Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in san francisco, CA

Cha Cha Cha: Not Your Ordinary Kid-Friendly Restaurant

by Michael Rohde

June 02, 2009

There are some restaurants you know are going to be kid-friendly just by walking into the joint. The hostess brings over paper and crayons and asks if the kids want milk. Then, there are the obviously not-so-kid-friendly restaurants where the hostess runs screaming when she sees the double stroller coming through the front door. And then there are the places that surprise you.

We took the kids over to the big, giant, and one of the best playgrounds in the city on Sunday in Golden Gate Park. The kids love the carousel, digging in the sand, having a snack in the play house, climbing the ladders on the jungle gym, and doing what two-year olds do best: running and playing.

It got to be lunch time, and since we had the stroller with us, we decided to walk over to Dad’s old stomping grounds: The Haight-Ashbury. When our toddlers were babies, we used to take them to Squat & Gobble all the time for breakfast. They would sit in their carriers and Mom and Dad would feast. If you hit the Haight before 9am, you basically have the neighborhood to yourself save for a few random, early-bird tourists. The Haight really doesn’t wake up until after 11am, so parking was never an issue.

We kind of stopped visiting the Haight after the kids got a little older and would start pointing at people and saying, “What doing?” That’s the kind of question you don’t want to answer about the disaffected youth who inhabit Haight Street. Still, the spirit and vitality of the Haight lingers in Dad’s blood, and every once in awhile we head over there. The district does have some pretty cool clothing stores and some are geared towards kids. That’s where we got Max’s Bruce Lee onesie, and of course, both kids got their first tie-dyes from the Haight.

So, like I was saying, it was lunch time and we were a five-minute walk from the Haight, so we headed over. As we were walking, I started thinking about Cha Cha Cha. They are probably best known for their party-like atmosphere, shoulder-to-shoulder bar scene, and pitchers of sangria. It doesn’t hurt that the food is consistently good. They are also well known for an hour-long wait for a table. I told my wife, let’s just check it out, if they are busy, we can get a burrito across the street.

We walked in and were immediately sat at a large, oversized booth. A few other tables were filled, but it was pretty quiet. I was a little hesitant as to how the staff was going to treat us. My hesitancy was quickly dismissed as we were greeted with large smiles, a waiter immediately took our double stroller and stashed it out of the way, and the hostess sat us with warm greetings. Max wanted to see what was going on in the open kitchen. As I held him up so he could see, I felt like we were in the way a little bit, but if it bothered the staff, they certainly didn’t show it. They were happy to show how they prepared the meals. Of course, Julia also wanted a turn to see what was going on, so I held her up for awhile.

We ordered a chicken quesadilla, which was served as shredded chicken instead of chunks of chicken breast. I think that was a new item on the menu, and I was very pleased with it. We also ordered some Cha Cha Cha standards like the potatoes and the fried plantains. Unfortunately, the big hit at the table for Max and Julia was the ice in the water glasses, but they did eat a few bites of potato, chicken, and bread. We really thought they would dig the fried plantains. I remember that as a sweet, dessert-type dish, but it wasn’t as sweet as memory served. Julia wouldn’t look at it let alone try it and Max spit his out after making some faces I’ve never seen before (frankly, I didn’t know he was capable of making such faces…).

Per Cha Cha Cha norm, the music was bumping and Jimmy Cliff was pouring through the speakers. Both kids stood up and grooved on down. It was a regular party and good times were had by all. By the time we left, closer to 1pm, the place started to fill up; so we figured we made good timing. Our lunch bill was only $25, which we figured was pretty good for the four of us. I’d recommend it as a kid-friendly restaurant for early weekend lunches. It’s a gem.

Toy Boat

by Michael Rohde

April 28, 2009

There are many places in the city where you can go for ice cream. But I only know of one place where you can go for ice cream or cake and ride on a galloping horse while taking in the nostalgic toys that hang on the wall. Welcome to Toy Boat, your friendly neighborhood dessert place (they have sandwiches and coffee too)!

Located in the Inner Richmond at 401 Clement, it's within walking distance from such popular places as Burma Superstar and the kid-friendly Giorgio's. They are also within walking distance from one of our favorite BBQ joints (Roadside BBQ over on Geary). Clement Street offers a little bit of everything from a wide range of restaurants, stores, bars, and people watching; but Toy Boat takes the cake when it comes to dessert (pun intended).

