Lunchtime With Tillie: Bubby's
/Hey everyone out there, it’s the whole family once again (me, Tillie and Tillie’s mom) with tales of our latest dining adventure. And since it was the whole family, we decided to go to the family-friendliest restaurant of them all, Bubby’s in DUMBO. None of us had ever been before, but we heard the legends of how this place is supposedly a Mecca for the with-kids set, and I have to say after going, it pretty much was. But I shouldn’t get ahead of myself: Let me add our tale to the story of Bubby’s.
We went on a Sunday, when we had all intentions of getting out of the house and doing something fun for the day, especially as how Tillie started feeling better after suffering from an ear infection for about a week and a half. Tillie’s mom was suffering from a cold over that time, too, but was coming around the bend on her illness as well. So after I added up all the factors – healthier baby and mom, nice but cold day, starving dad who needed to write an LWT for this week on a place he’d never been before – the choice was made to go to Bubby’s.
We decided to take a car service down to the restaurant and bring the stroller along instead of trying to march all the way to DUMBO through the blistering wind. The trip was pretty smooth and we entered the sprawling place ready for a fun time. I looked over to my side while we were at the hostess stand and saw a couple of strollers parked, and thought, “Wow, that’s really cool. You don’t have to bring your stroller over to your table and worry about folding it up.” Then I thought, “Wait, where’s our stroller?” I blurted out “Stroller!” then ran outside because I realized we had left ours in the trunk! I ran to the edge of the block, but the car was nowhere in sight. I called the car service and the driver made a return trip, I got the stroller and headed back in.
When I got to the table, Tillie was already in her high chair, coloring on one of those kid’s paper place/activity mat and nibbling on a piece of a biscuit. Tillie’s mom was preparing more biscuit, this time with jam, for the little one and I thought, “Man, that was fast!” As I was starving, I laid claim on a whole biscuit upon taking my seat.
We took a look at the menus, and I had gotten one that just had lunch and dinner options on it, while Tillie’s mom had the one with brunch and lunch choices. We just shared hers as it had the specials of the day, which included such options as an apple bacon omelet and a jalapeno scramble with gruyere. There were so many intriguing options, but I just went with – yep, you probably guessed it – a burger with bacon and cheddar. But before you say, “Not another bacon cheeseburger!” let me explain.
One of my doctors said I need to stop eating red meat, unless it’s organic and then only once in a while. So since I’m such a diligent doctor-heeder, it had been a while since I had a burger. Plus, these burgers were flagged on the menu as being made of grass-fed beef, so it made the choice easier. Granted, the bacon probably wasn’t grass-fed ...
Tillie’s mom ordered the apple bacon omelet and we figured there’d be plenty for Tillie to have from our plates. TM placed the orders while I was doing what we really came to do – go to the play area!
It’s not every day you go to a restaurant that has its own play space, but I guess that’s what makes Bubby’s Bubby’s. Some kids were already down there and Tillie nestled her way in there, too. There were books and tons of toys for her to play with. The electronic toys didn’t have batteries, but that didn’t matter to the kids, who I’m sure must’ve been like, “Now this place is fun, not those lame-o places mom and dad usually take us.”
Anyway, as TM and I were hovering outside of the play space and letting T do her own thing, our waiter came by and told us our food was ready. We pried Tillie away to go to our table where some good-looking dishes awaited.
Once we got all settled back in, I dove into my eagerly anticipated burger. It was good, but for some reason, organic beef just doesn’t do it for me that much. This might be a sad statement, but sometimes I find it tastes kind of weird as opposed to the other way around! Tillie had some and seemed to like it, that and my french fries. The omelet Tillie’s mom ordered looked absolutely delicious; I never would’ve thought of bacon and apples combined with eggs, but I guess that’s why I’m not a chef! TM hooked me up with a bite with all the ingredients, and I found the apple to have a subtle taste mixed in with the omelet. The bacon really balanced nicely with it.
We finished our food, then took turns watching over Tillie in the play area. She was covering some territory there and beyond the play-space boundaries! The whole restaurant was roomy, so there was no containing her! But alas, we couldn’t stay in Bubby’s forever, so we got the check, paid it and left to walk around DUMBO a little more.
I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be back as it really is THE child-friendly place around. We can’t really rush back there too soon because for all its perks – super-nice staff and accommodations, tasty food – it was a little expensive when you factor in our car trips, too. I would recommend all parents of young children get there at some point. The restaurant’s motto for parents with young kids in tow should be, “You have arrived.”
The New York Transit Museum will feature a very cool photography exhibit documenting the last day of the Myrtle Ave El - the elevated train that ran down Myrtle Avenue from 1888 - 1969. Go far enough down Myrtle, near Bushwick, and you can still see the El's structure, never fully taken down. It's crazy to imagine so many NYC streets beneath elevated trains!
