Summer means eating your sweets off a stick. And there’s no reason you shouldn’t enjoy a treat right alongside your little one. So we’ve rounded up the most delicious popsicles in the Bay, with flavors that will appeal to both 3- and 30-year-old palates. From wild to mild, from vegan bars to the creamiest gelato pops, there’s a cool creation for every craving. Click through to see them all!
What is your favorite popsicle flavor?
—Kristen Philipkoski & Yannina Pacis
No self-respecting Angeleno can pass up Taco Tuesdays or a well-crafted California roll but we usually think of the most mouthwatering Q as the provenance of Texas or St. Louis. But, believe it or not, Los Angeles has some spectacular spots where you can slather on sauce and gnaw on bones. Grab a bucket of wet-wipes and check out these 6 BBQ joints that are sure to please both you and your pint-sized pitmaster.
Horse Thief
Right outside Grand Central Market, across from Angel’s Flight and the Pershing Square Metro station, Horse Thief lets you and your little ones indulge in sunny California weather, down-home barbecue and the always-entertaining LA people watching all at once. With refreshing and not-too-sweet lemonade for the tots and a well stocked bar to wash down your rib-tips or pulled pork, the whole family will leave satisfied. This place can get crowded during the weekday lunch rush so plan accordingly. And wash off all that sticky sauce with a run through the fountains at Grand Park.
Horse Thief BBQ
324 S Hill St., Downtown LA
Phone: 213-625-0341
Online: horsethiefbbq.com
Bludso’s BAR-&-QUE
One word: brisket. You haven’t tasted barbecued brisket until you’ve sunk your teeth into Bludso’s tender, melt-in-your-mouth fabulous brisket. Your kiddos will devour their gooey mac-n-cheese while cheering on their favorite team playing on one of the many TV’s and you can sit back and sip on a tasty cocktail from their extensive bar while remembering the deliciousness that was the brisket you just inhaled. Don’t forget to order the house made pickles. They’re just sweet enough that the kids will fight you for them. Good! They could use a little greens with the meal.
Bludso’s BAR-&-QUE
609 N LaBrea Avenue, Mid-City
Phone: 323-931-2583
Online: barandque.com
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
While you can’t go wrong with traditional barbecue at Dickey’s (their sauces are fantastic), if your appetite is big enough, you won’t regret trying one of their “Bakers”: huge baked potatoes filled with butter, sour cream, cheese, green onions and bacon topped with one of their smoked meats. You’ll love that kids eat free on Sundays and they’ll love the free self-serve ice cream available every day.
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit has multiple locations in LA including Redondo Beach, Pasadena and
Woodland Hills. For hours and directions, check their website.
Online: dickeys.com
photo credit: Pauline P. via yelp
Baby Blues B.B.Q.
This joint is not for those watching their waistlines. With dinner items like the Memphis Queen (a half-rack of baby back ribs and a half-rack of Memphis-style ribs) and drink options that include unlimited refills of the “red” Kool-Aid of your childhood (ahhh, now it’s summer—remember calling it bug juice at camp?) or southern sweet tea, Baby Blues is not interested in impressing your cardiologist or your kiddos’ pediatrician. Make sure to taste test the 4 different sauces at your table so everyone can mix up their own creation with the perfect balance of sweet, savory and spicy.
Baby Blues has locations in both Venice and West Hollywood. For hours and directions, check their website.
Online: babybluesbbq.com
Charcoal BBQ – Bourbon & Beer
If you’re looking for a slightly more upscale dining experience, try the brand new Charcoal BBQ in Silverlake. With menu items not found at most traditional barbecue spots (pork banh mi, anyone?) you can get your barbecue fix in a more creative way. Kids have their own separate menu (with mac-n-cheese that you will probably steal many bites of) and everyone can snack on a bucket of bacon (yes!) while you relax with one of their special bourbon or whiskey cocktails. At the end of the meal, indulge in gooey s’mores you make right at your own table. Self-parking is limited but there’s valet service in front in case you can’t score a meter.
Charcoal BBQ – Bourbon & Beer
2611 Hyperion Ave., Silverlake
Phone: 323-300-5500
Online: charcoalsilverlake.com
Holy Cow BBQ
Across from the Brentwood Country Mart, Holy Cow serves up smoked barbecue so tender the meat falls off the bone and you have plenty of local wines and beers to choose from to wash down all that juicy, flavorful goodness. Holy Cow has a separate kids menu with a burger so tasty you’ll beg your little one for a bite. The metered street parking is extremely limited but if you park at the Brentwood Country Mart, you can get 3 hours free parking with validation from one of the shops. (Like if Sweet Rose Creamery calls to you for dessert. Yes, wear the elastic waist pants to this meal.)
Holy Cow BBQ
264 26th Street, Santa Monica
Phone: 310-883-6269
Online: holycowbbq.com
Where do you go to satisfy your BBQ cravings? Let us know in the comments!
—written and photographed by Erika Frazier
One of the best things about D.C. is its personality-filled neighborhoods. At a glance they may look run-of-the-mill, but upon further investigation you’ll uncover a slew of hidden, kid-friendly gems. Today’s stop…Columbia Heights! Specifically, 11th Street Northwest between Kenyon and Monroe Streets. This neighborhood has seen a boom over the past couple of years, thanks to places like:
Where to Get Creative: Bloombars
“You have a baby. In a bar.” Remember that scene from Sweet Home Alabama? If you like the friendliness of a bar-scene but prefer to keep your kids away from the hard stuff, check this place out. It’s a community center where you and your family can enjoy the arts. From Nous Bloomons en Français (a weekly French language concert for kids) to dance classes for all ages and art shows—there is something for everyone. You can enjoy non-alcoholic only drinks and there’s no age restrictions on anything.
