tpatricco

I tend to agree with Howard... 12 year old picky eaters don't belong at fancy restaurants at all, certainly not on NYE.

When I was 12 I certainly was not taken out for a fancy night on NYE. Isn't that what sitters are for?

DebitNM

I was thinking the same thing about taking a picky 12 year old to a top rated restaurant on NYE, but didn't want to say it for fear of being slammed. I realize that you are in Philly from out of town and don't want to leave daughter with strange babysitter [or worse yet, alone] but why don't you go out for a really nice lunch on 12/31 and then have room service for dinner? Or even more fun: get some great food from Reading Terminal market and have an indoor picnic to celebrate NYE.

And you also mentioned she doesn't do ethnic...isn't Buddakan asian food?

Debi

bugswife1

Another point to think about is that they probably have a different or set menu for New Year's Eve that could be well in excess of $75 per person. Many restaurants change their menus and up their prices for new years eve. That is why I stay home for new years eve dinner, or find a place that isn't going to gouge me.

marilynl

I have done my time with picky eater children---26-year-old daughter STILL picky--and would have to say that any restaurant with an expensive prix fixe menu on NYE would not be a good choice. You will be bound to feel it "wasn't worth it" or was overprived, but really, that is pretty common practice for NYE and why a lot of people don't like going to restaurants that night.

njsusan

My husband and I ate at Buddakan yesterday and it was one of the best meals I have ever had.
We have a 14 year old son who is not a picky eater(he has been eating sushi since he was 4)and loves to try new foods,but Buddakan would be a little to much for him.

Suki

Steve, I've heard that the best homemade pasta in the city is at Penne near the Penn campus (3600 Sansom Street). Check out the menu at Jones, Stephen Starr's comfort food diner-type restaurant. Also, on Rittenhouse Square there is Rouge - they have a great hamburger.

Definitely try the Naked Chocolate Cafe at 13th & Walnut. That's new since you last visited, and if your daughter is anything like mine, she will find something she likes here. Right around the corner, at 13th & Sansom, is Capogiro, a wonderful gelato place. Finally, if you are down in Old City and want some ice cream, there's Franklin Fountain at 116 Market St. It's a new "old-fashioned" ice cream parlor.

Where is D'Angelo's? I know L'Angolo, a BYOB in South Philadelphia, and wondered if it was the same place?

stever

Thx Suki and others. Yes, I meant L'Angolo as the Italian place we picked.

Also, we don't spend $75 p/p when we go out. Buddakan is not priced fixed so we can order off their regular menu. I doubt we'd spend more than $120 for dinner for the 3 of us. We spent $75 for the last New Years Eve at Buddakan. I cancelled NY Eve there and booked it for the 29th so now we have to find a NY's place to go that isn't a set menu.

I checked Penne but it doesn't seem to have any simple red sauce dishes like we like. It's ultra gourmet and we need simple . The dessert place looks great, though.

In my opinion, 72 hours cancellation policy is stiff for New Years. I don't care what the deal is or how fancy the restaurant is. It's still, to us. So it'll be my goal to find a restaurant without this policy. Bringing food from the Reading Mkt into our room sounds great but we want to go out for New Years.

We certainly don't want to go out without our daughter! She's the whole reason for us going to Philly as she's never done Philly with us, only on a boring class trip from he**. Leave her in the room with a sitter? Uh, no. We love her. We don't drink so it's not like we're going to partying our a**es off or anything, it's just a dinner out on the last night of the year.

Over and out.

Steve R

stever

PS - So much for $75 p/p credit guarantees and set menu requirements for New Years Eve in Philly. We just booked (Hooooray! Hooraw! Yippee kayo kayay) ... are you ready folks?

Matyson http://www.matyson.com/dinner.html

And yes, they will actually, yes, actually put together a simple little vegetarian meal for our 12 year old, something like a rice dish with veggies. She'll be happy.

Yowza.

Steve R

nytraveler

Since when does a 12 year old need a babysitter? When I was 12 I WAS a babysitter - and perfectly capable of taking care of little kids (but not tiny infants).

Agree not to take a 12 year old out for an adult New Years Eve festivity - whether she's a picky eater or not. Are you in Philly from out of town? (I understand not wanting to abandon her in a hotel.) Or couldn't she spend the evening with friends?

Suki

That's great, Steve. Have a good time!

sistahlou

mrlou and I would like to share the mushroom gnocchi, the beet salad, and the steak frites! Good for you stever!

