You may have noticed that Doc Holiday’s Steak House located on Eisenhower Boulevard is now the Lancaster Brewing Co, 469 Eisenhower Blvd, Harrisburg, PA 17111.  Although we had been to Doc Holidays on a couple of occasions, it was not our favorite.  I always found the place to be a little dingy and the crowd slightly shady.  The food was fine but nothing great.  So, when we saw that it had changed, we decided to give it a try.

For those of you who had been to Doc Holidays, the floor plan is pretty much unchanged.  You walk in to either a bar area or a dining area.  The two areas are connected by long, slimmer hallway area.  The big change is the décor.  Gone is the country atmosphere and stuffed animals.  In its place is a slicker, modern restaurant that is definitely not as dingy feeling. 

We arrived at a strange time and, although the place was empty, we could not get the full menu.  Apparently, there is a two hour period between lunch and dinner where you can only get soup and salads.  Despite this, we decided to stay and had a relatively nice lunch.

We did take the time to grab a menu and it looks like they should have some fairly interesting food.  They have a “Small Plates, Salads and Sandwich” menu which has some unique choices – Smoked Duck Soft Tacos, Yellowfin Sushi Roll, Duck and Spinach Salad and Lamb Burgers.  I had the Duck and Spinach salad which was very good.  The Entrees looked equally exciting with Lobster Macaroni and Duck Breast Pizza. (They must have come into a lot of duck somewhere). 

The kids menu has the old stand-bys – chicken tenders, pizza and hamburgers.  It also has meatloaf and grilled chicken which are great to see on a kids menu.  Each meal comes with a beverage and a scoop of ice cream.

I wish I could talk more about the food but because we came at an off-hour we didn’t get to sample much.  If anyone’s been, please send your thoughts.  I am sure we will soon be trying it again and will let you know how it goes.

            For the first round of the NFL playoffs, we decided to go out with two other families – so we had 6 adults and 7 kids.  We were looking for a good, old fashion pizza and beer place.  We decided on Gullifty’s Restaurant, 1104 Carlisle Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011. 

            For those of you who haven’t been, Gullifty’s is located in a strip mall off of I-83 South near New Cumberland.  There are two floors – the dining room upstairs and a bar area downstairs.  I have never sat in the dining area.  I had been to Gullifty’s downstairs area for concerts on a couple of occasions and would not have thought to take the kids there.  We called ahead and although they won’t take reservations we were assured there would be seating in this basement area which was fine for us because it has numerous televisions to watch the game.

            The downstairs has a large wooden bar and two seating areas.  There is also a pool table and (my kid’s favorite) a pop corn machine with free pop corn.  I was surprised it wasn’t busier but there were a number of families. 

            The menu is large and ranges from pizza to seafood.  I think it used to be owned by the same people who own Highway Pizza which is a well known State College restaurant.  We had the pizza and wings which were very good.  The service was also good and very accommodating to the kids.

            The kids menu also has a lot of selections all of them priced between 2.59 and 2.99.  The selections include normal stuff like burgers, hot dogs, pasta, pizza and mac & cheese.  The menu also has interesting things like peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwiches, scrambled eggs and peanut butter and jelly pizza.  They also serve kid’s dessert – ice cream, heated brownie and “dirt” (chocolate pudding with crushed oreos and gummy worms.)

            I really am glad our friends thought about going to Gullifty’s.  My wife and I have often talked that there is not a place in our neck of the woods which has good pizza/wings/beer and is fun for the kids.  Gullifty’s meets that definition.

Coakley’s Restaurant & Pub, 305 Bridge St, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania is one of those local restaurants that sometimes get forgotten by those of us not living or working right nearby.  In fact, in writing this review, I mentioned it to a number of friends.  To a person, each friend said something to the effect of: “We really enjoy Coakley’s every time we go but we haven’t gone in a long time.” 

For those that haven’t been, Coakley’s is located in downtown New Cumberland.  From the outside it looks like an Irish Pub and has two entrances.  The “Pub Entrance” leads to a bar area which is long and skinny and has a very nice wood bar running along one wall.  Past the bar is a dining room area which I think used to be an open patio.  Coakley’s sells what I believe to be the coldest beer in town and has a full bar and great selection of beers.  It is probably not the kind of bar area for families just because there is very limited seating.  I have not sat in the back area which has televisions and could be better suited for families. 

