1) I am woefully undereducated on both sides of the issue (the consumer and the provider)
2) Blogs are not a healthy place for that type of discussion which should probably be done in a more face to face, interactive arena.

I skimmed the article that you referenced and others can read it here at Michael Pollan’s website.

I will even go one further, I read the book Beyond Beef by Jeremy Rifkin a few years back and didn’t eat a piece of red meat or have dairy for quite a while.

Since then, meat and dairy has snuck back into my diet in small portions. My wife has always limited her meat intake but has had a bit more meat cravings since the pregnancy. Even now, it’s only a couple of times a month that we have a steak, usually at a nice restaurant where the pedigree of the meat is touted.

There is a lot of crap that I would prefer not go into my body. My wife buys probably 80%+ of our produce at the Farmer’s Market from the organic or no spray farms. We don’t eat much processed food and are label readers for the types of chicken and fish we buy.

So that’s our very general food philosophy. We’re lucky enough to live in a city that has access to a wide variety of seasonal, relatively local ingredients. It’s a city that has a large number of chefs who care about the way their ingredients are grown and raised. Granted, not all restaurants are conscientious and the price of ingredients are more important. I also eat at those places because the food tastes good.

In response to your comment, you’re right, we should know about what goes into our body. I do try to educate myself and I fully admit that there are many decisions I make about what goes into my mouth that aren’t the absolute purest.

Evan- I can see Tender Greens being a frequent stop for us, there are a few places in that area that have some good patios.

I’d echo what Jess said about dangerous places. My wife and I both love Gyu-Kaku, the grill-it-yourself Japanese place, but there’s no way we’d take our little girl to a place that has a flaming grill right in the middle of the table!

I’d say post-baby, think of places that have outdoor dining–usually more receptive to diners with babies. Or nice places that are not so formal–Tender Greens is good in that respect.

After the initial shock of having a newborn wears off, you’ll be able to go out again for a little while, before bedtimes and routines become more set. We took advantage while our little one was portable.

Also, anything that’s dangerous is good to do now. Korean BBQ, really hot soups, and cauldrons of boiling tofu aren’t easy to eat when you’re holding a wiggly one. I’m going to Santouka next week, but it might be a complete disaster.

I would like to suggest the Brentwood - great hamburgers, and definitely NOT kid friendly.

Keep us posted on everything!