Cassandra

Please help!! Travelling to Dallas 11/19 - 11/26. Has anyone stayed at Crescent Court and can you recommend it? Also, does anyone have any great restaurant ideas? (The only place in Dallas I've been before is Texas Stadium & the Mansion on Turtle Creek. Taking 2 young (under 4) children. All info greatly appreciated!!!!

John

It's a wonderful hotel. It's very upscale and may not be as kid-friendly as you want, but I highly recommnend the Crescent overall. It's a sister hotel to the Mansion, so your experiences at the two places will be similar.

Cassandra

Thanks for the info. Sometimes hard to go someplace you've never been and know you've made a good decision. We loved staying at the Mansion (only took the baby last year-then 5 months), they were very accomodating (no high chairs at the restaurant, though - but everyone loved the baby and the food was excellent!) The kids will have plenty of entertainment out & about - the hotel is for Mom & Dad!! Does anyone have any really great restaurants to recommend in the Dallas area?? Thanks again...

texasgirl

hi cassandra, of course it depends on your tastes, but a few places i like, in several price ranges and styles:
Abacus, for fusion Asian, kinda flashy.
Green Room, in deep ellum, new american, crowd tends to be younger and hip.
Gloria's _ several locations _ good Salvadoran food, inexpensive.
Voltaire _ far north Dallas, very expensive french//american, amazing setting, could be considered pretentious but food is worth it.
Ciudad, real Mexico City cuisine, pretty place.
Teppo _ lower greenville, for sushi.
Only gloria's would really be appropriate for young children. i don't have kids so i don't know many family-friendly places...

Christie

You'll love the Crescent! It is very elegant and very classy. I'm not sure how kid-friendly it will be, though.

Some nice restaurants:
Star Canyon- one of Dallas' most popular places. (Ask the concierge how to get there since it is very near the Crescent.) They serve Southwestern food.
St. Martin's Wine Bistro- on lower Greenville Avenue. *Definitely NOT* kid-friendly but very elegant and has a constantly changing menu. We were there last night and were impressed as usual. Food is mostly American/Continental, and the wine selection is very impressive. Reservations are a must for weekends.

Some places to take the kids-
The String Bean- Coit and Spring Valley. The only restaurant I've seen thus far with a playroom specifically for the kids. Food is home-cooking and is pretty good. Very kid-friendly.
Of course, the usual chain places are good for kids: TGI Friday's, Black-Eyed Pea, Fresh Choice buffet (Plano and Addison), Chili's, etc.

Cassandra

Thanks for all the info on restaurants - my husband's parents are coming over from Arkansas for a couple of nights to see the kids, so we can definitely try the less "kid-friendly" places then. I haven't had much trouble taking the kids to most higher-end establishments - They're pretty well-disciplined and I always feed them first somewhere else...I don't know why more people don't do this, especially when you are out of town with few childcare options and must take the kids with you. But I digress...Thanks again for all the choices...

Christie

Please don't try to take kids to St. Martin's. It is a very small, intimate place and the other patrons would *NOT* appreciate their $25+ a plate dinner being disturbed. (I doubt that the restaurant even has any high chairs or booster seats avavilable.) The presence of a high chair in the aisle would also be dangerous, as it could make a waiter trip.

If you're ever in need of a responsible child caretaker while on the road, feel free to contact the local Girl Scout Council a day or two in advance and ask for referrals of Scouts who have recently completed the Safe Sitters course. (Yes, I'm a Girl Scout leader.) FYI, the phone number to the Dallas Girl Scout Council is 972-349-2400.

Linda

The Crescent Court is very nice. You can take the McKinney Ave. Trolley to get downtown. From there try the DART rail trains to go to the Zoo (for the children) or to North Park Shopping Center (for the adults). McKinney has a number of good eating places. By taking the trolley to downtown, you can hit the West End. My favorite for Italian is Lombardi's (two--one in West End and one off McKinney). Another Italian is an institution here--Campisi's--take the red North Park train to Mockingbird & it is a short walk. If you have a car, try Macaroni Grill. The Zodiac Room at the original Neimans downtown is good.
For the best information, try www.guidelive.com It is the newspaper's online entertainment section and restaurant guide.
Fair Park has the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world as well as being home to a number of museums--newest being The Women's Museum, affiliated with The Smithsonian, and Natural History which has an Imax Theater. Sorry you just missed the State Fair of Texas--end of September to end of October.
Hope you enjoy "Big D".