Chicken Dinner

I love going out to eat. It was something Carl and I enjoyed before having kids, something we still do when we have a babysitter, and I've found ways to take the twins out with us.

Taking four-year-old twins out to eat takes a little bit of planning. 

1. If it's dinner, we try to go early when it's not crowded and we're not as likely to disturb others
2. We try to find kid-friendly places
3. I pack a backpack of supplies for each kid with:
• Personal water bottle with lid and straw (so you don't have to count on the restaurant for drinks with lids)
• Coloring book and colors
• Small snacks (in case it takes a bit to get our food)
• Individual iPods with games, movies, and music
• Headphones for the iPods

With this we're usually in good shape, but if someone ends up having a tantrum or meltdown, we go ahead and leave.

When we were in New Orleans a few weeks ago, part of the trip was trying new restaurants and visiting old favorites. One evening we headed to a great place called Sainte Marie. Although we called ahead to see if it was OK to bring kids, when we walked in we knew we wouldn't have brought the twins if we'd seen the place first.

Sainte Marie on Poydras, New Orleans

To their credit, the staff was incredibly nice and sat us in a cozy booth away from other tables. They didn't have anything on the menu appropriate for kids but the chef made a pasta with grilled shrimp that the twins loved. 

We had a lovely dinner and the kids were really great. They quietly colored, ate their dinner, and played on their iPods. Things were going so well we ordered sorbet desserts for the kids and after dinner drinks for ourselves. Right about the time these final items were brought to the table, Chloe had a complete meltdown. 

Apparently she'd asked Carl to draw her a chicken and he told her he didn't think he could do it. Wrong answer. She started crying so much Carl had to take her outside. Our booth was at the front window of the restaurant, so poor Carl stood outside in chilly weather watching as Connor and I waited for the check. The waiter asked me what had happen and I told him Carl couldn't draw a chicken. This is what came in our check:

Chloe loved it. She carried it in her hand all the way back and when we got home she asked me to draw a baby chicken next to it. She colored it and hung on to the drawing for the rest of the trip.

So what's the morale of the story. Learn to draw chickens on demand? Probably more like, learn to roll with it. Not exactly what they meant by Laissez les bond temps roulez, but I like to think it has many interpretations.

Swans at Mardi Gras 2014

We made it through Mardi Gras in New Orleans and had a great time. JoJo was with us most of the time and I can't thank her enough for taking the majority of these pictures. She got some great shots. 

The twins were really great travelers.  They kept up with their own backpacks and roller bags most of the time even though we changed gates three times and eventually changed flights moving to an entirely different terminal. They were exhausted by the time we landed in New Orleans and got our car.

But they snapped out of it pretty quickly and were ready to hit the town. 

Of course the first thing we did was go eat. We stayed at Aunt Debbie's awesome apartment with the best location. One street over is St. Charles and a great restaurant called Lüke.

Besides eating, the parades were a big hit. The kids caught on to yelling and waving for throws, but Connor liked to say, "Throw me something mens" instead of the traditional, "Throw me something mister!"

It was so easy to walk everywhere from Aunt Deb's apartment. One evening we walked by the river and the kids loved seeing the riverboat. Next visit we'll have to get tickets for a ride.

We ate at a ton of great places. I've provided review of restaurants at the end of this post for anyone planning a trip to New Orleans soon.

The trip was great and the weather was lovely, until Mardi Gras morning. It was rainy and cold. The boys went in pretty early, but Chloe was determined to catch some good throws. 

She wasn't ready to come in until she finally caught a stuffed bear. Then she was happy, Mardi Gras complete!

Restaurants to consider in New Orleans:

Lüke  504-378-2840

333 St. Charles Ave.

New Orleans, LA 70130

Great food but most expensive place we ate. They do have a kid’s menu.

Domenica 504-648-6020

123 Baronne Street

(between Common & Canal in the Roosevelt Hotel)

New Orleans, LA 70112

Happy hour daily, 3-6 half price drinks & gourmet pizzas.

Loved this place. Ate there for lunch one day and ordered take-out for dinner another night.

Mr. B’s Bistro  504-523-2078

201 Royal Street


New Orleans, LA 70130 


$1.25 bloody mary’s

$1.25 martinis

We always make an effort to go to Mr. B’s. Everything I’ve ever ordered has been delicious. Save room for dessert. They serve a bread pudding by which to judge all others.

Sainte Marie              504-304-6988

930 Poydras Street

New Orleans, LA 70112

Good food, cozy atmosphere-small place so reservations are a good idea. Amazing service. Not really a place for kids.

Other places we love or that have been recommended to us but we didn't get to try this trip:

Café Adelaide & the Sizzle Stick Bar            504-595-3305

300 Poydras Street

New Orleans, LA 70130

  

ACME              504-522-5973

French Quarter

724 Iberville Street


New Orleans, LA 70130


Café Du Monde         504-525-4544

800 Decatur Street

New Orleans, LA 70116

Palace Café    504-523-1661

605 Canal Street   (Canal at Chartres)

New Orleans, LA 70130

Peche  504-522-1744

Warehouse District, corner of Magazine & Julia

800 Magazine Street

New Orleans, LA 70130

And just as I was finishing this post, I came across this article, "10 Restaurants New Olreanians Don't Want You to Know About" from Epicurious.