Flips Patio Grill - Grapevine

Overall Score:  ⭐︎½
Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Fried Pickles, Kid's Steak Fingers, Kid's Grilled Cheese, Cheeseburger
Taste: ☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎

Comments:  My parents liked the Fried Pickles yuck! And my mom's burger didn't make her sick like the ones at fast food places do. But there's not too much else positive I can say about this place except that all the food seems to be under $15.

My brother loves grilled cheese. And for a kid who loves cheese, this was a major fail! His Kid's Grilled Cheese Sandwich looked good, but my parents had to force him to eat it. He only took a small bite and then wanted to eat the Onion Rings. The onion rings were pretty good, but I have to agree with my brother, the main course isn't anything special. I wouldn't want to eat my Steak Fingers again. I'd only go back for the onion rings, and since there's smoking inside, I don't think that's a place we will be going back to. -The Blackwell Boys
 

Del Frisco's Grille - Southlake

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: No
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Buffalo Wings, Egg Rolls, Steak Sandwich, Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  There may have been only one or two other tables with kids inside the restaurant the weekend night we went, but that's okay... we are pretty used to that. Since it was so crowded we were able to sit on the patio. Normally I wouldn't want to sit outside in the middle of December, but we were having some extremely weird weather down here in the South. It was hot! So we split some appetizers and a Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza.  My brother loved the pizza so much, he didn't want to share! The Buffalo Wings are SPICY! So my parents loved them, but they were way too hot for me. I liked the Egg Rolls. The Steak Sandwich was just okay. That's the only thing we would order differently next time. 

I have to say the service was great. We normally make reservations before we go out, but for some reason did not this night. We were greeted right away by our server although he was busy running from table to table because the place was so packed. The manager filled in the gaps by refilling drinks, bringing out food, and checking in at the tables. Not having to sit around and wait forever made our dinner a lot better! -The Blackwell Boys
 

Coal Vines Pizza and Wine Bar - Southlake

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Not sure, but kid friendly and kids can share pizza with family
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Shirley Temple: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Pepperoni Pizza, Margherita Pizza
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  This place was completely packed on the night we chose to go. They have different specials on different nights of the week. We chose to stay because they served drinks to people while waiting for their seats. Who doesn't like a Shirley Temple before dinner?! Now they just need to work on perfecting those Shirley Temples by adding cherries. 

Our server was very friendly and our parents got to sample a sparkling wine as did the rest of the diners that night. And that wasn't even the special that night. It was get a free pizza when you buy a bottle of wine. We all loved the pizza and agreed it's our favorite pizza place we have found so far. It's so good you can even eat the crust. Somehow the crust is thin and soft at the same time. I don't know how they do that. -The Blackwell Boys
 

Buca di Beppo - Southlake, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Calamari, Chicken Parmasean, Caprese Salad
Taste: ☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎

Comments:  Buca di Beppo is a great place for a family to go if they like to share and can agree to eat the same things. It is a family style restaurant which means you order one meal for the entire family to share. They do have a kids menu for those picky eaters who refuse to eat what everyone else is eating. They also have appetizers and salads for everyone to share as well. We loved the Caprese Salad. The Calamari was good, but we all fought over the rings. At least my little brother was happy; I can't believe he actually eats the tentacles! The chicken parmesan was okay. The sauce is on the plain side. The restaurant gives you so much food, you have leftovers for a few days.

The restaurant is neat on the inside. We got to walk through the kitchen. There was so much going on. Our server forgot about us a few times. He was more interested (as were many of the boy servers) in a group of girls celebrating a birthday. -The Blackwell Boys
 

Tacos and Avocados - Roanoke, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:  Original Brisket Taco, Shrimp Taco, Fresh Catch Taco, Fried Chicken Taco, Pepper Crusted Ribeye Taco 
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  I love the rice and beans.  My brother loves the chips and queso. All the tacos are awesome!  I always get the combo and then choose two different types of tacos to try. So far, the fish taco is my favorite. My mom likes the brisket taco and my brother likes the shrimp.  

This is a good lunch place.  You order before you sit down. There is a kids' menu, but we always order off the regular menu. We order the combos and the a la cart items. The people are friendly and your food comes out quick. I love that the tacos are filled with lots of stuff especially meat. Two tacos are all you need to fill you up. -The Blackwell Boys

Northwest Independent School District - Texas

Overall Score:  ⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: What you would expect from a school lunch room
Food:
Ordered:  Turkey Dinner
Taste: ☺︎
Temp: ☺︎
Looks: ☺︎

Comments:  Kids had a choice of Turkey Dinner or Corn Dog to celebrate the Thanksgiving season with their parents at school. Both my brother and I chose Turkey Dinner. I was so surprised to see so many parents bring their kids Chick-fil-A. That just didn't happen at my old school. Everyone loved our school's Turkey Dinner Celebration.

You can see my brother's lunch pictured above. It doesn't look very good and yes, that is turkey. It also came with spicy green beans and mashed potatoes - two items my brother chose not to get. My mom was surprised and a little disappointed that he was not forced to get any vegetables.  

My lunch was the last one of the day and the lines were extremely long as they always are at the end of the day. Some kids had to wait 25 minutes of their 30 minute lunch to get their food. Luckily there was a separate line for parents, so my mom was able to get me a "grown-up" meal. It was basically the same except that it had sweet potatoes instead of mashed and it came without the wait. And as it turned out, if I had waited in the kids' line with my classmates, I would have ended up with a tray half-filled with food since the cafeteria ran out of food on the kids' side. I'm not sure why it did not occur to them to give any of the kids the extra food from the parents' line even though we were the last class of the entire school. -The Blackwell Boys

TruFire Kitchen and Bar

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Shirley Temple: ⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Pita and Hummus, Meatballs, Kid's Butter Noodles, Cheeseburger with Fig Salad, Chocolate Cake
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  Here is another example of a restaurant that is not exactly geared for kids, but you can still make it work. They do have a kids' menu; you just have to ask for it. Then, the server will tell you what you can eat - things like pizza and pasta and mac and cheese. I suggest you order a side of meatballs if you order the kids' pasta. You might be hungry otherwise.  

The regular menu has a lot more to offer - sandwiches, salads, pastas, pizzas, seafood...  I'd be happy going here again and getting what I got, but I'd rather order a grown-up meal. My mom's burger was extra good and way better than my pasta. I won't eat hummus, but the pittas were soft and warm. (By the way, my mom gave a thumbs up to the hummus.) The Shirley Temples were kind of a let down. They tasted alright, but they were missing the number one ingredient - cherries! -The Blackwell Boys