Ike's MSP Airport

Evie and Carlos tried out Ike's at MSP airport on their way out of town a few weeks ago (president's day skiing in Oregon).  Mixed experience... read on.

Kids Menu Choices
No specific kids menu

Evie's Order
"Serious Patty Melt" (hold the onions)
Ice water




Evie's Review:  When we were at Ike's, it was busy, so service was slow.  The caesar salad was really good (Carlos shared it).  I liked it because it didn't have too many croutons, or too much dressing (too much dressing is always a problem).  I'm not very into burgers, so maybe I would have liked it better if burgers were my thing... but I wasn't a big fan and didn't eat much of it.  I liked the white bread and parmesean taste, and buttery greasiness.  The fries were also delicious:  Greasy, salty and sometimes you got a crunchy one that added to the deliciousness.

Evie's Rating:  2 stars

Carlos' Order
Caesar Salad
Surly Furious




Carlos' Review:  This place definitely makes my "avoid" list when traveling with kids.  There's no kids menu, so you are forced to order huge adult portions, and share them, which means you are eating what your kid wants, not what you want.  So Evie wanted the blandest possible burger.  I ate half of said burger.  I also wanted something green, so ordered a Caesar salad that had some brown lettuce and "out of a box" style croutons.... Beer list was really limited, but at least included Furious.  As Evie mentioned, the service was slow and inattentive.  The guy acted like I was crazy asking if there were kid portions.  Not sure why I went here over the great Stone Arch restaurant.  Won't be back.

Carlos' Rating:  1 star

Location
MSP Airport
Main Mall (North side)

Website
http://mspairport.ilikeikes.com/

Punch Neapolitan Pizza

We've been gone for a while, but now it's time for Evie and Carlos to get the reviews flowing again!  Today, we're reviewing our favorite pizza place on Grand Ave, PUNCH!  It's on a busy block, next door to Brasa (to be reviewed in the future).  Parking can be difficult, walk if you can.  We are regular customers here, as it is the closest restaurant to our house.

Kids Menu Choices
Bambini (very small cheese pizza,)

Evie's Order
Adult sized Margherita Pizza (no basil)
San Pelegrino Limonata

  

Evie's Review:  The margherita is a cheese pizza with olive oil and basil (but you don't have to get the basil if you ask for it to be removed).  This tastes just like the bambini, but is bigger.  The bambini just isn't big enough for anyone over the age of 4, maybe 3.  Depends how big of an appetite they have.  In my opinion, I think the pizza is quite good.  They don't put on too much olive oil, or cheese.  It's almost the perfect pizza.  I also ate some salad, but I don't really remember what that was like.  San Pellegrino Limonata is like a lemon-ade soda.  They also have an orange version.  I always order it here.  I like it because it is cool and refreshing.  I get it on camping trips as well as at punch.

Evie's Rating:  5 stars

Carlos' Order
Rugula Pizza (Arugula and Prosciutto)
Punch Salad (shared)
Beer



Carlos' Review:  You could do a lot worse than having Punch Pizza 3 blocks from your house.  Quick and easy after school dinner.  I like the pizzas which have uncooked arugula on them.  I appreciate that Evie can have a relatively round meal... and they usually have a couple interesting beers on tap.  Sometimes I wish they had some non-traditional topping choices... and/or add some more Euro style toppings (egg for instance?).  But... overall, great go-to after school pizza spot, WAY better than delivery.

Carlos' Rating:  4 stars

Location
769 Grand Ave 
St Paul MN 55105


Website
http://www.punchpizza.com/

Tori Ramen, St Paul MN

Evie and Carlos, back to report on Tori Ramen, a small shop on Selby Avenue in St Paul!  When we say "small" ramen shop...  we mean it.  Really, really SMALL.  7 tables, and only 2 tables with more than 2 seats.

On our first visit, we were lucky enough to find two seats at the bar, and were seated immediately.... but on second visit, we brought Evie's grandma along, and had to wait for at least 30 minutes for a table.   So, come around 5 if you want a seat, and you'll get in much more quickly if you have 2 people.

