One of the best things about living in a big city is access to so many completely amazing restaurants. We want to expose our kids to different foods and different cultures, and the easiest way to do that is to take them out to places that don’t serve pizza and PBJs.  While hauling our family of six out to a restaurant can be a bit stressful, we’ve found that if we go early enough (before all the cool people are out) we can all relax and have a good time.

Chris and I make the effort to take the kids out to eat at least a couple times a month. Evie gets dressed up and dabs on a bit of make-up, and she encourages me to do the same.  Mack packs a few Matchbox cars and rocks in his coat pocket. Going out to eat is an occasion for our family – even if we aren’t going any where particularly fancy or special.

On a recent Friday night we took the kids to Joy Yee Noodle House.  It has a huge menu full of really delicious Asian foods, and the service is quick and to-the-point.  We ordered a bunch of dishes to enjoy family style, and I am happy to report that everyone tried everything.

Even though we swore off the iPad several months ago, we still bring it along to restaurants so A) we can calm a restless kid before other diners are bothered and B) Chris and I (and any kid that is being good) can enjoy a conversation.  We didn’t have the iPad the other night, but Chris’s iPhone worked wonders at keeping an overtired Vivian content for a few minutes.

Because little Ben is still so little, a table for six still feels like a table for five.  The sweet baby slept the entire meal.  So tired!

Going out to eat requires a significant amount of coordination and cooperation, but Chris and I know that the only way to teach kids how to behave in restaurants is to actually take them out to eat at restaurants!