My personal favorite ice cream is It's a Goody. It's a mixture of vanilla ice cream with swirls of peanut butter and chocolate chunks. Max (my son) likes it so much that I'm considering getting him his own scoop next time we go. Julia (my daughter) also enjoys a bite of ice cream, but she prefers her own, and will only take an occasional bite from someone else. So, instead of sharing our ice cream cones with her, she shares a slice of marble cake with her brother. Of course, we have to split the cake before we put it down in front of them so they have their own piece.

While eating your dessert, you can sit outside on the benches and take in some people watching, or you can grab a booth or table inside and take in the classic toys and books they have on display. I've spotted numerous rare Pez Candy dispensers, not to mention a Pee Wee Herman doll. It's a little funny that amongst the retro toys is a copy of Scuffy the Tugboat. The only reason I find it funny is because the same book is in the waiting room at one of the offices I frequent. To some, it's retro art; to others, it's still a good book to read. I guess the good toys never really go out of fashion.

Who Makes the Best Pizza: New Yorkers, Goats, or Surfers?

by Michael Rohde

April 14, 2009

We've lived in San Francisco for awhile now and we like to think we've tried the who's-who of pizza in this town. From the Haight-Ashbury to Cow Hollow to the Inner Richmond out to the Sunset and back to Potrero Hill: we've gone there and back again in search of the best San Francisco pizza.

For a long time, Amici's was our favorite. In particular, a large Amici's Combo with a spinach salad was our standing order on Friday nights. And then we had kids. At that point we could no longer afford dropping over $50 for a pizza dinner. So we bid farewell to Amici's New York-style pizza.

We then tried some different places, like Pizza Orgasmica and Gaspare's, both are good but do not rank among the greats. Then came along the Pizza Place on Noriega and we were instantly hooked. The staff is kid-friendly (my daughter has taken a liking to the waiter who is usually there early Friday evening—she blushes when we ask if her friend will be there). If the other diners don't have their own kids, then they usually have a smile and a wave to our kids. And the atmosphere really can't be beat. How can you argue with a place that has a car on the wall with rotating pizza-wheels? And then there's the food. We order the antipasto plate for the kids. They gobble up the fresh ham, cheese, and bread. I eat the peppers and coppacola while Mom joins in with the olives. It's a pretty full plate. We also recently discovered the sweet potato French fries. These things are unbelievable and they come with dipping sauce: either a creamy vegetable dip or a Tabasco hot sauce normally used on wings. I understand you can also request a blue cheese dip, we forgot to ask for it, but we won't next time. And then there's the pizza. We order it by the slice, which is plenty of pizza. The toppings are top quality, the cheese is creamy, and the crust is baked just right. My favorite is the Dmitri, which is sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, garlic, tomato sauce, and cheese. Mom likes the Besto, which has pesto and slices of potato. All if it is delicious and all of it super affordable. It’s our favorite.

And then came along Goat Hill Pizza. We kept hearing about this place over and over so we had to check it out. They offer an all-you-can-eat pizza night on Mondays complete with salad bar. This isn't your typical pizza buffet, instead, the servers walk around every few minutes with a different type of pizza. The offerings range from a basic pepperoni to more gourmet selections like ground chicken, scallions, and spinach. The pizza has a cornmeal crust, the cheese and toppings are top quality, and your plate is never empty as the servers are prompt with reloading your plate. We arrived right at 5PM and the place was already filling up. By the time we left, every table was filled and there was a wait. It's obviously a popular place.

When my wife asked me if I'd go back to Goat Hill Pizza, I had to pause and think about it. While the allure of all-you-can-eat pizza is very tempting, the fact of the matter is that I really don't need to eat that much food anymore. And plus, the kids have grown attached to the Pizza Place on Noriega. So, we might take the kids' Uncle over to Goat Hill one day when we're in the mood for gorging, but I think we'll stick to the surfers for our Friday night pizza outing.

Train Whistles and BBQ

by Michael Rohde

March 31, 2009

Now that March is all but over, and I don't think kids eat free at Asqew anymore, what's another great kid-friendly BBQ joint? We have several defining criteria as to what makes a great kid-friendly restaurant. First, the staff has to like kids. There are some restaurants we walk into and I swear the hostess takes one look at us and our double-stroller and the smile instantly melts away. It's either that, or the servers who were milling around the hostess stand get a look of fear and loathing in their faces. We don't go to those places anymore… We like a wait staff who is willing to fill our sippy cups in the kitchen so that the kids never see a glass of milk. If our kids see a glass of milk it's all over, they refuse to drink out of the sippy cups, and next thing you know we have two milk-soaked kids (we are still learning how to drink from a glass). And yes, we have met many waitresses who are more than happy to accommodate us. My guess is that they have kids themselves.