3222 11th St., NW
Online: bloombars.com
Where to Eat (Breakfast or Dessert): The Coupe
This is the spot for locally sourced, organic food that you can feel good about. And unlike a lot of D.C. restaurants, this one is huge (7,000 square feet) and lined with booths so you won’t feel like you’re bumping into everyone around you. There are two reasons you must go here: breakfast all day and dessert. Try the hash brown bowl and the bourbon pecan pie. Also, your coffee comes with animal crackers that you can share with your kids if you want, or keep them for yourself (they’re delicious!).
3415 11th St., NW
202-290-3342
Online: thecoupedc.com
Where to Eat (Grilled Cheese Sandwiches): Room 11
Have a picky eater? Nothing but bread and cheese? This is the must-visit stop for you. The grilled cheese at Room 11 is where it’s at. You’ll definitely order it for your little one, but insiders recommend getting one for yourself, too—with oak Shade cheddar, mozzarella, and local caciocavallo. You don’t have to know your cheeses to know this is a winner.
3234 11th St., NW
202-332-3234
Online: room11dc.com
Where to Get Growing: Bruce Monroe Community Park
This family hangout is just a short walk (3 blocks) from all the restaurants. Besides a playground where kids can burn off some energy, there’s also a community garden. Walk through the raised plots and see the locals growing their own fruits and veggies. Don’t forget to stop by the Little Free Library where you can leave one of your kids’ old favorites and pick up a new book for the ride home.
Columbia Rd. and Georgia Ave., NW
Online: brucemonroegarden.org
Do you have any favorite spots in Columbia Heights? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
—Besa Pinchotti
Photos courtesy of Bloombars via Facebook, The Coupe via Facebook, Room 11 DC via Facebook, Brooke Fossey via Flickr
It’s the fear many parents face every evening. You know that moment when you realize, despite all best intentions, you have no earthly idea what you will make for dinner. And right then is when the kiddos start in with their questions: “What’s for dinner?”, “Do we have to eat that again?” Before you open that blue box with the powdered cheese for the fourth night in a row, check out the delicious and delightful food blogs of these Seattle moms who face the same daily battles and questions from their own kiddos.
Do you have a Seattle food blogger you love? Share your favorites in the comments below.
–Natalia Dotto
Photographs courtesy of Ashley Rodriguez, Kyle Johnson, Lena Hyde, Alice Currah, Alice Choi & Paola Thomas
To help save your sanity and give you more time to hang with the kids this Thanksgiving, we’ve collected the tastiest places around town to buy your bird (and sides and pies, too) already prepared. With how easy and delish these meals are—literally, all you have to do is call it in, pick it up, and plop it on your table—you’ll wonder why you didn’t outsource Turkey Day before.
Have you ever had Thanksgiving catered? Tell us about it in the Comments section below.
—Heather Selig
Photos courtesy of Hill Country via Facebook, Acadiana via Facebook, Carmine’s via Facebook, atmtx via Flickr, Bayou Bakery via Facebook, Bake House via Facebook
Do you enjoy a good cocktail or just love a really good whiskey? If so, take some time out and travel down to Sodo to hit the craft distillery 2bar Spirits.
Named after the Texas Ranch where owner Nathan Kaiser spent his youth, the distillery is a stripped down venture that puts all of the focus on the whiskey. The bourbon I tried was delicious with a smooth, sweet finish. You can tell Nathan loves what he’s doing, not to mention he said he “wants to do this until I die!”
Stop in for a taste or a story-filled tour. Find out what’s named after the likes of June Carter Cash and Dolly Parton – you’re bound to have some down home fun.
I promise you’ll leave with a new spirit in your hands!
2bar Spirits
2960 4th Ave. S
This is our weekly guest post from our friends at A Million Cool Things to do in Seattle. Million Cool Things serves up a daily dose of cool things to do in and around Seattle. Tune in to our newsletter for a weekly cool thing to do – or sign up for the daily feed here.
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, let us give you a little advice garnered from our years of experience (ha!). Instead of struggling to book a last-minute restaurant or trying to wedge your way into a crowded bar, make that special someone a deliciously flirty cocktail at home. Here are five possibilities that taste scrumptious and fit the “Be Mine” mood. A.J. Rathbun of Seattle Magazine writes:
Lover’s Moon
One warning with this nutty, lush number: it might make you sing. Which might not be a bad thing on Valentine’s Day, depending on the song. If you can’t find Kahana Royale Macadamia Nut Liqueur, sub in Frangelico, but take it down to an ounce in this recipe from Dark Spirits: Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes. Add 1-3/4 ounces bourbon (Woodinville Whiskey’s bourbon is nice), 1-1/2 ounces Kahana Royale Macadamia Nut Liqueur, and 1 ounce heavy cream. Shake well. Add a cherry to a cocktail glass. Strain the mix into the glass. Sure, the cherry will vanish for a minute, but like the moon, it’ll reappear.
Fancy Free
I originally found this lovely liquid number on genius Seattle-based cocktail writer Paul Clarke’s blog The Cocktail Chronicles (a must for anyone who likes a good cocktail), and it’s a drink for any couple that like to kick up their heels a bit – as it has a bit of a kick itself. Fill a mixing glass or cocktail shaker halfway with cracked ice. Add 2 ounces bourbon, 1/2 ounce maraschino liqueur, and 1 dash each of Angostura bitters and orange bitters (go with Scrappy’s orange bitters here). Stir well and then strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.
Find out the rest of these tantalizing cocktails over at Seattle Magazine.
This is our weekly guest post from our friends at Seattle Magazine, which keeps readers on the pulse of restaurants, personalities, arts, entertainment and culture that reflect the tapestry of our dynamic landscape. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a weekly dose of fantastic Date Night ideas throughout greater Seattle.
photo credit: Melissa Punch
