NYC restaurants have high chairs! …Oh, and I saw Debra Messing

Last night, my loving husband took me to Almond, an American/French bistro type restaurant in Flatiron boasting market fresh ingredients and a good wine list. This was the first of our newly inaugurated weekly dates in which my husband plans to leave work early so we can spend some quality time together (his idea).

We made a 6 pm reservation on Savored.com which gives you 30% off your total bill of food and drinks for a nominal $10 reservation fee. It’s a great way to explore the NYC dining scene and save a few bucks.

Since we want to take advantage of the warmer spring evenings and daylight hours, we made it an early dinner. Not to mention, my pregnant stomach is grumbling around that time. (So long to trendy late night dining, unless it’s second dinner!)

Well our 6 pm reservation introduced us to a whole new dining scene. First, people in NYC do eat before 9pm! The restaurant was packed. Second, people in NYC do eat at restaurants with their children!

I don’t know why I found this out of the ordinary, but seeing a wooden high chair (red lobster style) at a trendy NYC restaurant triggered the song “one of these things is not like the other” in my head!

I thought “cool” and checked out the mom who was “cool” enough to bring her baby out on the town. Well, there sat Debra Messing, even “cooler”! She was dining with another female companion who I presume was the mom since Debra has a 7 year old (I googled it). I promptly sat at my table facing her table so I could spy on her and observe the babe in the high chair.

Debra left shortly after I arrived (probably because she was appearing on David Letterman that night, so pops). Lucky for my husband, my attention shifted back to the restaurant and my date.

Until I was expecting, I didn't really notice how kid-friendly the city can be. In fact, I thought the opposite. Now, I see pregnant bellies on the subway everywhere I go. And 90% of the time, someone will offer me their seat. I’m constantly straining my neck to check out the brand of strollers rolling by. (Yes, I've even stopped someone and asked them how they liked their UppaBABY Cruz). And apparently when the timing is right (early dinner or brunch), kids are brought to hip restaurants and waiters break out the secret stash of high chairs. After all, parents eat too, just a little earlier!