Hey man, you like MY toddler, right? hahaha

Moms and dads do need to eat. And we need to eat at places other than Chilis and Chuck E Cheese. And even though we’re able to keep Mini Gluttony well behaved and in check most of the time by going early, making sure it’s food he’ll like, etc., we still manage to get the “ugggh-children” stink eye from other restaurant goers. People won’t and will never get it until they have children of their own.

That being said, I would rather get the runs than bring my kid to certain restaurants. (Which is why you guys always see me flying solo) It seems the Tar Pit would be one of those kinds of places. It’s just plain common sense.
.-= Daily Gluttony´s last blog ..Osteria Mamma: Love To My Mama and My Mamma (Mini Gluttony’s Very First Blog Post!) =-.

Tony – I have 3 girls that will beat you up, or win your heart. Dare them. =)

totally agree with DG’s comments above.

I’ve had some of the apps at Tar Pit (though not the mac and cheese in question), they were pretty good and not nearly as bad as the critiques I’ve read on LAist and elsewhere. Likewise the service has been fine in my experience, both at the bar and with the servers. That said, the pans have been very consistent from the get go, yet Peel hasn’t made any adjustments.

This whole thing wouldn’t have blown up the way it did if the Peels didn’t go after Lindsey, who (despite the Peels’ many posts to the contrary) never “attacked” their children. Not sure if Mrs. Peel is regretting her initial rant, but for whatever reason she’s deleted her post. She may have been surprised that the comments on her blog weren’t all in her favor.

CNN had a piece on this subject a few months ago: http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/02/brooklyn.babies.in.bars/index.html

I have many, many thoughts on this topic, which I’ll be able to share better on my soon-to-launch kids + restaurant blog. Personally, I wouldn’t bring my kids to a grown up vibe place like the Tar Pit. However, we’ve brought kids to Campanile many times, mostly during the day, and appreciate how welcoming Mark Peel has been to us.

Yet like most touchy subjects involving public courtesy and respect, it all comes down to common sense, however one may describe that term.
.-= Jessica´s last blog ..When the Best Canned Food Meets the Freshest Produce =-.

How is this all reduced to Lindsay and the LAist post? Did everyone somehow miss there was another post based on the same experience of similar tone over at Squid Ink? (http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/happy-hours/happy-hour-the-tar-pit-in-mid-/) Seems obvious it was a lousy night across the board and the Peel’s (mis)handling of the situation just made it all the worse. The only personal cheap shots here are posts like Mrs Peel’s and this.

I agree that The Tar Pit is not a place for kids, but why not just say you don’t like the food? Everybody knows the food at The Tar Pit is not up-to-snuff — well, at least it’s not at the level of the food at Campanile. People go to The Tar Pit for drinks. Say that, and leave the kids out of it. Mentioning your irritation about the presence of the chef’s children was simply unnecessary, and I am someone who HATES it when kids are being noisy at a place they shouldn’t be. Criticizing the food should’ve been enough.
.-= weezermonkey´s last blog ..Quick and Quite Good: Quan Hy =-.

PS I’m not opposed to kids in restaurants or restaurant/bars. It all depends on the place and the kid. I recently got together with a friend who has a 14 year old son. We picked an outdoor spot in a family friendly neighborhood. And I knew from past experience, it was more of a restaurant environment than bar and kids were welcome. I’ve seen younger kids there too, so I know that’s a place for my younger cousins, etc. And the place isn’t a chain.

Brodgon’s deleted post included details of how she had to admonish her daughter from standing on the chair several times and how she & her husband took turns walking her fussy son around the room. I wonder exactly how many times and in what volume she admonished her daughter. And how many turns around the room before she took her fussy son home? And it mentions she was stressed & sleep deprived from taking care of her son who had been sick. She may have been raising her voice without realizing it.

Most patrons aren’t going to start getting annoyed if it’s one quick disruption. But if it’s prolonged, that’s another story. And it’s not just those of us without kids who may feel this is a disruption. Though I don’t want kids myself, I don’t mind spending time with them and have even babysat for friends and family who needed a date night out. It’s hard for them to line up sitters and if it’s not a friend or relative like me watching the little ones, it’s an added expense to pay the sitter. I know couples who’ve planned for a date night out only to have it disrupted by parents who haven’t really given thought to whether their kids can handle the behavior necessary for the environment.

And no, I don’t think kids should only dine at chain restaurants. There are casual, neighborhood places, at least where I live, that they can take them to. I would suggest saving the fine dining for when they’re old enough to sit still for a dinner and not yell out/scream. Part of the experience people are paying for at a high end or upscale place is the ambience.

Also, the deleted post mentioned she called a sitter because she really wanted to have a drink to unwind. An older child from Peel’s first marriage chose to stay home and study with the sitter. Presumably he was getting fed, whether it was take out or he and/or the sitter were cooking food. Why not leave the younger 2 with the sitter? I think it would have been far more relaxing for her to have a nice quiet drink/bite to eat at the bar without having to worry about the kids & their behavior. As it was, she had to interrupt her dinner constantly to correct the kids behavior and even had to leave and come back at one point.

I think it’s part of the “parenting as one’s calling” kind of idea which tries to make parents feel guilty if they’re not bringing kids everywhere which is part of the problem. And the burden of it tends to fall on mothers since they tend to do most of the childcare. There’s nothing wrong with getting a sitter and taking a break. Parenting is tough. And yes, if you’re lucky enough to have volunteers to do it and/or pay someone you trust to do it, then by all means, have a nice dinner out with just the 2 of you. You’ll enjoy it.

@nokids4me as stated, I adore kids and spend LOTS of time with them. Discussing this with my husband (who as a small business owner initially sided with the Peels) yesterday I pointed out that there are several places of similar elegance and perhaps better food quality that would be more welcoming to kids on a Sunday: Tavern (always see kids in the dining room on Sundays), Sunday Suppers at Lucques, Village Idiot, Luna Park, Bottega Louie, Pizzeria Mozza…I am sad about the food. I know someone who cooked there briefly and said the food was not up to snuff.

I agree with everything the very articulate and reasonable MetaMommy wrote in her comment. Well-said and right on the money.

Tony, you had it right on the money when you said “Don’t F with Mommy Bloggers.”

I think Lindsay had every right to slam the food if she didn’t like it. But I knew the mommy claws were coming out after she wrote:

“the next-worse thing is eating…badly done happy hour bar food in an elegant place when the Chef and co-owner lets his children run around the place hollering.”

Even my unmarried, childless self cringed.

Whatever civil debate she wanted to start on children in bars/lounges/restaurants ended with that sentence. I tend to favor her view of keeping kiddies out of grown-up places, but I wouldn’t call it the “next worse thing” if I ever encountered children at a place like Tar Pit.

I’m just glad Daphne took down the post and her insults on Facebook. It was all getting out of hand.
.-= Nancy´s last blog ..Another WTF moment: Bros Icing Bros =-.

hay nice animation .

Party
Baus Orlando