Kathy's Pizza Grill and Sports Bar

My car spent the day in the shop, and my wallet spent the evening considerably lighter after picking up my car. We decided to meet up for dinner at Kathy's Pizza Grill and Sports Bar, which is very near our auto mechanic. The place has had a variety of names, and seems it started life as a Farrell's Ice Cream. Everywhere you look, there's a tv and tonights entertainment was the Orange Bowl. It IS a sports bar, so I have no problem with the sports. They also do karaoke a few nights a week, which I think would be a hoot with that many tvs - but I digress.

Half is restaurant and half is bar - the whole thing was lit like a surgical theater, but it was clean and inviting once we got inside. There was only one high chair to be found, and I did not spot any booster seats. The menu is straight up home cooking plus pizza and burgers. The kids menu was a disappointment, 4 items, 3 of them fried.

Kids Menu

We ended up ordering a la carte for Z - meatballs with marinara from the appetizer menu ($5.99 for 8 meatballs, all with toothpicks skewered in them - probably great for an older child but an immediate "DON'T TOUCH THAT, I KNOW IT'S PRETTY AND GREEN BUT IT'S POINTY!" for me) and grilled veggies from the sides menu ($2.99).

Our waitress seemed a little old-school crusty, in a "kiss my grits" sort of way when it was just me, but she really perked up when Mark got there with Z. Apparently, she's a grandmother of two, and even though she mistook Z for a girl (it's the eyelashes), she was very helpful and responsive on getting our order out to us, bringing a special small spoon for Z and checking on us frequently. There was a mix-up and his meatballs did not make it out with our food, but the grilled veggies arrived right on time.

The veggie plate contained carrots, snap peas, zucchini, cauliflower and red peppers roasted in a little olive oil. Z has been on a total fruit and veggie kick and he was quick to sign "eat! eat!" and to reach for them. We did a quick chop up, as only a first time, over-protective set of parents can, and let him dig in. Sips of milk from his Lightning McQueen sippy cup helped wash down the handfuls of veggies, and he was a happy boy. Then the meatballs arrived and all thoughts of veggies flew out of his mind with the desire for protein. He was not a fan of the parmesan cheese on top, but he ate 4.5 of the little meatballs before he started dropping them on the floor and laughing.


Meatball tested, Meatball approved
Our dinners were similar to each other, and quite honestly, not so great. Mark had the open-faced hot roast beef and I had an open-faced hot turkey sandwich, both with more roasted veggies and mashed potatoes with respective meat gravies. My meal was so salty I had a hard time eating it. I gave Z a bite of mashed potatoes before taking my own bite and he made a really scrunched up, "not sure about this, Mama" face. Once I tried them I could see why.

With a couple beers, dinner for three and a healthy tip because of the food on the floor, it was $43. Not a deal, not a deal breaker. I think Z got the best meal of the three of us.

Baby Rating: 4 out of 4 meatballs
Mama Rating: 2 out of 4 meatballs
Service: 3 out of 4 meatballs
Healthy/kid friendly: 1 out of 4 meatballs - fried foods and not a lot amenities for kids, even though they bill themselves as family friendly
Uh-Oh! Diaper!: forgot to check the bathroom for a changing station. I'm new at this blogging thing!  

Overall: 63%
Likelihood of returning: Grandma waitress not-withstanding, not very likely. Adult meals just weren't that great, and there are places with better, healthier variety nearby.