la.foodblogging

Part I and Part II of the Pre-Infant Dining report covered a range of spots. This report concentrates on some of the more casual spots we hit Pre-Infant. We are more likely to hit these spots with the baby, for comfort and budget reasons.

Asahi Ramen
I like the curry ramen, she likes the wonton ramen. For about $20, the both of us can leave satisfied. The space is tight, but I think that we can bring an infant or baby here for sure. It’s an easy exit if he gets whiny, plus - what kid doesn’t like noodles? (hopefully ours likes them)

Chabuya Ramen
A bit more expensive than Asahi Ramen, but offering a little bit higher quality ramen and broth, Chabuya is sort of a “grown up” ramen restaurant. Chabuya satisfied some salty cravings during pregnancy, I’m not sure how kid friendly it is though. One tip, the Chabuya green salad is about the best house salad in town. Filled with fresh greens and topped with some blanched veggies like asparagus, and accompanied by perfect ginger dressing. I can’t remember the exact price, but I think that it’s under $4.

California Chicken Cafe
I like California Chicken Cafe for the sides. the chicken is certainly good, and I loooove rotisserie chicken in almost any form. We stopped here when it was a little but cooler and I enjoyed their soup with my dinner. Odds that we will come here with the infant? Almost guranteed for the simple fact that it is a couple doors down from the Pump Station.

Zankou Chicken
Zankou also fulfilled some cravings, specifically for the garlic sauce. We actually went here less than I would have guessed during the pregnancy. I predict that I will be stopping to pick up Zankou to go more than dining in the restaurant. The restaurant is plenty kid friendly though and I assume that hummous can be used as baby food? Garlic sauce, however, may result in terrible diaper blowouts (but will they smell like garlic?)

Bergamot Cafe
The Bergamot Station Cafe is a great option for lunch on a nice day. The expansive patio and comforting food will provide a santuary for us. Plus, we can walk around the galleries and stores in Bergamot Station to provide the little one some visual stimulus. We actually didn’t make it to Bergamot Cafe together during the pregnancy, but I did go solo and had a nice lunch with my mom there.

Third and Fairfax Farmer’s Market
Some of the spots we hit during pregnancy: Loteria Grill, Moishes, The Banana Leaf, Gumbo Pot, and Bennett’s Bennett’s Bennett’s! This place is a slam dunk with kids. Plenty of room, good food at reasonable prices, a fun atmosphere (ok, a little touristy, but that’s alright). Danger factors are the stores at the Grove, including Pottery Barn Kids and The Children’s Place.

Costco
Yes, we eat Costco hot dogs. get over it.

Veggie Grill
The closest location for most of you will be across from the (massive) Whole Foods in El Segundo. It’s almost worth a special trip to eat here. Veggie Grill serves faux meat meals (tempeh, soy, tofu, etc) which are incredibly flavorful and filling. The buns on their burgers are some of the best wheat buns I have had. Also, try the sweet potato fries some time. I’m not sure that we will make a trip down there to eat, but if we’re in the area, it’s definitely a place you can eat with kids.

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.