The other entrance leads to a “Dining Room” area.  The first thing to strike you about Coakley’s dining room area is that it seems to have been cobbled together from an older home.  There are a number of separate rooms and various nooks and crannies.  We sat in a little room with one table which could seat around 10 people.  The kids enjoyed having our own area.

Aside from the maze-like set up, the dining room area has a very stuffy feel.  It is very quiet which can be trouble with energetic kids. However, on the days we have gone it is not overly crowded – so there wasn’t too many people to bother. 

The wait staff is very professional but maybe (like the dining room) a little stiff.  Our waitress was prompt and attentive but not a load of laughs.   

The menu is fairly large.  It starts with sandwiches and runs to seafood and steak entrees.  I have always liked the food at Coakley’s.  We started with a spinach/crab dip which was great.  The entrees (mostly steaks and the seafood) were also very good.   The kid’s menu is short but covers all the bases – hot dogs, mac & cheese, grilled cheese and pasta. 

Actually, I think the best stuff on the menu is the soups and sandwiches and Coakley’s is open for lunch.  If you go for lunch (or dinner) try the Irish Breakfast Sandwich – it is my favorite.  

If you want to check out the menu – they have a website at www.coakleys.com.

I recently received another suggestion for a family friendly restaurant here in the Harrisburg area. Dockside Willies in Wormleysburg. Here is what I received: Another…Dockside Willie’s - Wormleysburg. Ate there last evening (Thursday) for the first time. Sat outside so I can’t comment on the inside. But there is a bar area and a dining area. Anyways, they have a kid’s menu, crayons and a coloring menu. They have specials every night. Thursday is $2 clams/dozen! Outside was crowded and the food arrived a little slower than should have but nothing to complain about. Server was great! A vast menu. We had clams, pizza, chicken sandwich and fries. I am no expert, but food was delicious. Comparable to similar bars/restaurants in the area. Will be going back again 

It was good timing as I had just taken my family to Dockside Willies for dinner and I really echo what the reader submitted.

 Dockside Willies sits right on the river between the Rock Bass Grill and the old G-Man (I can’t remember its new name). You enter into a nicely redone dining area with a large bar to one side and a smaller seating area on the other. It had a very clean feel and was not smoky when we ate there. The real attraction for me is the deck overlooking the river. It is very large with a lot of seating. Restaurants with decks are hard to come by in this area.  As noted by the reader in his/her comments - the menu is large. It ranges from traditional bar-type food - pizza/burgers - to your steaks, seafood and chicken. As noted, they have the standard family-friendly requirements - highchairs, crayons and coloring paper. The children’s menu was good with a number of selections. I thought the food was good but not great. However, again, the deck really made up for things. We actually went a little later than usual - @7:00 on a Thursday. The crowd was pretty well divided between groups enjoying happy hours and families (many with young children). The deck was not loud or out of hand in any way. We felt very comfortable and enjoyed the evening. RESTAURANT ROW - Last week there was an article in the paper discussing “restaurant row” and all the comings and goings of restaurants. The part that interested me the most was a quote from a couple with a young child in which they declared restaurant row to not be “child friendly,” Apparently, the restaurant at which they ate for some reason refused to make buttered noodles for their child.  Working downtown, I have visited most of the restaurants running from Market Street up Second Street to the Fire House (approximately the end of restaurant row). As I think about each restaurant, nothing really sticks out as being particularly family friendly. Therefore, over the next few weeks, I am going to try to visit as many of the restaurants as possible to determine which if any are family-friendly. Any assistance from the readers would be helpful and I would appreciate any comments about your experiences.

I thought since I missed a week, I would do three quick reviews instead of the normal one.

Theos Bar and Grill, 3315 Hartzdale Dr, Camp Hill, PA 17011 – Theos is located near the Capital City mall and has been around for some time.  The exterior is fairly nondescript.  The interior is clean and well decorated.  The restaurant is divided into three areas.  There are two dining areas separated by a large bar in the middle. 

