Eldorado Grill: Restaurant Review

One of the things that has been difficult for me to find since becoming a parent is restaurants where Dee and I can get a nice dinner but still bring Bebe B.  Often going out for dinner with children means your are banished to “kid” restaurants which quite often aren’t too healthy for kids or adults.  And I think for many of us a babysitter is a bit of a luxury so that nixes tons of places that would pitch you, your diaper bag and potentially mood-killing child out the door.  I’m not saying there is anything wrong with those places as when we do have a babysitter it’s nice to go to a place just for “grown-ups”.  But one thing I think we could use more of is upscale places that serve good food, drinks and still make it comfortable to bring your child/ children.  

Eldorado Grill fits that bill perfectly! A southwestern style restaurant with a fun and eclectic menu. I had heard many good things and perused the menu online before Dee, Bebe B and I gave it a try on this past Saturday evening.  I was even more pleased than I expected to be.  To start the restaurant is located in a converted historic candy factory that also houses the Ground Zero cafe as well.  The atmosphere is warm and comfortable with an upscale twist.  It’s the type of place you can dress up for but won’t leave red-faced if your little one throws food all over the floor.  They have highchairs, which is always a plus. The staff was friendly and our waiter was fabulous.  I asked right away if they had a kid’s menu, assuming they didn’t but I like to ask even though many times we share our meals with Bebe B.  They don’t have a kids’s menu but the waiter told us that they have a cheese quesadilla with one side for $2.99 or a chicken and cheese quesadilla with one side for $4.99.  We decided to get Bebe B the chicken and cheese quesadilla and see how she would do.  Then the waiter blew my socks off (okay I was wearing sandals but your get the idea) by asking if we would like to get that order in right away while Dee and I decided so it could come out for Bebe B first.  “Why YES we would”, I practically screamed!!  To recognize that kids often get antsy and just cannot wait for their food as long as adults, well that was a major plus in my book.  Bebe B loved the quesadilla and gobbled up the mashed potatoes (which were amazing).  I also had grapes with me for her which worked out well as they didn’t really have fresh fruit as an option on the menu, although fruit was included in many of the dishes.  I forgot to bring her bib though (hello! that’s restaurant 101) but I managed to MacGyver her a bib out of a cloth napkin and the clip to her “nuk”.  

  

 

Dee had the Chicken Tacos Mexicano and I had the Grilled Chicken Breast with Mango BBQ (JenEhr Family Farm free-range chicken breast marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and fresh jalapeño. Grilled and served with mango bbq sauce and garnished with pineapple chutney, garlic mashed potatoes, seared collard greens and a corn cake.)  This meal was amazing!!!  I was happy to see they use local free-range chicken and since I have purchased chicken from the JenEhr Farm at the Farmer’s Market I felt great about my choice.  I had never had collared greens before and was really unsure what they would be like...well I loved them.  I am all about raw veggies but the flavor and taste of these was fabulous and I had expected them to be soggy but they were crisp and warm.  

The meal was a bit huge, I ended up taking home my leftovers which made a nice lunch for Dee and I on Sunday.  I chopped the leftover chicken in to salads and we split the sides.  Bebe B had potatoes and part of her quesadilla left that she was able to have for lunch the next day as well.  So overall I rate this place as “Completely Rocks”!!  We were there around 6:00 pm on a Saturday night and it was not very busy at all but it began to get a little busy around the time we left.  Dee was also overjoyed that they had a parking lot because many restaurants downtown do not.  It is a bit pricy and for dinner there really is only the quesadilla meals for smaller portion options, also there wasn’t really an option of fresh fruit.  But for a place you can have nice dinner, a nice glass of wine, fancy drink or beer and take your child/ children and everyone will be happy this place scores high!!  I am excited to go back again soon and maybe try out their brunch which looks amazing as well! Eldorado Grill, in the words of Bebe B, gets a giant “MMMMMMMM”!

Eldorado Grill is located at 744 Williamson Street in Madison, WI.