Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall (Old Fourth Ward)

Toddler Foodie Rating:  4 out of 5 Gummy Bears.  Best for kids who eat like adults (there's no kids menu, and there are no chicken fingers, macaroni & cheese, or French fries).  Come for brunch or an early dinner to avoid the cocktail crowd. 

:) = Awesome location right on the Beltline.  Neat campground theme complete with wooden picnic tables in the dining room, stuffed deer heads on the wall (which are a great distraction for little ones), a huge mural featuring a large owl and a bear that makes you feel like you're lost in the woods (another good distraction for littles), and creative camp-style dishes (including Fluffernutter sandwiches... hellooo, retro).  Staff is friendly and attentive to children, and the crowd there doesn't seem to mind children. Lots of nice outdoor seating. 

:( = Parking is probably difficult when it's busy.  Some of the dishes require some tweaking/perfecting.  Small bathrooms with no changing tables. 

"We have to eat this burger before the bear gets it!"

When we learned that there's a restaurant right off the Beltline that transports its diners to a bona fide campsite and serves old school camping-inspired food, we said, "Sign us up!"  We couldn't dream of a better way to spend a chilly, drizzly, winter evening.

We arrived at Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall, recently crowned one of the hottest new restaurants in Atlanta, around 5 PM.  Mommy, who was apprehensive about taking us there because Yelp says it is not good for kids, was elated to find that there were quite a few young diners present - even toddlers!  And there were lots of high chairs by the hostess stand - a sure sign that kids are welcome.

The stylish hostess knew right away to grab a high chair for us and seat us at a table near the restrooms.  We were awestruck by Ladybird's dining room.  It was hip, artsy, retro, and down-home casual all at the same time.  The natural wood tables and bar, authentic campground décor, and huge mural of a dark forest featured on the main wall made us feel like we were on a scouting trip and got us really excited about trying the food.  We started our meal with "Trail Snacks":  Navajo Fry Bread and the Fluffernutter.

Navajo Fry Bread
Photo taken by 3-year-old Toddler Foodie.

Fluffernutter
Photo taken by 2-year-old Toddler Foodie.

Both dishes were delicious - and messy.  Prepare to ask for more napkins or bust out the wet wipes.  The Navajo Fry Bread was like a salty-sweet flatbread pizza topped with a generous portion of country ham and oozing with fresh honey.  The Fluffernutter was overstuffed with homemade versions of marshmallow crème and hazelnut butter, served in a brown paper bag with bacon crusted banana chips.  (No, we're not joking.)  We devoured that Fluffernutter like we had been lost in the woods for weeks.  How could we not?

We got a sampling of dishes to taste and share:  the creamy ham & potato soup, hearty greens and farro salad, grass fed beef carpaccio, Fisherman's Stew, and double-stack burger.  What we loved:  the soup, the Fisherman's Stew (steelhead trout, littleneck clams, chorizo, sofrito, yucca, & baby onions, served in a cast iron skillet with a cute tin camping cup for the shells), and the carpaccio (definitely made with high quality beef and topped with delicious grana cheese).  What we thought could use a little perfecting:  the burger (the meat and bun were clearly high quality, but the patty was a tad salty; we loved the pickles served alongside the burger, though - they had a sweet-smoky-somewhat spicy flavor and were clearly made in-house) and the farro salad (it had too much farro and not enough greens, and the farro seemed undercooked).

Grass-fed beef carpaccio (top)
Hearty greens and farro salad with bleu cheese on the side (bottom)

Fisherman's Stew

A little after 6 PM, the restaurant started to fill up with adults looking for a good meal and/or tasty cocktail(s).  The cool thing was, the dining area was large enough to accommodate the grown-ups and us (we tend to get antsy toward the end of our meal and start moving around the table a lot); and the noise level was high enough to drown out the dinner-is-over-now-we're-ready-to-go whining that was starting to come out of our mouths.  Of course, Mommy couldn't leave without trying dessert; so before we were done with our entrees, she ordered the Strawberry Shortcake.  We are sooooooo glad she did.  Ladybird's Strawberry Shortcake is one of the best desserts we have ever had in the ATL.  The "shortcake" part of it is more like sweet cornbread straight out of  a Southern grandmomma's oven.  Imagine topping that with subtly sweet, without-a-doubt-house-made citrus crème anglaise and whipped cream, and a smattering of fresh strawberries.  We were in food heaven. 

"Floyd Mayweather is not The Best Ever.  This Strawberry Shortcake is!"

We absolutely loved the atmosphere and entire motif of Ladybird.  We hope that as the restaurant matures, the recipes will reach perfection - because this spot has so much potential.  We look forward to coming back when the weather is warmer, so we can sit on the patio, watch Atlanta go by on the Beltline, and pretend we're Cub Scouts on a mission to brave the unknown. 
  

"Can someone please bring the Fluffernutter back into fashion?! It is life-changing!"

"Okay, brontosaurus, I guess you can have some of my Fluffernutter."

 

We Ain't Beefin': Shake Shack (Buckhead)

Toddler Foodie Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Gummy Bears.  Raise to 4 Gummy Bears if your kids are 4 and up.

:) = Convenient location with ample parking that's free for the first hour.  High chairs.  Rooftop patio.  Burgers, hot dogs, and fries made with fresh, authentic, eco-friendly, grass-fed, organic, free-range, uncaged, uninhibited ingredients.  Fun variety of concrete (frozen custard) mix-ins and milkshake flavors.  Beer and wine for mommies and daddies.  Frozen treats for doggies.

