So you don't have a Shake Shack in your city? No problem! I recreated the Shake Shack burger in my kitchen and it legit tastes JUST like the real thing. Thank you @Smittenkitchen for this amazing recipe. Just because you don't live in New York, doesn't mean you can't eat like a New Yorker. And seriously....this TASTES JUST LIKE THE REAL THING!! Chalk this up to one of my life's greatest accomplishment. Sorry husband and child......
Read MoreIt was a day of lunching sophistication. Not even an American (me) could damper that. We headed over to Hotel du Vin, Cannizaro House. Hotel du Vin is a chain of luxury boutique hotels scattered throughout London. Olly's family lives in Wimbledon so we walked over to Cannizaro Park, a massive park that is amazing for kids to run around in (did I mention it is GRASS and NOT concrete?!), feed the ducks, look at flowers and see a mini aviary of birds. On these grounds sits the large mansion-hotel that has a windowed bistro that sits on the park grounds. Before we had lunch, we walked around, fed the ducks and tried in vain to tire out Jenson. Once we walked into the restaurant, I noticed something immediately. There were no kids except for Jenson and my 7-year-old-niece...
Read MoreSo this place is in the heart of Brooklyn and is a vegetarian-only, vegan, gluten-free optional restaurant. You can only wear hemp and showers are not encouraged (KIDDING.) But I do command you to stop your eye roll and Free Yo Mind! Even the most loyal of meat eaters would have a hard time saying anything bad about the food here. It is that good. If you think you could never have mac and cheese without the cheese...I dare you to try their cashew-based mac and "cheese." You won't even miss the cheese. Their gluten-free, veggie burgers are something to write home about and they start the meal with complimentary gluten-free pumpkin muffins...which are also blow-your-mind good. Oh, and portabella steaks are a thing. Did I mention that they are MASSIVELY kid-friendly?!
Read MoreCalexico is a venue that started out selling their burritos and tacos out of a food truck and now have locations all over New York...but they still sell out of carts. Armed with Jenson, we popped in for some lunch at their new*ish Red Hook location before hitting the Brooklyn waterfront.
Read MoreIf banh mi and pho is your kryptonite, than you need to look no further. But just because I could bathe in their pork banh mi and vermicelli shredded chicken dish, doesn't mean it's the most ideal place for schitzo toddlers.
Read MoreFurst Bites decided to get buck wild and brunch with another baby. That meant two strollers and twice the potential for epic meltdowns. We were every restaurant's dream that morning. Adding to our first world brunch problems that only people with kids understand was the question of, "What place is open at 9AM that isn't a diner." You'd be surprised to learn just how many establishments don't open until later on the weekends. I have mad respect for those places. But we needed to eat and one fab spot in our hood opens early. It's a little French place that is truly is a little slice of Paris in our Brooklyn neighborhood.
Read MoreIf you Google the Standard Grill, words like "trendy" and "clubby" will show up in the restaurant description. These are words that should actively scare you and your offspring away. And I have mad respect for that. I have many a found memories of wasting (wasting happily I might add) the day away in the beer garden and I do not ever recall needing to step over an army of strollers. That is a beautiful thing. But we decided to march on in anyway.
Read MoreIf a group of toddlers joined forces to devise the perfect place to eat brunch on a Sunday....Hill Country Barbecue is probably what they would concoct. It's like we stumbled upon Frontierland in Downtown Brooklyn. The day started innocently enough. In fact, the day started with zero thought on finding a brunch place that tailored to my child.
Read MoreIt was a Sunday and it was the first weekend of March Madness. My request to have brunch at a TV-free venue was not going over well. And then all of a sudden I realized I did sound crazy and really, really not fun. So I immediately switched gears and went into a "lets do this properly" mode. Give me a place with LOTS of screens and lots of fried food on the menu. We had friends in DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) who were already watching the games at The Bridges. Since we were already playing outside at Brooklyn Bridge Park, it was an easy 10 minute stroll to the place. Here is our review:
Read MoreOnce upon a time I was a die-hard Yelper and would not even think about eating somewhere until I had properly vetted Yelp. This meant combing through the reviews and then engaging in deep analysis/arguments/discussions on whether or not I thought the reviewers were just plain whack or if they were the competition trying to knock this restaurant off a pedestal. Then there would be a group vote and God forbid someone suggested a place I had not heard of, it was back to the initial Yelp vetting process. Yelp was my everything and I took it very seriously.
And then once I had a kid, I just didn't go out to eat as frequently (SAD) and now I just look for a different type of review when I eat out. And it pretty much boils down to how much of a relative pain in the ass will my kid be in contrast to all the other diners. If it is high, I usually steer clear. It got me thinking that there really isn't a review site for parents. So Furst Bites is setting out to be the Zagat for families.
Read MoreSometimes it takes a child to reconnect you with that joyous sensation of discovering something new for the first time. After my son was born, determined not to give up my love of trying new restaurants and food, I decided to just bring him along for the ride. Here are my family's delicious adventures in Brooklyn and beyond, seen through the eyes of Jenson.
Welcome to First Bites where we attempt to answer all of your questions about a particular restaurant before deciding to hit the scene with your offspring. Eating out with kids can be fun (I hear you snickering) but it does take a little planning. Now that I have a child, I look for a different type of restaurant when I eat out and it pretty much boils down to how many laser-beam stares of death my family will receive when we open the door. If it is high, we usually steer clear. Let us help you avoid those stares of death. Thanks for stopping by!
![[Furst] Bites Goes Across The Pond: Cannizaro House](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53a63084e4b0d3d42b2c604b/1432216189914-UGX77WB36ZIX1FPKVU3U/image-asset.jpeg)
![[Furst] Bites Reviews: Calexico](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53a63084e4b0d3d42b2c604b/1430921693630-BOF45SNG07I42X1A85AV/image-asset.jpeg)
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![[Furst] Bites Reviews: Provence en Boite](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53a63084e4b0d3d42b2c604b/1429885164752-PELKLNT6W3HVT4E9AWQY/image-asset.jpeg)