Theos always struck me as a place where 40 year old professionals went for happy hours and a nice meal.  I don’t mean that as an insult – it is just a nice but low energy restaurant.  The kind of place you might take your elderly parents for their birthday.  When we have gone, there have been other families with children and I would not be afraid to take the family even later in the evening.

The menu is large with all the normal favorites.  There are a few interesting choices and a decent variety of selections but nothing ground breaking.  When we asked if they had a kid’s menu – the answer was:  “yes, but not a physical menu.”   Okay, here is the deal.  They have kid’s meals but no menu describing the meals.  The meals seem fairly standard – my son had the pasta and it was a large portion with a tasty sauce.  In all, we always like our meals but there is nothing spectacular or particularly memorable.

Rich Valley Golf Course, 227 Rich Valley Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050 – One of the family activities we enjoy is golfing.  Rich Valley is a newer course right off Interstate 81 (you can see it from the road).  Rich Valley offers a three hole, par 3 course which is great for kids and families.  It costs $2 per hole per person to play and it is never really busy.  You can rent clubs for yourself or the kids.  The course also is the site of the First Tee which is a program to introduce kids to golf. 

Once we are done golfing, we often head to the bar/restaurant located in the club house.  It is called Nolo’s Grill and consists of a small bar, a small dining area and some outdoor – deck seating.  We have sat in both the bar and the dining area without problem. 

The staff is extremely friendly and we are usually one of the few patrons there.  When we eat in the dining area, we have the television turned to children shows and the dining area has large windows overlooking the course. 

The menu is good and has a decent selection of the sandwiches and meals.  They have daily specials and a good kid’s menu.  One piece of advice – if your kids want a hotdog, get one down at the pro-shop because they don’t have them in the bar/restaurant upstairs. 

My kids love the egg sandwich which is part of the main menu.  

So, if you want to try golfing and get a nice family meal, Rich Valley is the place to try.

   Michaels Café,  54 Benvenue Road, Duncannon, Pa 17020 (Clarks Ferry Area) – 

I encourage every reader of the blog to submit suggestions for family restaurants.  I got one recently for Michaels Café in Clarks Ferry.  I have always wanted to stop by but never have.  Here is what the reader said:

got another one for you….Michael’s cafe in Duncannon.  Again, went at
5:00.  Place was empty but other patrons came once we were there.  There
were 3 kids in total with us.  They have a kid’s menu, crayons, and
coloring pages.  It used to be an old arby’s but don’t let the outside fool
you.  Inside is very contemparary and food was excellent!  Great wait staff
and a nice beer selection.  Worth the short trip.  We will be going back
again soon.  Here’s their website:  michealscafe.com

I will definitely be giving it a shot.

When I started the Kid’s Menu, I was hoping to not only convince other families to try some of my favorite restaurants but to also identify some new restaurants for my family to try.  One of the first suggestions I got was Teds Bar & Grill, 6197 Allentown Blvd, Harrisburg.  Being from the west shore, Teds was not someplace I had been.  So, I packed up the family and made the long trip to Allentown Boulevard.  To be honest, I was nervous when we first saw the place.  It is a square, non-descript building with few windows and a definite “bar” look.  However, when we went in, we found a clean, family friendly restaurant proving again that you can’t judge a book by its cover. 

The interior of Teds is divided into three areas – a bar, a smoking dining room and a non-smoking dinning room.  I assume it has a pretty good bar crowd in the evenings and I saw signs for Karaoke.  So, the rules about going early and during “off hours” is likely applicable. 

It is hard to describe the décor at Teds.  If pressed, I would say that it is “Mediterranean.”  It has fake ivy on the ceiling and Wal-Mart pictures on the wall.  To avoid any smoke, you can sit in the non-smoking dining room which is in fact a separate room.  While there were a number of people smoking in the bar and the smoking dinning room, the non-smoking dining room was fine. 