:(  = It's hard for one parent to eat here alone with children under 4 years old.  You have to stand in line to place your order with the cashier, and the line can get really long (bring a stroller if you get there during busy hours).  Then you have to grab your food/drinks at the counter and your utensils, condiments, and water at the service area.  If you're alone with your little ones, you have the option to a) leave them at a table alone (okay, this really isn't an option when you have toddlers) or b) try to balance your tray with your little ones wrapped around your legs or clinging to your arms.  

Note:  Try the 'Shroom Burger.  No, seriously.  Try. The. 'Shroom Burger. 

Photo of 2-year-old Toddler Foodie , taken by 3-year-old Toddler Foodie.
 

Some of our little friends don't eat meat, especially not red meat.  Maybe they don't like the strong flavor or gristly texture of beef.  Or maybe their mommies and daddies don't eat red meat (or any meat) themselves.  Whatever the reason, there are little foodies out there who just aren't into hamburgers and steak the same way we are.  What options are available to them? 

We decided to investigate this question yesterday evening when we stopped by one of Atlanta's coolest new eateries, Shake Shack.  By now, most tuned-in Atlantans have heard about Shake Shack.  The Atlanta location opened last year to much fanfare and has been a popular foodie attraction ever since.  The chain is known for its environment-friendly values and hip vibe.  (Oh, its yummy burgers and custard-based shakes are a plus, too.)  Atlanta's Shake Shack is located in the heart of "New Buckhead," right off Peachtree Rd.  There's a spacious parking deck behind the restaurant where parking is free for the first hour. 

Shake Shack... and the infamous line.
Photo Credit:  http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/shake-shack-atlanta#f3VyI4TM8OMXuDFFEUXSfg

Many of the anecdotes we've heard about Shake Shack describe waiting in a long line to order your food.  When we arrived at 6:45 PM on a Wednesday, there was only one customer ahead of us in line; but by 7:30, there really was a line that spilled out onto the sidewalk.  Our advice is:  get there early if you're with your littles, or bring a lightweight stroller and a form of entertainment to keep them locked down and distracted while you're standing in line. 

Shake Shack's menu offers staples that you would expect from a burger joint (burgers, all-beef hot dogs, fries, shakes), but they also offer "concretes" (basically the same idea as a DQ Blizzard, but made with premium quality frozen custard), beer, wine, and doggie treats.  In keeping with our mission to hold the beef for this particular visit, we ordered the 'Shroom Burger, Chicken Dog, and cheese fries.  Thanks to the 'Shroom Burger, we did not miss the red meat one bit.  

Nope, no beef here!
Food (clockwise from top):  Cheese fries, 'Shroom Burger (vegetarian), & Chicken Dog (no red meat)

Shake Shack describes the 'Shroom Burger as a "crisp-fried Portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheese, topped with lettuce, tomato, and Shack Sauce."  First of all, we are flabbergasted at just how crisp that mushroom was.  The breading on the outside had a terrific crunch; yet the inside of the mushroom overflowed with earthy, smoky-flavored juice.  Even Daddy, who is the ultimate carnivore, expressed astonishment at the flavor packed in that mushroom and gobbled down our leftovers. 

The 'Shroom Burger stole the show, but the cheese fries played an important supporting role.  The fries themselves were pretty much your standard crinkle cut fries (albeit made from sustainable, earth-saving potatoes), but the cheese sauce - that cheese sauce was something special.  Even we could tell it didn't come out of a jar.  It had a rich, full dairy flavor and a slight tinge of sweetness.  Mommy said the cheese sauce tasted good because it was made with milk that came from cows who didn't eat medicine. 

"This cheese sauce is awesome.  Maybe
all cows should stay away from medicine."
 

The Chicken Dog was our least favorite item.  Perhaps we should have eaten it before trying the magical 'Shroom Burger and delectable cheese fries so we wouldn't have been so underwhelmed.  Or maybe we made a mistake when we decided to get it without any toppers.  Whatever our mistake was, we had to drown it in ketchup so it would live up to the rest of the food on our tray.  But - it was still nice to have it as an option, considering the other hot dogs were all-beef. 

"I guess I'll eat this Chicken Dog, since I finished
my portion of the 'Shroom Burger. More ketchup, please."

To complete our meal, we tried the Peachtree Milk Shake, which has fresh peaches and caramel.  That was an interesting flavor combination.  Next time, though, I think we'll try one of the concretes.  The shake was simple and didn't really feel like a dessert - we think Shake Shack really intended for it to be enjoyed with the meal. 

To end our evening, we did something that we haven't had a chance to do at any of the other restaurants we've visited:  we ordered a special treat for our security guard, Scrappy Doo Pham.  Because Scrappy is the best security guard in the world and deserves nothing but the best, we got him the "Pooch-ini" - a small cup of vanilla custard mixed with peanut butter sauce, topped with ShackBurger dog biscuits. 

"All those long nights guarding their cribs have finally paid off!"

We definitely have no beef with Shake Shack, and we'll visit again someday to try the famous burgers.  In the meantime, we are happy to report to our little vegetarian and semi-vegetarian friends that you, too, can have a spot in the Shake Shack line if you want it. 

Until next time, friends... happy eating!  And don't forget to check out our special edition Valentine's Day post if you haven't already - V-Day is just two days away!