Oskar Blues Liquids and Solids

We met a friend and his baby at Oskar Blues today for lunch.  We have been here several times, and while we generally have a good experience, they are very, very slow.  Slow as in we got there at 12:20 and immediately ordered a kids' pizza (with mushrooms and asparagus) for Spencer, and finally received his pizza at 1 p.m.  Later, we ordered a kids' ice cream ($2.29).  While immense and impressive, covered in whipped cream and two nilla wafers, it also took 20+ minutes from when I ordered it for it to arrive.  20 minutes is a long time with a toddler who has already used up most of the toys in my bag and who has finished eating his food.  Kids' meals include grilled cheese, hamburgers, corn dogs, rib baskets, pizza with two toppings, and mac and cheese.  (They may have another few choices too - I can't recall.)  The menu says that all the meals except the pizza come with a side of veggies (usually carrots, I think), fruit or fries, and juice or soda.  Our waitress brought us a cup of strawberries with our pizza and milk for our drink at no extra charge.  I did have to ask her to correct the bill, as they had charged us 75 cents per topping for our pizza, but when I pointed out the "2 toppings included" on the menu, they corrected the bill. 

The restaurant can be fairly noisy.  At lunch, they are not quite noisy enough to cover up a rowdy small child, but at dinner, there is often a band in the loft area, so the inside dining room can become very, very loud.  This might bother a child with sensitive ears, but will also drown out any whining.

We love to eat outside here.  They have a boccie ball area full of sand, and there is rarely anyone playing ball there, so your kids can feel free to dig away.  However, if there are no patio tables available, they won't put a high chair in the gravel, so if that's a concern, don't plan on being outside.  There is also a very tempting and fun water feature outside that they would like your children to leave alone.  They do have a fold-down changing table in the handicapped stall in the ladies room. 

One issue this time around was that they put five of us plus a high chair at a 4 top table, and that was awkward and crowded.  I didn't speak up, though, so that's my fault.  They also placed us right in front of the tv and then left it on soap operas during lunch, which means that I looked up to see what was so engrossing to my son to find that he was watching a violent shootout, with a bleeding woman, followed by a sex scene on the kitchen counter.  When we asked them to turn it off or change the channel, they did, but a few minutes later, someone turned it back on again.  We asked again (since no one was watching it) for them to either change the channel or turn it off until we left, and they did.  I still think Spence got quite an eyeful, and they could have been a little more thoughtful (and quick about it - they were sloooow to help).  But I'd still say it was a good experience, and I am sure we will be back.