Last Sunday we met a friend and her daughter in Fort Collins for lunch at The Rainbow Restaurant. None of us had ever been there before - it was just something C. found on Google Maps that she thought would satisfy everyone's tastes and dietary requirements.
It was a bit of a wait to get a table for six people, but the weather was pleasant, so we hung out on the front walk and let the kids run around and play. It was well worth the drive and the wait. Their Sunday brunch menu was pretty impressive, and they have many vegetarian and vegan options.
I've never really thought about having to distinguish between a child-friendly restaurant and a child-savvy one. Based on this experience, the Rainbow is definitely the former. Everyone was very friendly and willing to accommodate the kids. They just weren't always sure how to do it. That's fine. It was easy enough to switch from a booth to a normal table that worked better with the high-chairs. And the glass of milk brought out for my 1.5-year-old son was quickly replaced with a disposable cup with a lid.
My main course was a vegan sweet potato burrito, which was huge and delicious. The normal version of that burrito comes with eggs and cheese, but tofu can be substituted for egg for free (tempeh comes at an additional price), and I think there was soy cheese standing in for its dairy counterpart. I also ordered steamed vegetables and a fruit cup. Both were made with fresh produce and tasted great. The waiter looked a little uncertain when I ordered the two side items, but my appetite was up to the challenge. By the time I finished (and had some of my friend's hashbrowns), I was pleasantly stuffed. I followed the meal up with a cup of spiced orange tea, which tasted just as great as everything else I had.
The pumpkin bread French toast ordered by my wife and our friend looked delicious. My daughter had a quesadilla and fruit cup, while the boy just got a fruit cup and shared some of his mother's food. As a bonus, the total bill was quite reasonable. I'm looking forward to eating there again some time.
It was a bit of a wait to get a table for six people, but the weather was pleasant, so we hung out on the front walk and let the kids run around and play. It was well worth the drive and the wait. Their Sunday brunch menu was pretty impressive, and they have many vegetarian and vegan options.
I've never really thought about having to distinguish between a child-friendly restaurant and a child-savvy one. Based on this experience, the Rainbow is definitely the former. Everyone was very friendly and willing to accommodate the kids. They just weren't always sure how to do it. That's fine. It was easy enough to switch from a booth to a normal table that worked better with the high-chairs. And the glass of milk brought out for my 1.5-year-old son was quickly replaced with a disposable cup with a lid.
My main course was a vegan sweet potato burrito, which was huge and delicious. The normal version of that burrito comes with eggs and cheese, but tofu can be substituted for egg for free (tempeh comes at an additional price), and I think there was soy cheese standing in for its dairy counterpart. I also ordered steamed vegetables and a fruit cup. Both were made with fresh produce and tasted great. The waiter looked a little uncertain when I ordered the two side items, but my appetite was up to the challenge. By the time I finished (and had some of my friend's hashbrowns), I was pleasantly stuffed. I followed the meal up with a cup of spiced orange tea, which tasted just as great as everything else I had.
The pumpkin bread French toast ordered by my wife and our friend looked delicious. My daughter had a quesadilla and fruit cup, while the boy just got a fruit cup and shared some of his mother's food. As a bonus, the total bill was quite reasonable. I'm looking forward to eating there again some time.
While I wasn't really very hungry when supper time rolled around, I still worked up the motivation to make and eat some really good mango lentil curry based on a recipe I recently found. Yum. The house still smelled like an Indian restaurant the next day.
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