Articles about Kids Kritics

Kid Kritic: Best Milkshakes in Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | February 5th, 2013 9:51am | filed under Kids Kritics, Milkshakes | 14 Comments »

Our Kid Kritic, Elizabeth Chandler, is back. Today the sixth-grader reviews seven milk shakes. And ranks them below.

This time I decided to write about milkshakes so I didn’t have to beg for one.  If you really think about how a milkshake tastes it might even taste better or worst. The things that I looked at included the texture of the milkshake, how chocolatey they were, and any toppings that were included.  At the end I will show my favorites. It might not be your favorites though. So here are the seven places I went to and what I thought.

Pokey O’s milkshake.

Pokey O’s: The place known for their ice cream sandwiches but they also have good milkshakes.

Their milkshakes were made right then and there and were not in the machine hours on end so it had some nice texture. It was very chocolatey but not enough where it was overwhelming. It had average thickness; not to thick not too thin. You could tell that the ice cream was Blue Bell even though it had a lot of chocolate. So overall it was really good and had a right balance of everything.

McDonalds: The milkshakes that you’ve had since you were two climbing on that play area.
It took about five seconds before I could suck it up so it was just right amount of thickness before it hit really thick. But it was very thorough and had no texture. Some people like it really smooth, but I like to have some texture. But it did have whipped cream and a cherry which was nice.

Jump for more and her final ranking.

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Kids Kritics: Schools + Restaurants = One Big Happy World

posted by George Lewis | May 23rd, 2012 11:23am | filed under Kids Kritics | 2 Comments »

We don’t often think of schools and restaurants in the same train of thought.  In this post, our Kids Kritic, Elizabeth Chandler, notes the synergism between food trucks/restaurants and schools. Kudos to restaurants who support their local schools by hosting a “Restaurant Night” and giving back a portion of their proceeds to the school.

Trailer Cakes Airstream "Bubbles"

Recently, my old elementary school had the food truck, Trailercakes, selling their cupcakes after school. I think this is a great idea. Now, my school district being smaller than some, like Dallas and Houston, we don’t have as many kids, but still, the line was probably from end to end of the school.  I tried to get my brother to get me a few cupcakes.  They have the mini ones, but sadly, the line was too long and he had to go home.  It was a tragedy with a capital T.  Also, I couldn’t somehow manage to race from middle school to the elementary school; and running? Not my thing.

Anyways, speaking of middle school I think it would be a great idea to do the same thing (have a food truck show up) in middle school or the high school. I mean that’s 1,2,3,4 times that many people for middle school and for the high school instead of going home or eating *shudder* high school cafeteria food.   Since food trucks are kind of a new thing, kids won’t know what they are, but they will know it is a miniature-sized restaurant that is 5 yards away from the school.

Another thing I think is great is restaurants, real ones, are teaming up with schools to do stuff like 10% of their sales go to blank elementary, middle, or high school. Or kids eat free night. Things like that I think is great because it is great for business for the restaurants, and cheaper for the family. So keep on teaming up, schools, with food trucks or restaurants. Bye, y’all.

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Kid Kritic: Fuzzy’s Tacos in Dallas

posted by George Lewis | February 15th, 2012 12:17pm | filed under Kids Kritics | 8 Comments »

This month our Kid Kritic, 10-year old Elizabeth Chandler, tells you what she thinks of the new Fuzzy’s Taco Shop near Love Field.  Previously, she has expressed her views on grilled cheese sandwiches and cupcakes.  We’re sensing a pattern:  Restaurants should note her gripes about skimping on the kid’s menu portion.

I don’t usually like Mexican food but this is great. From burritos to enchiladas to tacos.  It’s a great place for a get-together or a family dinner.  It’s not a fast-food place but it’s not a fancy schmancy kind of place.  The menu has a wide variety, which is good for large families (4 plus).  I don’t know about your family but in mine everybody likes way different things to eat. Since I usually eat from the kids plate, I’m happy to say that the food portion actually fits a child’s needs. I mean, sometimes other restaurants always give the adults the larger portions. There’s a reason everybody says: “She’s a growing child!”  I’ve never heard: “She’s a growing adult!”

So the reason I’m reviewing Fuzzy’s is not because they’re new, but because there is a new location at 4740 W. Mockingbird Lane near Love Field and they take care of kids.  I really like Fuzzy’s and I know you will too! Ta-Ta!!!

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Dirtiest Restaurants in Dallas: The Magic Time Machine

posted by Nancy Nichols | January 24th, 2012 10:38am | filed under As the Restaurant Turns, Cult Cuisine, Dirty Restaurants in Dallas, Kids Kritics, restaurant business news, Restaurant News, Reviews | 43 Comments »

It's not a beautiful day in this neighborhood.