Kids Menu Choices
No specific kids menu

Two bowls of ramen are offered in "half" sizes
Victoria  (shoyu with chicken chashu)
E.V.  (shoyu with chicken chashu and egg)

Evie's Order
E.V. (first visit)
Victoria (second visit)
Some kind of "natural" Grapefruit soda



Evie's Review:  The first time around I ordered  the E.V. and really liked it, but on the second time we thought I had ordered the victoria,and got the victoria.  I was disappointed by the lack of egg in the victoria, because I remembered the egg from last time.  (Grandma gave me her egg).  A funny thing that we realized while writing this blog was that I ordered the E.V.   Overall though:  The broth has a sweet flavor, and the noodles absorb the flavor of the broth, and are really good.  Something I think they should change, is the sesame seeds...  I just don't like how they feel in my mouth.  The soft egg is really good.  The veggies are good.  The meat on the other hand, is good but too chewy.  I really really really like the soda.  gah!

Evie's Rating:  4.75 stars (pending upgrade if sesame seeds removed from ramen)

Carlos' Order
Show You (aka Shoyu) first visit
Bali Bali (Tan Tan Men) second visit



Carlos' Review:  Great to have this ramen shop within walking distance.  Everything you might expect to be made with pork is made with chicken, with fairly remarkable results.  Same creamy broth and big flavors.  Beer list is short, but high quality, and regular rotation.  On our first visit (2 of us seated at bar) we had excellent service, extremely friendly interaction with Evie.  On our second visit (3 of us, seated at table after long wait)... it was more chaotic...  friendly... but a little stressful for everyone.  In terms of ramen, I thought the Shoyu was excellent... the Bali Bali was similar,  and I'm not completely clear what it had that the shoyu didn't.  Overall, good place for an early dad/daughter dinner close to home... not a good place for larger family night out.

Carlos' Rating:  4 stars

Location
161 Victoria Street N
Saint Paul MN 55104
https://goo.gl/maps/MRme6HPT2vC2

Website
http://www.toriramen.com/

Surly Beer Hall, Minneapolis MN

Who says kids and breweries don't mix???  Carlos sure doesn't think so!  ... and neither do the great people in the Surly Beer Hall.  We went on a weeknight at 6pm, and were immediately seated in the vast dining hall.  Evie was wowed by the cool metal and wood architecture.

Kids Menu Choices
Cheese Pizza with Green Salad
Smoked Brisket with Baked Beans
Kids Cheese Burger with French Fries
Pulled Pork Shoulder with Coleslaw
(includes choice of drink and a dessert).

Evie's Order
Cheese Pizza with Green Salad
Lemonade
Sundae with Berry Compote



Evie's Review:  The cheese pizza was good, not too much garlic, but just enough.  The tomato sauce wasn't too sweet, but just sweet enough, and the cheese, there wasn't too much, just the right amount. It was big and I couldn't finish it. I LOVED the soft pretzel (but not the cheese sauce).  I also liked the Sundae a lot.  The berry sauce wasn't my favorite thing, but the ice cream was great.  It looked super cool on the plate.  They had some cool toys where you could create things and design your own Surly.  Fun!

(Evie note:  If you really like it, you can buy surly gear in the gift shop, but not a lot of stuff for kids because its a beer place).

Evie Rating: 4.75 stars

(Carlos note:  lots of care in the preparation of the kids food, and the server was very attentive to Evie's experience in the brewery.  Evie doesn't remember the kid salad, but I do... it was very high quality ingredients, and not just iceberg lettuce drenched in ranch dressing).

Carlos' Order
Avocado Toast
Pretzel (shared)
Beer (a stout?)

Carlos Review
Umm... where to start?  Yeah, love the beer.  Love the food.  And now they make it fun and great for my kid too?  Best place ever.

Carlos Rating:  5 stars



Location
520 Malcolm Ave SE
Minneapolis MN 55414
https://goo.gl/maps/Vv6bog61Bns

Website
http://surlybrewing.com/destination-brewery/beer-hall-and-restaurant/

Otro Cafe, Phoenix AZ

Welcome back to Kidz Menu!  We visited this restaurant during a winter trip to Phoenix.  It's a funky modern Mexican restaurant in hipster zone of central Phoenix.