Teds has a full bar and the menu at Teds is expansive.  Choices range from pizza and hamburgers to steaks and other entrees with an Italian or Greek flare.  The kids meals are good and has the standards – hotdog, pasta, etc.  Other than the vast number of choices, the thing that struck me was the prices – Teds is very reasonable.  Kid’s meals were under $5.  My son had the pasta and it was a very large portion with a great-tasting tomato sauce.  The main entrees were similarly very reasonable and came with a number of side dishes.  Teds has numerous daily drink and food specials.  My other son had the Honey BBQ wings (a special that day) which were very good.  In fact, everything we had was very good and we will be going back to explore the menu some more. 

            The service at Teds, while not Applebee’s efficient, was good.  Our waitress was very friendly and clearly had worked at Teds for some time.  I am sure she is a favorite among the regulars.  I always think that friendly service can really make a restaurant particularly when dining with children.

             Teds is a great example of a local restaurant which from the outside may scare off some families but is really a great family restaurant.  I hope if you haven’t tried it that you give it a shot – particularly those “westshorers” like us who don’t cross the river near enough to enjoy the dining on the east shore.       

With the holiday and my work schedule, I did not have the time to try some of the restaurants suggested by the readers of the Kid’s Menu.  So, I decided to review one of my family’s favorites in Camp Hill - The Appalachian Brewing Company - Camp Hill, 3721 Market Street, Camp Hill, PA. 

ABC has a number of locations.  The original location is on Cameroon Street in Harrisburg in what I believe was the old Water Works building.  The Camp Hill version is located in the building formerly housing Ko Ko Mos.  ABC is, of course, known for its beer but does have a full bar and a fairly substantial food menu and children’s menu.

ABC did substantial renovation to the building including pouring a stained concrete floor to match the original building on Cameroon.  It is divided into a large bar area and a dining room area.  The bar area has high-top tables and a number of televisions.  The bar is a smoking area but I have never found it to be too bad.  The dining room is fairly unremarkable and, quite frankly, kind of boring.  We generally sit in the bar area because our kids enjoy the televisions and it has a much more lively atmosphere. 

ABC is a little more upscale then Your Place and is not quite as “bary” as some of the other places reviewed.  It is very clean and nicely remodeled.  I imagine the bar gets busy during happy hour but I have never seen the place real busy – especially during the lunch. 

The food includes traditional brew pub food but also includes a number of interesting entrees many with a lean towards German food.  We always start with the Pretzel Logs – three large soft pretzels with spicy mustard.  Kids love them.  If you feel adventuresome, order a cup of the cheese soup to dip the pretzels in.  The pizza is also very good and there are a number of interesting sandwiches.  I like the chili.  The entrees are wide ranging from steaks to pasta and chicken and fish.  I have always found the food to be good but maybe not great.  Of course, when coupled with the ABC’s great micro-brews, I have always had a good experience.

The children’s menu is fairly standard with a number of good choices.  Our kids enjoy the “make your own pizza.”  It’s a cheese pizza with a plate of sliced sausage and pepperoni for the kids to sprinkle on.  The kids all get a free plate of cheese, crackers and oranges upon arrival which is a nice touch.   

ABC is a nice spot perfect for families and we enjoy the variety in food and beer it offers.  I hope you will give it a try.

Last week I did my first Kid’s Menu review of Your Place.  As I wrote, Your Place was really the biggest inspiration for the blog.  Probably the second biggest inspiration was Sierra Madre - 4035 Market St., Camp Hill.  Sierra Madre is a prime example of a place which has a reputation that keeps families away but, when you look beyond that, it can be a great place for the family.  We have invited many of our friends with kids to have lunch at Sierra Madre and they have all been surprised that we take our kids.  However, each has enjoyed their visit.

Sierra Madre is located on Market Street and is a Mexican themed restaurant.  A few years ago, it was refurbished and the interior opened up.  There is outdoor seating but I don’t think that is open yet.  The restaurant is divided into two parts.  Around half of the restaurant is the bar area.  The other half is a dining area.  (You do have to walk all the way around the bar to go to the bathrooms if that sort of thing is an issue).  The most interesting part of the dining area is three “cage” or “jail” tables.  These are three tables in alcoves with jail cell doors.  My kids like the idea but the problem is that the tables are very small making it impossible for us to sit there.  Moreover, you can not see the television which is a pre-requisite for my kids. 