I did not go to The Magic Time Machine for haute cuisine. When I packed up a good portion of my family, including three kids, and headed to the popular restaurant known for servers dressed as Peter Pan, Superman, or Jack Sparrow, I had no expectations of getting a decent meal even though the prices for entrees run from $13 to $23.99.  I did expect to dine in a safe and clean environment. Or at least a restaurant that was not so filthy it caused my 12-year old niece to turn to me, dirty fork in hand, and say, “Uncle Nancy, I think you should write about how dirty this place is.”

We walked in at 5:43PM on Sunday night. We were greeted by the stench of stale air. It was like walking into an old house without windows: the smell of musky furniture combined with lingering cigarette smoke trapped inside for years. The dark carpet was littered with bits of paper (toilet?) and napkins. Nobody had bothered to vacuum between shifts (days?). I spotted a plastic Gerber baby food container tucked behind a round light to the right side of the front door. The contents were dried and cracked. As I watched my 3-year old nephew run down the short hallway, I noticed a lamp cord connected to an extension cord lying perilously on the rug about a foot from the wall.

Do a shot of Pepto Bismol and jump hard.

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Kid Kritics: Cupcakes from “The Cup Cakin’ Machine”

posted by George Lewis | January 20th, 2012 11:55am | filed under Food Trucks, Kids Kritics | 3 Comments »

We debuted Kid Kritic last November. Our kritic is 10-year-old Elizabeth Chandler. She loves sweets. Today she reviews The Cup Cakin’ Machine, a food truck of sorts, but officially it’s a mobile grocery.  “The Machine” can often be found in the Arts District or roaming the DFW Metroplex.  Read on to see what she thinks about these mobile cupcakes.

When I first heard about the food truck, Cup Cakin’, I was watching Project Runway.  Well let’s reverse.  I heard my Dad scream, “Cupcakes!” Normally, that gets me up. But I had to see if Anya won, for like the, millionth time. So when the TV show was over and her victory and all the tears of joy and mushy stuff like that was over, I raced downstairs. So my Dad explained all the cupcake flavors and blah, blah, blah. I found them on the kitchen counter mourning for me to eat them. There was a cookies & cream one and a peanut butter one.

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Kid Kritics: Review of Ruthie’s Rolling Cafe

posted by George Lewis | November 18th, 2011 10:02am | filed under Food Trucks, Kids Kritics | 7 Comments »

Back in 2009, we received a warm welcome when we introduced “Kid Kritics.” It lasted all of two posts.  Our new KK is Elizabeth Chandler, a precocious 10-year-old who loves to eat and  loves to write.  She’s committed to one post per month.  Kids are brutally honest about their reviews and tend to swing either totally positive or totally negative.  Disclosure: No meals were comp’ed and our kid dines anonymously.

Ruthie's Rolling Cafe (photo by Elizabeth Chandler)

One, completely boring,time-wasting, no fun day….. My Dad says,”I have a supriii-se!!!” This is never a good thing.”We’re going to another food truck!” Ugh. Don’t get me wrong.  I love food trucks, but when your Dad is nagging on you to take pictures, your brother takes forever to order,your sister is whining about the heat, your mom is trying to make everyone happy, well, it gets a little annoying.  So I try every sickness and hurtness known to child.  Broken leg, headache, sprained wrist, stomach ache, scratchy throat, you know the usuals.  My Dad gave me the I-don’t-care-how-sick-or-hurt-you-are-you-are-going-to-stop-pity-partying-and-go.  Eventually I had to go.  It’s amazing how many threats my parents can make up.  So getting there I saw it first thing.  I mean who can’t miss a pink pig with a chef’s hat on the front of a ginormous truck? There were a LOT of people.  As usual my brother took forever to order.  They had the cutest little menus!  The first thing I noticed was they were all grilled cheeses.  I absolutely love grilled cheeses!  I first checked the four choices you had on the checksheet-menu.  First the bread,  then the cheese, next the meat, and then fifth, if you wanted, sauces, spread, or toppings you could have that too.  Everyone loved their sandwiches including my brother who is very picky about what he eats.  It’s a great place to go if you don’t want to cook or go to a restaurant and wait so long if you have kids who are constantly whining about the wait then when you plate the food they won’t eat a bite.  Sounds like someone I know (My sister and brother,and me).  You’re probably like zzzzzz by now so to sum it all up I love Ruthie’s!!!  It’s one of my favorite food trucks!!!

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