Dining With Monkeys: Slider Inn | Restaurants

I was really excited when Slider Inn opened last year...until I found out that they were a 21 and up establishment. Warren and I joked that it made no sense to sell tiny hamburgers and not let kids eat them. But more seriously I thought that the location--just down from Peabody Park--made it a perfect spot for families.

One night when I was without children and it was really late, some friends and I popped over for some food. Once inside I definitely got the bar vibe, and got over my little grudge. Soon Slider Inn became my late night go to place.

Then a couple of weeks ago I met my sister for a drink after work. Slider Inn looked a lot different in the daylight, and it turned out they wouldn't let anyone smoke inside until after 9 p.m.. "Does that mean you guys allow kids now?" I asked. The bartender confirmed that kids could come in before 5 p.m.

So, Saturday after basketball, Warren and I took the kids over for lunch. Warren was a little wary of bringing them, so I went in and just made double sure it was ok.

We arrived around 1pm and there were several full tables, but none with kids. We grabbed a table and I noted that we had seen the people at the next table the night before at the Cove. They had clearly just woken up, unlike those of us with children.

The very sweet waitress did her best to talk us into a mimosa or a Bloody Mary, and eventually Warren relented. The kids and I ordered water, but the bartender came over and asked the monkeys if they liked lemonade. When they said, "Yes!" he brought them each a cup of their signature fresh squeezed lemonade that he just made. I thought that was a very nice touch and made us feel welcome. The monkeys declared it delicious. Jiro even gave me a sip.

Photo: Flickr user staleyg.