Sierra Madre has a full bar and good margaritas.  About half the menu is Mexican themed with the other half being standard fare like steak, seafood and sandwiches – I like the breakfast wrap.  I think it is a place that has a varied enough menu to please everyone.  The two things that stood out to me were the chips and salsa and the children’s menu. 

Nothing keeps the kids happier than chips and salsa.  When you sit at your table at Sierra Madre you are immediately given a bowl or two of the chips.  Unlike most nacho chips you get, the nacho chips at Sierra Madra are thicker and crispier – and just real good.  I have never had them like that before.

Next is the children menu or “Little Amigos” menu.  I really like the children’s menu because it has a lot of choices including cheese quesadilla, macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers, hot dogs, fried shrimp, BBQ chicken bites, grilled cheese and ham and cheese.  Everything comes with fries and an Oreo cookie.  Every kid should be able to find something there.  Also, they do have coloring sheets and crayons.  It has to be good for kids with that type of menu and with crayons.

Sierra Madre is for the most part a bar and it does get fairly busy (and smoky).  As discussed last week, the secret with Sierra Madre is to go during the more kid friendly hours – Saturday or Sunday afternoons.  They get a good happy hour crowd, so a mid-week dinner as early as 5pm could push you into a busier bar time.  When we have gone Saturday or Sunday afternoons, we have usually been the only people in the dinning area and the wait staff has been very friendly and accommodating.  I expect they are not used to seeing younger children at Sierra Madre and work hard to make our visit enjoyable. 

In all, don’t judge a book by its cover and give Sierra Madre a try. 

Alright, I don’t know how to feel about this weeks review.  One day I was driving by the

Ye Olde Ale House, 5002 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050.  On its sign, the Ale House claimed to be “family friendly.”  Having been to the Ale House on occasion for drinks and knowing its reputation, I thought there was no way.  So, I thought I would go there with the family and prove that it is not family friendly.  However, having now been there, I don’t think I can say that. 

I arrived early before my family and sat at the bar for a beer.  I grabbed a menu and found that it had a children’s menu.  I also found a flyer which described a family night every Wednesday during which kids eat for a dollar.  I spoke to bartender and she said that kids love the place and, in fact, some kids ask to have their birthday party at the Ale House.  I also noticed a number of high chairs and boosters.  So, it had all the trappings of a family friendly restaurant.

If you have never been, the Ale House is a non-descript building with beer signs in the window and a large deck in the back.  The interior of the Ale House is large and open but without much personality.  About a fourth of the building is a bar area.  The remaining part is a large open dining room with tables spread throughout.  There is a small area with pool tables. 

The menu is fine with a range of normal appetizers, sandwiches and entrees including steak, chicken and sea food.  I started with the Chicken and Corn soap which was very good.  We just ate appetizers and the popcorn shrimp and cheese sticks were good. 

The “Little Ranch Hand Menu” had Chicken Tenders, Chicken Breast, Spaghetti, Hot Dogs, Grilled Cheese, Hamburgers and Pita Pizza each for around $4 to $5.  Each children’s item came with a choice of apple sauce or fries, a beverage and an oreo cookie.  Not too bad. 

We were the only family there and, at around 6:00 or 6:30, the pool area got very full with what appeared to be a league of some sort.  The dinning room does not have televisions and the music is a juke box.  The whole restaurant is a bit smoky although they do have what look like large filtering machines hanging from the ceiling throughout the restaurant.  The deck looks very nice and may be one of the few places to eat outside in that immediate area.  The service was okay but the tables were so spread out around the large dining room that you did have to wait on occasion. 

I don’t know what to think about the Ale House.  It is significantly more family friendly than I thought and I get the impression they are trying to increase its recognition as a family restaurant.  It is very drab, boring and “bary.”  It is also smoky but not overwhelming.  I think you would definitely want to go on the off times but, overall, I am glad we gave it a try and we will definitely go back – particularly to enjoy the deck.