la.foodblogging

Continuing on the previous report on our Pre-Infant dining tour, here is Part II.

Sushi Karen
Yes, we did go to sushi during the pregnancy, although my wife stuck with mostly cooked stuff like the tempura rolls and some eel. I can say with 110% certainty that we will be going to Sushi Karen post-infant. In fact, my wife may divert our trip home from the hospital to go get some salmon there. Not only is Sushi Karen family friendly, but I believe that the owner, Toshi, has a couple of his daughter Karen’s old high chairs for people to use. These aren’t restaurant style wood or metal contraptions, they are fully pad home high chairs.

Previous Sushi Karen write ups here and here.

Baby Blues BBQ
Great pregnancy food, or anytime food that you need a meat boost in your life. I assume that when the baby gets here, we might have him try out their mashed sweet potatoes once he’s branching out from the breast milk. Baby Blues BBQ is pretty loud, which may comfort the baby or freak him out.

Previous Baby Blues BBQ write ups here and here.

3 Square
3 Square was a nice place to have a pre-infant meal. It’s pretty quite and the food is generally pretty heavy, but also very flavorful. They have revamped their menu a bit to include more vegetables, the first time we went was a bit overwhelming with the lack of greens on the plate. Also, one quick design note, replace the orange overhead lights with white lights. It’s not flattering to see everything on your plate look orange — orange pasta, orange tuna, orange potatoes, orange carrot soup (well, I guess that one is ok).

I would probably go back to 3 Square for brunch with the baby, but dinner is nice to enjoy without distraction and there isn’t a whole lot of room for baby accessories. Previous 3 Square address here.

John O’Groats
We had breakfast here just this past weekend. Still as good as ever with the Eggs Benedict over artichoke bottoms. Most breakfast spots are kid friendly, John O’Groats fits the bill and also has good room between the tables. If we do go here with the baby, it’s imperative to get here before 9:30 or risk waiting a long time for a table.

Minotaure
We should get double points for pre-infant dining here, since we went with another pregnant couple. Minotaure serves tasty tapas in an intimate setting, accompanied by live Spanish music. Minotaure is a spot to enjoy wine and sangria, I’m going to classify the space as not kid friendly. I’m sure that the friendly owner would accommodate babies, but this is another date night type place, particularly with friends.

Jinky’s
Another breakfast spot, already on heavy rotation. Like John O’Groats, very accommodating for families. Also, a place that can have a bit of a wait and not a very good waiting area, so going with a baby will require planning or preparation to stand around.

Odds that we will go with the baby? Nearly 100%.

Mao’s Kitchen
Mao’s Kitchen was a great spot to hit up to satisfy pregnancy cravings for wonton soup and tasty Chinese food. Space is pretty tight, so although I’m sure that we could bring an infant in, it is probably more comfortable to go without a baby. This can be a reasonably priced escape for dinner, or even for take out.

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.