick with what we know rather than try someplace new that will not meet our criteria.

When it comes to fast food Chic-fil-A is the best, with McDonald's a close second.

Chicken Out Rotisserie wasn't a big hit at first because their kids meal nuggets are usually dry (white meat that isn't fried), but we have found that if we cover the chicken in ketchup or bring in our own sweet and sour sauce (left over packets from chic-fil-a) for them, it has worked out great.

Our most popular place to go is Applebees because we get a wide variety to chose from, and we know she will eat their chicken with no problem.

Today we tried a new place for lunch, and I must say I was very happy with it. We went to a Houlihan's. Their menu is very diverse, and their kid's chicken and french fries was a hit with Ella. The value also struck me as fantastic. Her kids meal was only $5 and it came with veggie sticks and dip, applesauce, a drink, 4 chicken strips with fries, and ice cream for desert! Our only complaint was the seating. We chose to try sitting at a booth and having Ella on a booster seat. The booster seat did not work well with the booth seat. She was sitting way to far back, and could not move forward to reach the table without fear of falling off totally. Consequently, poor Mentalfather spent the whole meal holding her in place and eating with one hand. We plan to go again, but we are going to go for a high chair next time.