Kids Menu Choices
Guacamole
Salad Pequeno
Taco
Bean Burrito
Quesadilla de Queso Oaxaca
Flapjack

(Carlos note:  To our surprise, the kids menu was free!  Evie was allowed to order 2 items from the above for free.  Not sure if this is always the case, or if it was a special on the day).

Evie's Order
Horchata
Quesadilla
Guacamole



Evie's Review: The quesadilla was good, but it had a little TOO much cheese, from my perspective.  The cheese tasted good, but too much of it, is just not good.  The guacamole didn't have too much onion or spicy stuff, mostly just avocado.  I ate it up.  The chips were greasy and salty and delicious.  The horchata was less sweet than usual, but still good.  The servers were nice to me, and helped us move indoors when it started to rain.

Evie's Rating:  4 stars

Carlos' Order: 
3 Tacos (Al Pastor, Carne Asada, Vegetable)
Beer



Carlos' Review:  I really wanted to be in love with this restaurant, but so far I'm just in like.  The tacos were a mixed bag.  The carne asada was excellent, with nice char and seasoning, but the Al Pastor was mushy and lacked texture or brightness.  I liked the seasonal vegetable taco option in theory, but it didn't really stand out.  The salsas were too mild, and didn't add much. The beer list was excellent, many diverse local options.  I had a black IPA which started things off well.

I would add that I was at this restaurant a few weeks earlier for breakfast, and it was crazy good.  Chorizo y huevos torta, and fresh squeezed orange juice... so I will definitely give it another shot when I'm in PHX.  The servers were great with Evie, and attentive to the adults as well.

Carlos' Rating: 4 stars



Location
6035 N. 7th Street
Phoenix AZ 85014
https://goo.gl/maps/VrjdmKBsoot

http://www.otrocafe.com/

Homi Restaurant, St Paul MN

Welcome to the Kidz Menu!   In this blog we are going to be talking about kid restaurant experiences, with maybe a little bit for grownups at the end of each entry.  We will use fake names to cover our real identities ("Evie" age 8, "Carlos", age 45).

Our first post is about Homi Restaurant, a neighborhood Mexican restaurant in St Paul.  For Evie, our kid writer, this restaurant is special because it is the first one she ever ate at.

Kids Menu Choices
Chihuahua Cheese Quesadilla
Rice & Beans
French Fries
Mini Corn Dogs
Chicken Tenders
Chicken Soup
Mini Nachos
Tostadas de Queso con Crema (Tostadas with mexican cream, and cheese)

Evie's Order
Chips with Queso Blanco y Crema - not on kid menu
Tacos de Pollo (Chicken Tacos) -- not on kid menu
Horchata




Evie's Review:  Delicious, delicious and delicious.  The cream and cheese with the pre-meal chips must be ordered specifically from the waiter/waitress.  I eat the chips by dipping them in the cream, then the cheese, and it is delicious!  Horchata is a traditional Mexican drink that is made out of cinnamon, rice and sugar.  It is pronounced "OR-CHA-TAH".  The tacos de pollo, are made with shredded chicken with very mildly spicy sauce.  They come in corn tortillas with oil on them, heated up.  I usually put on the cream from my chips to make them even more delicious!

Evie Rating:  5 stars





Carlos' Order
Pozole (Blanco)



Carlos' Review:  I love this home style Mexican restaurant!  Partly because they are so freindly to Evie, and partly because of their rustic traditional cooking.  I frequently opt for the pozole, which comes in a huge soup bowl.  The meat is a little more gristly than I prefer, but I just skip those bits.  I also order the blanco rather than the rojo because the spicy oil is a little too much for me.  Sometimes I also order an Horchata, but don't get the large size because it's about a gallon of liquid.  It's also available in a pitcher to share.  I also like the tacos (steak), or torta.  We also like the guacamole, and sometimes Sopa de Fideo to share.  The lack of liquor license is a little bit of a downer... no beer for Dad.

Carlos Rating: 4.5 stars (pending liquor license for upgrade)

Location
864 University Ave W
St Paul MN 55104
https://goo.gl/maps/HPvmsRtuqRL2

Web Site
http://www.homirestaurant.com