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January 24, 2005
Dinner for two and a baby.
We went out on Saturday evening for a couple of things, namely two new car seats to replace the baby seat that Jack has managed to outgrow at a record pace.
$400+ dollars later we stopped at the Mall of America to have some dinner and do a little shopping. While we were there we ate at the best kept secret in the horrid Temple of Retailing: Napa Valley Grille.
The Napa Valley Grille is like an island of sanity in the otherwise horrid MOA. It's nice but not so nice that you feel out of place for eating in jeans. It's quiet and the lights are low which is a nice change of pace to something like the California Cafe which offers diners a spectacular view of... Camp Snoopy.
We ended up sitting at a table that was right next to the concourse which was fine by us. The entertainment was free and the food was great. Fabulous Babe had a wine flight and I kept Jack entertained. It was a dinner date along the lines of something we haven't had in a while.
The next time you visit the MOA seek out the Napa Valley Grille. You won't be disappointed.
Follow up:
After the nice comment below I thought I better clarify the car seat business. Before Jack was born we purchased a stroller, infant seat, and two bases for our two cars. In theory this would have lasted until Jack was a year old and 20 pounds. Jack, being fed Miracle grow daily by Fabulous Babe, is already 20 pounds at 7 months. Add to this that Jack is hanging over the sides and has to be wedged into the seat at this point. All of which leads to our having to buy new seats.
Why two? It's easier to leave them in the car than to try and disconnect one and remove it every time we drop the Junior Woodchuck at daycare or pick him up. You only have to spend a half an hour strapping a car seat in once to understand the wisdom of this. Sure it doubles the cost but the domestic tranquility is worth any price. Hell hath no fury like a new mother who suffers under the delusion that the baby seat can be moved more than 1 inch from true. (I still have scars.)
We went with the Britax Roundabout. It seemed to offer everything we needed and will hopefully last a bit longer than the Peg Perrigo did. (I'm still convinced it's Italian for "Baby Ferrari" or some such.)
Colors? Fabulous Babe went with a nice blue canvas and I went with leopard skin.
Posted by Jim at January 24, 2005 11:12 PM