Eating Out with the Kids. Or I’d Rather Get a Root Canal. (And a giveaway for Mi Cocina!)

And I’m sure anyone else with a toddler would agree with me.  Dining out with Baby J and company – it’s not as fun as it looks, folks.

eating out,
Now, wouldn’t ya’ll like to have dinner with this face?
HOwever, there are some places in town that actually welcome a face like this…
 
One of our newest restaurants on the Tulsa Dining Scene – is one of them.  Mi Cocina.  (And guess what?  I’ve got a $50 gift card for one of you lucky ducks.  So keep reading 🙂 ). 
 
I was SO excited when I heard they were coming to T-town.  Having lived in Fort Worth for eight years – Mi Cocina and their Mambo Taxi’s were a staple of my pre-kids diet.  (For those of you who have not had the privilege of having this delicious frozen concoction of homemade sangria and margarita goodness swirled together – well, people, you are just missing out). 
 
Anyway – I digress.
 
They opened late last year on Cherry Street – and they’ve been packed ever since. 
Mi Cocina started 21 years ago as a tiny restaurant in Dallas.  Their focus was simple Tex-Mex with high quality ingredients.  And it obviously worked.  They now have several restaurants in Texas – and Tulsa is their first restaurant outside of the Lone Star State (yeah us!). 
 
So I decided to brave the Baby J factor and take the family there for dinner.  It had been way too long since Mama had a Mambo Taxi. 
 
eating out with kids

The Holy Grail of all drinks...may I present the Mambo Taxi.

 
First of all – the restaurant itself is totally hip.  My architect husband is not impressed by much – and he loved what they had done to the build out.  It exudes coziness and warmth, while at the same time being modern and chic.  And I was also shocked to see how family friendly it was (thank goodness).  It is nice to see family friendly restaurants that don’t involve a play-yard or involve the words “Chucky” in their title. 
 
 

Eating out with kids
The Tulsa location. Love it!
 
Completely uncharacteristic of her dining out manners, Baby J was very well-behaved (must have been the Mambo Taxi I slipped in her sippy cup….).  The service was amazing – and they were super friendly – especially to the kiddos, even though we left a mess.  Sorry guys. 
 
The food is very simple – and quite tasty.  I had the Rico Salad – which is one of their best sellers.  Fresh veggies, juicy fajita chicken all chopped up and served with your choice of any of their yummy homemade dressings.  My hubby had the fish tacos that were also pretty darn good.  Nachos for the kids (I may have eaten a few too…) and homemade pecan prailines (SINFUL) for dessert.  Our tummies were full – and the prices were very reasonable for families. 
 

The Beef Rico Salad. Hungry yet?

 
 
 
(Confession:  I did have to go back WITHOUT the kiddos and introduce my girlfriends to this wonderful place.  Several Mambo Taxis later….well, that’s a whole other blog post. :).
 
So back to my giveaway.  Just leave a comment on my blog – and I’ll draw a winner on Friday, Jan 20 for a $50 gift card to Mi Cocina!  Perfect for a family (or girls) night out!