Blue Smoke – Flatiron Location

Blue Smoke is a casual restaurant with dependable BBQ in the Flatiron neighborhood. Founded by celebrity restaurateur Danny Meyer, Blue Smoke’s kid-friendly amenities take the cake…actually the cookie. We are proud to give it our first perfect sippy cup review!

Basics:

 Kid Friendliness:

The Verdict:

Good for infants, toddlers and little kids.
Appropriate for brunch, lunch or dinner.

Sippy Cup Rating:

Having eaten my way through Austin, Texas, I’m somewhat of a BBQ purist. I’ve had some bad NYC BBQ experiences so I was weary when we were invited by our frequent dining partners Chloe and her mom Kathye to Blue Smoke. I had been to The Jazz Standard to see musicians perform and had never been blown away by the food. But it was Memorial Day Weekend and having BBQ seemed appropriate. Seems like every other parent without a BBQ of their own (which is most in NYC) had the same idea. There were tons of kids, and now I understand why.

The physical space at Blue Smoke’s Flation location is ideal. There is lots of room around the tables for single and double-strollers making it a great place for family group outings. For those who don’t want to bring strollers to the table there is an area to “park” it in the front foyer. The restaurant has ample booster seats and high chairs as well.

The table activities at Blue Smoke are what take the cake….actually the cookie. After getting settled the waiter presented Sunny and Chloe with individual plates each featuring a cookie dough shaped pig, along with a little bowl of rainbow sprinkles. They decorated their cookies and were told they’d get it after they finished their meals (good motivation eh?). This activity was a big hit as were the packages of Wiki Stix that came with the kiddie menus. Also offered at Blue Water Grill, Wiki Stix are kind of like sticky bendy pipe cleaners. They provide great distraction.

Busy with Wikki Stix

The kids menu has some good standard choices along with a few traditional BBQ options. Sunny got the mac and cheese which to her relief was “normal” (READ – she hates when restaurants try to make it too fancy). Chloe got the baby back ribs. They both ordered apple juice which came in small plastic cups with spill-proof covers. And all was good in the world. Everyone ate in peace.

I ordered the pepper brisket which was decent albeit a little fatty. Kathye ordered with baby back ribs which she loved. I’m going with those next time.

Midway through dessert the girls’ freshly baked cookies were paraded out, each individually wrapped in cellophane bags so that they could save them for later. Uh, yeah right. They ripped those suckers open. Let the sugar high begin!

Before leaving, Sunny made sure we checked out the potty. And guess what!? There is a changing table in the Women’s room – hooray! Then like a diligent soldier she proceeded to go into the Men’s room. Oops! There was one in there too! Hooray! This makes us so happy. Actually it makes Ashton Kutcher happy too – he is one dad who spoke out last year about the lack of changing tables in men’s rooms. You can read more about the “Potty Parity” movement and his change.org petition which was originally directed at big box retailers like Target and Costco. It’s hard to believe in a city like New York, more restaurants don’t follow suit. Go Blue Smoke for taking the lead!

Is Blue Smoke the best BBQ I’ve ever had. No. But it has found the balance between being kid-friendly while still feeling sophisticated. And for that we are pleased as punch to give it our first PERFECT sippy cup review!

Blue Smoke – you are officially Sippy Cup Approved!

Kiddie mac+cheese 

Bonus Points:

• Lots and lots of room around many of the tables – multiple strollers can be accommodated so babies bring your posse!
• Blue Smoke donates $1 from every kids menu order to an amazing organization called Education Through Music which helps to bring music programs to inner-city schools. You can learn more about it here!
• Close to Madison Square Park

Insider Tips:

• The portions are big like any good southern meal should be. Your kiddies will probably have leftovers.
• A famous jazz club, The Jazz Standard, is attached to the restaurant. Check it out on date night and get romantic over some bbq.

Kiddie Menu

Inside

Cookie and Sprinkles pre-oven