I've spent the last five-and-a-half years discovering the answer to this question. I have two kids: a five-and-a-half year old daughter and a two year old son. Dining out with them can be an adventure, to say the least. As a parent, I want to take my kids to places that they enjoy, but I also want to be able to take them to places that my wife and I enjoy. My kids love places like Chuck-e-Cheese and fast-food restaurants with play areas, but let's be honest. Those aren't entirely grown-up-friendly.
Over the past few years, I've discovered there are a few key elements that make a grown-up-friendly restaurant kid-friendly. Let me know if you agree or disagree, or have some to add to this list.
Once upon a time, I wrote something.
It appeared in the newspaper that employed me, but it wasn't really an assignment from that newspaper. It was part of a series that I invented for myself to work on. And I did work pretty diligently on it.
The second half of this BBQ Week has been an education.
At the beginning of the week, I perhaps planned to start with Tony DeMaria's and work my way through barbecue joints I had already tested and approved. From Tony D's to Vitek's to Uncle Dan's to Michna's and perhaps finish with Rudy's.
But somewhere along the way, I ventured off my beaten path and, to my benefit, experienced a slice of Waco barbecue I had missed until now.
In case anyone was wondering, eating barbecue for lunch every day isn't taking a toll on me. My stomach is made of steel (even if my belly is considerably softer than that).
However, I'm reminded that I've eaten barbecue ribs the last two days every time I scratch my nose. Every time I touch my upper lip, whatever I was pondering is replaced by the memory of barbecue.
With the celebration of Independence Day this weekend, I'm assuming the smell of all things barbecue and barbecued will be with me for the foreseeable future.
I'm going to admit something here despite some hesitation. Part of the reason I declared this week barbecue week is because I'm experimenting with a low-carb diet.
My logic is as follows: if I eat barbecue I can get plenty of meat and vegetables and just leave out the bread. Easy enough. That logic was confirmed at the Jasper's counter today.
Here's something I find kind of strange, or at least counterintuitive: vegetarians love barbecue.
I know I wrote yesterday about barbecue in Texas mainly consisting of brisket and sausage. And I realize eating those things makes a person about as carnivorous as he or she can get.
t's barbecue week.
Why? Because I decided so. Just like a couple of weeks ago when it was Mexican food week. It's a precise scientific process. I look at my weekly agenda and notice that I'm going to be eating a certain type of food on a certain day and I reckon whether or not I can eat that kind of food all week. And then it's done.
It's hot outside today. There's no doubting that.
But from where I'm sitting, it's not too difficult to forget the heat. I'm not inside a building with air conditioning either. I'm sitting outside on the porch at Oso's Oh So Good Yogurt.
A few weeks ago on this blog, I mentioned how the 50 Yard Line restaurant in Lubbock doubled as sort of a shrine to Texas Tech sports and the old Southwest Conference.
At the time, I offered a few suggestions for similar restaurants in Waco, all of which involved Baylor.
I didn't remember at the time that Kim's on Waco Drive has a bit of a shrine to the Dallas Cowboys. Ok, it's not the entire restaurant like the 50 Yard Line. Though there's something nostalgia-provoking about the whole scene at Kim's. It's an authentic good old-fashioned diner all the way through, which is a refreshing change from cheesy chain restaurants that attempt to evoke an old-fashioned diner atmosphere by hanging, say, old rusted bicycles on the wall.
Many have asked me today how our 4x200 Celebration went on Saturday night.
My answer? It was a can't miss. Get together a bunch of loyal and kind WacoFork followers, give them pizza and throw in a chance to win some great door prizes from awesome restaurants all around town and it's a guaranteed good time.
Thanks to the folks at Poppa Rollo's, including Brian, Luis and Poppa Rollo himself, Roland Duty (pictured). They made it a smooth and fun night and, of course, they made delicious pizza as usual.
