Date night is so crucial for parents. It's time for parents to not (always) talk about the kids, focus on their own relationship and enjoy one another. It's also an opportunity for parents to enjoy some of those pre-baby-life luxuries, such as dining out somewhere not-so-child-friendly and enjoying a meal at their own pace.
The husband and I had date night this past Saturday night. We decided to have dinner Landmarc in TriBeCa, one of my favorite family-friendly neighborhoods in NYC. The husband had eaten there before and described how delicious some of their dishes were-- some of which I hadn't enjoyed since our last trip to Paris in 2010! So, I was pretty stoked to enjoy my adult-evening out where I could sip on wine and enjoy a gastronomical adventure. To my pleasant surprise, the place turned out to be incredibly child-friendly, already serving a handful of families with (very well-behaved) small children by the time we arrived.
Husband says:
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that the chef has children of his own, so he's made it a point to make the restaurant child-friendly and even has a special children's menu that offers quality and healthy food choices for children.
Um, what? That is awesome. What a difference this place was from last week's restaurant adventure (
read about it on last week's blog post here).
So, I decided to do my own brief restaurant review on this child-(and date-night)-friendly joint for this week's post. Enjoy!
179 West Broadway, NYC (TriBeCa)
Background:
Opened in 2004 by head Chef Marc Murphy, Landmarc is a French-bistro-inspired restaurant with 2 locations-- TriBeCa and at the Time Warner Center.
Ambience:
With exposed brick walls, tasteful garden lights (yes, it can be done tastefully!), a few steel ducts, and iron rods shooting up all the way to the 2nd floor, this place has a warm and rustic charm with homage to its industrial-feel neighborhood. It's a pretty adult-ambience for a restaurant that's so child-friendly. We had dinner at around 6:30pm, which I guess is relatively early for New Yorkers. We sat on the 2nd floor-- it was quiet and laid-back (even with families and children present) where the husband and I could enjoy a conversation and the view of West Broadway.
Service:
Excellent and friendly service. They don't sell wine by the glass-- only by half bottles, but you can get sparkling wine by split bottle.
Food:
So solid. We ordered the following:
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Roasted Marrow Bones with onion marmalade & grilled country bread: I liked how they served the sea salt on the side so you can season your own marrow. I can also eat their onion marmalade by the spoonfuls.
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Red & Yellow Beets with arugula, walnuts & goat cheese: Classic, clean and super-creamy goat cheese.
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Caramelized Sweetbreads with pea puree, fava beans & leeks: The caramelization on the sweetbreads actually made it taste...sweet! (Sweetbreads: thymus gland of a calf/lamb/pig and nothing to do with "sweet" nor "bread"). The vibrant, green pea/fave bean/leek puree was one of my favorite parts of the meal-- complimented the sweet-sweetbreads so perfectly.
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Steak Tartare with field greens & grilled country bread: Perfect blend of dijon, capers, and onion bursting with every bite!
The children's menu conveniently comes with a a cartoony-Chef Marc on the back for kids to color in. It has all of the usuals: pizza, chicken fingers, burger, mac and cheese, fish sticks, etc. So what, big deal, right? They offer a special children's menu with items that are in accordance with
MyPlate, the USDA's new dietary guidelines to help guests make better food choices for their children. These items are $12 each and are all served with sliced apples & bananas:
- Green Eggs & Ham with spinach & basil pesto and cheesey whole wheat toast
- Lemon & Herb Roasted Chicken Legs with steamed broccoli, brown rice & yogurt dipping sauce
- Whole Wheat Quesadilla with chicken, cheese & vegetables
- Sliced Skirt Steak with steamed broccoli & cheesey brown rice
Can't wait to take Logan here when he's a bit older! Yeah, I'll order him a MyPlate-friendly entree, but I also can't wait to introduce him to delicious caramelized thymus glands, creamy duck liver and gelatinous bone marrow, mmmm! What kid wouldn't want that?? ;)
does he think i'm giving him a puff and so he almost always opens his mouth? sometimes i use the puffs to get him to open his mouth and then stuff his mouth with a spoonful of veggies. he does get annoyed with me at times, but i always give him a puff after he takes a bite!
at daycare, they say he eats really well with the spoon. i don't give them any fingers foods yet for miles-- just yogurt, puree fruits and veggies, and rice cereal. but at home, i guess because i give him a mix of finger foods and purees, he prefers finger foods. he will almost ALWAYS open his mouth when i give him something from my fingers as oppose to a spoon. 