I agree that 72 hours is pushing the envelope. I understand their need to do this, I just don't like it.

Only once did I have to fax a contract for a dinner for 8, at Charlie Trotter's at the 4S in Vegas. At the time, due to no holiday, and being that night, I found it absolutely absurd. In addition, I found the food, fine, not wow, and the service just so so. When you are lingering over desert and they open bottles of water for no reason.....alas another thread....

stever

nytraveller: Yeah, we're from Washington DC and it's a family vacation that we'll be on. The 1st is the Four Seasons Philly, the last 2 Marriott Courtyard downtown Philly. The whole point of taking our daughter with us IS to bring her on New Years Eve. We adore her and she likes to go out with us. We only have her on the weekends so it's a treat to have her.

She lives with her daddy during the week as her school is next to his home. We got here weekends and New Years Eve is the weekend. We WANT to bring her - that's part of the fun for us. We could have done an adult trip and not brought her. We did that 2 years ago. She's thrilled to stay at a Four Seasons and use their pool. She's thrilled to spend New Years out for the first time with her mommy and ... me, Mr Stepdad.

Why is New Years eve for adults only? I don't get that. We don't drink, we eat early (7pm) and we'll be in bed by 11pm. We're 46 years old and don't party till 3am anymore . We specifically want to share this eve with the kid.

Thx for the positive comments over our pick of Matyson. They were so nice over the phone and never mentioned a deposit of any kind, nor were they booked up or even close. They were totally accomodating and we look forward to their presumed great food. Not sure what the ambiance will be... It certainly won't be a scene like Buddakan would have been but so what, right?

Steve R

Birdie

Have a great time and give us a report when you come back. We have always spent NYE with our kids. They grow up too fast and are soon going away to college (like next year! BooHoo, or is it Yea?!! I keep going back and forth)

LoveItaly

Hi stever, a stepdad that enjoys having his stepdaughter with him enough to share NY Eve with her. Fantastic IMO! I am glad you found a restaurant that will work for the three of you. So may I wish you an early Happy New Years!

wtm003

Good for you stever! A 12 year old girl is hardly a child and I know your family will have a fun NYE in Philadelphia. Eating together is one of the things that makes a family vacation so special.

stever

Here here. Thanks, folks. I will post a trip report then when we return.

Steve R

Vittrad

I understand there being a cancellation charge for New Years for the myriad of reasons stated above. I also understand wanting to spend new years with your family. I spent many, many new year eves with my family even into my teenage years (there are six of us), however, they never involved restaurants, usually they involved a lot of take out pizza, homemade confetti, and for some reason, grocho marx movies.

However, I don't understand taking a picky 12 year old girl to an expensive restaurant unless she willing to try to be a bit 'less picky'. I wouldn't wonder if it might be a bit more fun for the entire family if all of you just went somewhere that all of you were comfortable, there is plenty of time after the 'picky years' to go live it up and fancy restaurants without concerning oneself with the dietary restrictions (self imposed or not) of their children.

I'd probably go with the 29th and so something a little less 'high pressure' on new years eve.

Birdie

Wow! I am sure all this parental advice is helping you choose a restaurant. Take a look at Tangerine sometime. My teens loved it but I can't remember if it had any pasta choices.

lisettemac

No, I wouldn't do it, but that's just me. We have generally refused to eat at places that suddenly, on NYE or other holidays, require an expensive prix-fixe or an expensive cancellation fee. That has caused us to move down from some of the more fancy or well-known restaurants, to more neighborhood places, but we've never been disappointed. It's generally less bustling that way, we still get a good meal, get to order what we want and don't go home feeling as if we've been gouged. On NYE, leave these places to the glitterati, club kids and people who need to be "seen," I say.

dbenya

Matyson is smallish, well-reviewed and friendly. For what it's worth I'd second the Penne suggestion. It's on the Penn campus and we ate there on what turned out to be graduation weekend. The place was crawling with younger siblings and I'm guessing there was lots of simple red sauce served off the menu that evening It's also in a good location for an after dinner stroll. If you cross Walnut and walk into the Penn campus, you'll find yourself on a charming walkway. On the same block as Penne you'll find:

the Penn bookstore (which is also a Barnes&Noble)
http://upenn.bkstore.com/

the Black Cat (a gift shop in the White Dog cafe) http://www.blackcatshop.com/

and Urban Outfitters
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

There is a Lucky Strike bowling alley on Sansom, which is a lot of fun.
http://bowlluckystrike.com/

Happy New Year! Are you going to the Mummer's Parade?