🚀 go-pugleaf

Christine Neidecker said to All: 

  CN> From: cneideck@cyclone.mitre.org (Christine Neidecker) Organization:
  CN> Mitre Corporation, McLean, VA Date: 6 Jul 1994 20:54:47 GMT
  CN> 
  CN> Hi, everybody.
  CN> 
  CN> My sister, her husband, and their kids (3 years and <1 year) are
  CN> coming to town next weekend.  I was wondering if anyone could suggest
  CN> some fun restaurants in Virginia for them to visit -- so far Chuck E.
  CN> Cheese and Generous George's come to mind...anyplace else, such that
  CN> these folks don't get stuck eating pizza all week? They like plain,
  CN> American food, so we're not looking for exciting food so much as
  CN> someplace kind of interesting and fun for kids, with decent service
  CN> and room for all the accessories that come with kids.
  CN> 
  CN> Thanks! Chris (P.S.  any hints for entertaining the 3-year-old are
  CN> welcome too... so far we've got National Zoo, that Reston petting farm
  CN> zoo, and Catoctin Mountain Park Zoo...this kid loves animals!!)

Well, the best restaurant I can think of for you is Boss Cats, on Leesburg Pike
not far from Bailey's Crossroads.  We went there a few weeks /before/
Washingtonian wrote them up big & favorable, and liked the place a lot.  Pat
Schroeder and her husband (I presume it was her husband, anyway) were there the
night we went, so we felt very much part of a trendy crowd.  :)  It's informal,
extremely kid-friendly, and we enjoyed the food.  They have a 3-item or 4-item
kid selection, but we usually let our nearly-three-year-old have part of what
we're eating and order only an extra plate for her. (And tip heavily since she
didn't buy anything, of course.)  Decor is fun for kids, good beer.

Personally I'd avoid Chuck E. Cheese -- the kid would enjoy it but nobody over
the age of five would.  We take ours to good restaurants, feed her good food. 
She likes Outback Steakhouse, which is about as vanilla and American a cuisine
as you can get (despite the pretensions to being Aussie).  And the Thai food
around here is so good that, even ordering /very/ non-adventurously, people who
don't know the food style can still enjoy themselves.

Entertainment -- the museums.  Natural History and Air & Space, depending on
interests.  The DC Children's Museum, about two blocks east and five blocks
north of Union Station, is great -- but DRIVE or TAKE A CAB, it's not a great
neighborhood for walking.  Top of the Washington Monument, if we get luck and
have a cool, clear day while they're here.  A walk along the Mall, ditto
conditional on the weather.  In Reston, if that's where you'll be, rent a boat
on Lake Anne and canoe or rowboat or paddleboat around the lake.