The second defining criterion is that the restaurant should serve one of the following: grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, and slices of fruits and vegetables. Aww, who am I kidding? If the restaurant has French fries and ketchup we're happy. It's guaranteed the kids will snarf down French fries and there is nothing more fun than eating plain ketchup; either off the fingers or licking it off the French fry. Our kids don't have an ounce of fat on them, so we're not too worried about the French fry consumption, besides we only take them out to eat every couple of weeks anyway.

The third item is the other patrons in the restaurant. There is nothing worse than having several neighboring diners stare you down while you're wrestling with your kid to stay in their seat, or to stop fighting with their sibling, or stop pouring salt and pepper all over the table, or to stop crawling under the table, or to stop…well…to just stop being two-years old for an hour while we attempt a meal. Like I said, we don't go out too often…

The fourth and final defining criterion that makes for a great kid-friendly restaurant is a place that has something to entertain the kids while we wait for the food. Yes, crayons and placemats are standard fare, but when there's a train whistle that you can blow, well, that's just the best!

Roadside BBQ, located on Geary Blvd and 2nd Avenue has it all. They have great food, including ribs and macaroni and cheese for the kids, and the corn bread is not to be missed. My particular favorite is the pulled-pork BBQ sandwich and my wife enjoys the beef-brisket sandwich. The staff is awesome, they have a train whistle that makes the kids smile every time they pull the handle, and for the most part, the other patrons seem to tolerate our rowdy family.

Kids Eat Free

by Michael Rohde

March 16, 2009

I stop and take notice when I see a sign that reads, kids eat free. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a cheapskate. I've enjoyed culinary experiences at Gary Danko. I fully recognize what Nancy Oaks is doing at Boulevard. I've lunched at the Salt House (and gained a better appreciation for salt). Most recently, I took my wife to Garibaldi's for Valentine's.

We were walking through Laurel Village when I saw those three little words that I value so highly. While passing by Asqew, I read the sidewalk chalkboard and there it was, "kids eat free." It was like reading poetry. I immediately thought to myself, Dad is eating ribs, soon, very soon.

A couple evenings later we found ourselves back at Asqew. We ordered grilled, breaded chicken nuggets for the girl and ribs for the boy. Mom got a tuna skewer salad and I got the half rack. It was good. It was real good. I forgot how well Asqew does ribs.

The promotion runs through March. You can get one free kids meal per each accompanying adult. Asqew has locations throughout the city, including Laurel Village, Haight Street, the Castro, downtown, and there's one next door to Barneys in the Marina.

Mmm, burgers, did I tell you about the time we saw Joan Rivers at Barneys? That story can wait for another post...

Chopsticks in my Day Bag

by Graham Charles

January 12, 2009

Among the less typical but nonetheless essential components of my diaper bag (it retains that name despite the absence of diapers) is this: training chopstick holders. Fern loves Asian food, and since we live in a town enriched mightily by cultures that arrived from the other side of the Pacific rim, we have no shortage of options. We drop by our favorite -- Xiao Loong on West Portal -- at  Read more...

Museumette: Crissy Field Center -- Or, "Wilderness Survival for Toddlers"

by Graham Charles

December 11, 2008

In another of my series of visits to San Francisco's tiny but kid-friendly museums, today we drop by the Crissy Field Center down on the bayshore road on the Presidio's edge. It's the National Park Service interpretive center, and you can visit any day -- there's a little cafe and a couple of exhibits -- but the way to really get involved is to go to one of the center's frequent kid-oriented  Read more...

99 Things to Do In San Francisco Before Kindergarten, Part 4: Food!

by Graham Charles

November 03, 2008

San Francisco is a foodie town, so it makes sense that we should spend the first few years of our kids' lives indoctrinating them into our ways. For this installment of the San Francisco "top 99," I'm going to focus on some food experiences you should try to have with your preschool kids. I'm leaving out a thousand restaurants, of course -- feel free to school me down in the comments! 31.  Read more...

Sweet Ways to Start the Preschool Year

by Graham Charles

September 02, 2008

Ah, your 3-year old is off to preschool for the first time! Or maybe your 5-year old has hit the kindergarten set, or your older kids have moved up a grade. The transition from summer freedom to a school regime can be sticky even for those kids who love school, so why not ease the shock with a sweet, ice-creamy celebration? Kids making it through their first days in a school setting  Read more...