I am starting a new blog section called Restaurant Reviews: Places That Won't Kick Out My Kids. I do not get paid or get free food for my review, although there is always a first time. If you would like to be featured in this space, think long and hard first because this is who is coming:
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| Keep in mind you can't hear the noise in this picture |
Anyway, Annapolis Smokehouse is located at 107 Hillsmere Drive in Annapolis which doesn't matter until I tell you it is across the street from Quiet Waters Park, aka the park with the awesome playground. Any restaurant located near a park is a good bet for families with small kids, because then you can threaten them with not going to the playground if they don't behave.
Ambience: Annapolis Smokehouse gave my kids crayons and activity placemats and allowed us to sit outside as we requested, so as not to disturb any people who went to dinner thinking they would be able to converse like human beings. Remember those days? I digress. My kids were occupied with word search (okay, my preschooler was occupied and my toddler was still a hot mess) and they even gave my baby crackers.
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| Feed us or we will stage a coup |
Food: The menu for Annapolis Smokehouse has many delicious looking BBQ options, which was good for us because my kids eat like pigs particularly when actual pig is available on the menu. I had the Cosmic Cobb salad with added pork (hey, I'm breastfeeding and it's a "salad"), which was really good, and I probably should have taken half of it home because it was tremendous, but you only live once. My husband had the pulled pork sandwich which he enjoyed, until the baby stole most of the pulled pork.
One of my daughters had the brisket, which came in a little sandwich on a bun, and one had the ribs. They liked it all except the sweet potato side. We thought it would be a whole potato and it came mashed. Oh well, you get what you get and you don't get upset, Pinkalicious and I say. I tasted all of their food because who needs to fit into their clothes anyway, and both meals were delicious. As the children were by that point starting to act like a pack of animals, we ordered dessert to go. We got a huge piece of chocolate cake which was dessert for 2 nights for all three kids. (I didn't even taste it. Okay that's a lie. It was excellent and fudgy.)
Entertainment: We were also seated next to real live adults on an actual date, because this is actually a nice restaurant for adults as well (I like to keep these in mind for when my husband and I go out alone, ha ha ha ha.... sorry, just amused the hell out of myself for a second there). The date was lots of fun to eavesdrop on, because the daters were asking each other stupid questions about their hobbies and friends. As we all know, more pertinent marriage-minded questions include whether or not you find it immoral to fake sleep to make your spouse get up with the baby and whether you will be cool with showering only every other day for the duration of your future children's babyhood. Overall, A+ for entertainment, unintentional as it was.
Total bill: I have no idea because I was wrangling my kids into the (clean! come for this alone) potty when the check came. My husband's expression indicated it was fairly inexpensive for the amount of food we got, or maybe he was just relieved that we would be buckling the children into the car seats soon where they are immobilized.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. Half a point docked because nobody offered to watch our kids while we relaxed at the bar by ourselves. (Is someone listening to this idea? This is a million dollar idea here.)
Summary: excellent, delicious, and filling food, hearty salad options, kid-friendly, adult friendly, near the park. If anyone wants to go there with us, let us know and we will book the sitter forthwith. Oh you meant with the kids? Me too! Obviously! No, I didn't say sitter. Look, squirrel!
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