Adventure, baby!

Chelsea

These Boots Are Made For Running: The High Line With Stride Rite + Giveaway

#StrideRite Medallion review and #giveaway via brunchwithmybaby.com

Cheese is one active kid. She loves to run, jump and climb, and her favourite thing in the world is a playground. Because she’s so active, I’m really picky when it comes to choosing her shoes. I tend to go for practical first, and then style, because I want quality shoes that will fit her feet properly as they’re growing, and support her little feet in their athletic endeavours. Because of this, Stride Rite remains one of my top brands when buying shoes. They’re designed with the utmost care to fit tiny feet properly. They’re durable, made from top materials, and rigorously tested to ensure a high quality shoe.
#StrideRite Medallion review and #giveaway via brunchwithmybaby.com

This winter, I wanted a good pair of boots for Cheese, that would keep her feet warm and enable her to keep playing and running outside without hinderance. The Stride Rite Medallion Collection Roslin is the perfect boot for my busy little Cheese.

#StrideRite Medallion review and #giveaway via brunchwithmybaby.com

We took Cheese and her new boots for a spin on the High Line. The boots are great for an active toddler. Padded for comfort, strong but comfortable leather for long-term wear, and easy to get on and off. These boots are made for running, not walking! They get the Cheese’s tick of approval (ie she didn’t whine and yell “off, off!!”).

#StrideRite Medallion review and #giveaway via brunchwithmybaby.com

 

The High Line is a favourite place of ours to let the Cheese run wild. It’s pretty contained and in a long, straight line, so we can let her loose without worrying about her running into traffic or hurting herself in general. It’s lined with plants as well, which change during the seasons and provide Cheese with amazing leaves and flowers to discover on her eye level, that she can actually touch (we’re looking at you here, Brooklyn Botanic Gardens …). She really enjoyed the different levels on the High Line, with ramps, steps and viewing platforms, and loves peeking over the edge at the buildings, people and fire trucks down below.

#StrideRite Medallion review and #giveaway via brunchwithmybaby.com

There are actually multiple sections to the High Line, but we generally just enter it randomly when we get the urge (“Hey, there’s the High Line, let’s go up!”), and exit when we realise we’re kinda hungry/cold/tired/cranky (this may or may not be the toddler). That’s the best thing about it — it’s like a get-on-get-off bus ride through Chelsea, perfect for entertaining a crazy active toddler as well as yourself.

GIVEAWAY!
The generous people at Stride Rite are offering one lucky Brunch With My Baby reader the chance to win their own pair of Stride Rite shoes of their choice.

Giveaway open from Nov 20th 2013 to 11:59pm EST Tues 26th, 2013.

Open to US mailing addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Willow Road: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Chelsea, New York

Willow Road, kid-friendly restaurants, Chelsea, New York, via brunchwithmybaby.com

One of our favourite areas of the city is in Chelsea right under the High Line, with Chelsea Markets, the Hudson River Park and Chelsea Piers all a short stroll away. A new eatery to this prime strip of real estate is Willow Road, a New American restaurant and bar offering twists on classic dishes and an extensive cocktail menu (try the Hair of the Dog pick, the Willow Fresca—sparkling wine, fords gin, fresh lemon, peach tincture$14, for a refreshing zing to wake you right up).

Willow Road, kid-friendly restaurants, Chelsea, New York, via brunchwithmybaby.com

Thanks to the not so reliable service on the subway, we arrived late and somewhat dishevelled. The hostess couldn’t have been friendlier or more charming, letting us sit at the table while we waited for everyone else to arrive. No highchairs, so we sat in a corner booth-type area, and squished the Cheese between us to stop her from escaping. The vibe was a bit party-like, which was surprising for a brunch crowd. A hen’s party wearing candy pink cowboy hats took up one large table (and were amazingly mellow), while upbeat tunes played over the speakers.

Willow Road, kid-friendly restaurants, Chelsea, New York, via brunchwithmybaby.com
Bread basket, $10

We ordered the bread basket to keep Cheese entertained while we waited for everyone to arrive and order—it came literally in a casserole dish, possibly the most bread I’ve even see dished up on a plate. It was fresh and warm, but with no butter, spreads or oil. Upon request we were given a dish of whipped butter, which complemented the bread to perfection.

Willow Road, kid-friendly restaurants, Chelsea, New York, via brunchwithmybaby.com
Cheese chilling with Dad for a very brief few minutes.

It seems like Cheese has reached a certain difficult age where dining out is similar to our first few months with her as newborn. As in, one of us would eat while the other walked around rocking the baby. Now, instead of being rocked, our chaos-loving toddler, who refuses to sit still for a minute, needs to be escorted around by one parent, while the other gets a few minutes to shovel in her food. We’d been warned to expect this at her age (22 months), so it’s not a big surprise. It does, however, mean our restaurant choices for the next few months will be a lot less of the sit-down variety, and more of the grab-and-go kind.

Willow Road, kid-friendly restaurants, Chelsea, New York, via brunchwithmybaby.com
Crispy Black Kale with pecorino, chile, and garlic

We had a few friends with us, so we ordered a good variety of brunch food, including the Crispy Black Kale (with pecorino, chile and garlic), Cast Iron Baked Eggs (with chorizo, charred scallion, parmesan cream, $16), Slow-Cooked Eggs (with steel cut oats, smoked bacon and maple hollandaise, $15), Egg White Omelette (with spring vegetables and charred tomato sauce, $14), Charred Bean Salad (with mustard seed, pepita and smoked paprika, $14) and the star dish of the day, the Brioche French Toast (with banana-apple caramel and whipped sour cream, $15).

Willow Road, kid-friendly restaurants, Chelsea, New York, via brunchwithmybaby.com
Cast Iron Baked Eggs: chorizo, charred scallion, parmesan cream, $16
Willow Road, kid-friendly restaurants, Chelsea, New York, via brunchwithmybaby.com
Slow-Cooked Eggs steel cut oats, (minus the smoked bacon), maple hollandaise, $15
Willow Road, kid-friendly restaurants, Chelsea, New York, via brunchwithmybaby.com
Egg White Omelette: spring vegetables, charred tomato sauce, $14
Willow Road, kid-friendly restaurants, Chelsea, New York, via brunchwithmybaby.com
Charred Bean Salad: mustard seed, pepitas, smoked paprika, $14

The Charred Bean Salad was the dish of choice for our gluten-and dairy-intolerant friend. It was also perfect for both of the vegetarians at the table. A great mix of flavours and textures with perfectly grilled beans and seeds, and a zing of paprika.

Willow Road, kid-friendly restaurants, Chelsea, New York, via brunchwithmybaby.com
Brioche French Toast: banana-apple caramel, whipped sour cream, $15

My Brioche French Toast was lusted after by everyone except the toddler who just wanted to eat pieces of ice from the water chiller. It was everything French toast should be—light, fluffy, sweet, and covered in a delicious apricot and caramel fruit compote, with a dash of whipped sour cream. It. was. amazing. I may have shared it around to stop all the hungry faces from staring at me.

While Willow Road had none of the usual baby-friendly paraphernalia, what they did have was extremely friendly and accommodating staff. Miss Cheese was at her wriggliest (walk! walk! down! down!) and spent the entire time running around the restaurant (yes, we were THOSE people) and up and down the ramp and stairs out the front. The hostess and other staff we ran (literally) into during these strolls could not have been more understanding and kind, making it super kid-friendly even without highchairs and change tables.

Last bite: A great option for brunch with friends or a date night in Chelsea. Bring the kids for a fun meal, with super friendly and accommodating staff. Order the Brioche French Toast and a Hair of the Dog, and enjoy a relaxed outing.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: Minimal – bring a fold-up stroller or carrier.
Easy access: No. There are a few steps to get in after the ramp at the entrance.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Willow Road
85 10th Ave (between 15th St. & 16th St.)
New York, 10011
Phone: (646) 484 6566
Prices: $$$
Hours: Brunch: Sat-Sun 11am-3pm Lunch: Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm Dinner: Mon-Sun 5:30pm-3am
Reservations

The Grey Dog Chelsea; Kid-friendly Restaurants, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York

After a failed attempt to visit the new Meatball Shop in Chelsea (it wasn’t open despite the website saying it was, so I’m still not sure what happened there), we were left with a group of four adults and one kidlet for lunch at prime time in Chelsea. Not a positive start to the afternoon. Lucky, our friend suggested a local fave of his, The Grey Dog, and, best of all, they had a table free so we could sit down straight away.

On its website, The Grey Dog calls itself the “best cafe in New York”. This is a HUGE call to make, people. Huge. I have to admit though, that it’s right up there – we had a really great experience at this cafe.

When you enter, the waitstaff will show you your table – but you order and pay at the bar. This is a little disorganised when the cafe’s full – or when, like us, you’re juggling a whingy toddler. On the plus side, it allows for a very fast getaway after your meal.

Grey Dog on a grey old day.
Cute interior.
Delicious lunch. Mozzarella, tomato and basil pesto sandwich, potato, leek and broccoli soup, sweet potato fries.

We just missed the breakfast menu (it ends at 3pm), but were just as happy with the lunch menu offerings. As was the Cheese. She absolutely loved trying everything, from the soup to my sandwich and the table favourite, sweet potato fries.

Free range baby, stealing our food.

The cafe does have high chairs, but with the way the tables are arrange, close to the walls and tightly together, I can see it would be hard to actually fit a highchair at your table unless you had an uneven number of people with you.

What we loved – the food was delicious and fast. Everything was super tasty and freshly made. They didn’t mind that we wedged the toddler between us on a window ledge so she could pilfer parts of our meals and bang on the window alternatively (sorry again for that, people sitting next to us …).

We will absolutely be back. I can see The Grey Dog becoming one of our neighbourhood go-tos.

Highchairs:Yes – it’s a tight fit though to squeeze them in next to you at a table.
Stroller storage: Minimal. We folded our umbrella stroller and wedged it in a space next to our table.
Easy access: Yes. There is a ramp near the exit, next to the main entrance.
Change tables: No. There is however a large wooden bench in the restrooms that could be used as a change table.
Kids’ menu: No.
Baby-friendly rating: ♥♥—

The Grey Dog
242 W 16th St,
New York, NY
Phone: (212) 229 2345

Hours:
Mon-Fri 6:30am-11:30pm
Sat-Sun 7am-11:30pm

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