Quiet places to eat

[pvdl]

Hi there, my name is Page, and I'm a native of Albuquerque. My husband isn't, but he's a fan nonetheless, which is why we moved back here three months ago.

My question is simple:

Are there any restaurants here in town where one can have a nice, quiet dinner with one's spouse/partner/date? By "quiet", I mean places to which parents do not bring their children. Almost everywhere we've been, there have been families with (often noisy) children. It really doesn't make for a nice night out.

For instance, I remember the days when Il Vicino was crowded and somewhat noisy, but wasn't full of little kids. That's not the case now; every time we've been there since we moved back (and last summer when we were visiting), there have been noisy little kids everywhere, even when we went later in the evening.

Anyway, let us know what your experiences have been, and if you have any suggestions. We only go out once a week, and we want it to be enjoyable.

[dolores]

I have found Yanni's to be pretty much child free, especially if its later in the evening. Usually it seems that the more expensive the restaurant the less children abound.

[Brendan]

Is it just child noise that's the problem? If so, the more upscale you go the better time you're going to have- generally people with children can't afford expensive restaurants or if they can it's a special occasion where the kids are expected to behave.

Other possibilities: Eat where the median age of the diners is over 50- Think Paul's Monterey Inn.

Avoid buffets, chains, and places with kitsch appeal.

Bars are a safe bet... at least for little children noise. Big children noise, there's a lot of that.

[Sarah]

HAHA Paul's Monterey Inn is the loudest restaurant in town! The Thai restaurant (Thai Crystal?) next to the downtown movie theatre is always extremely quiet when I have been.

[Brendan]

Really? When I've been there it's been so quiet it's almost creepy.

Other suggestions: Dine early or late. There's just fewer people at 5 and 8:30 than 6 or 7.

[Balletmom]

Antiquities in Old Town- probably one of the best resturuants in ABQ, great service, you can get a quiet booth in the back, the owners are on site and run it. Call for reservations.

Trattoria on San Mateo and Academy use to be a place like that but has become very popular- go later in the evening. No wait and mostly an adult crowd. Surprisingly I have never had the screaming child problem at Flying Star- maybe because we scope out the seating and pick our own.

I have begun to wonder if people with children do not hire babysitters anymore- this said from a parent of 4 who did not feel it necessary to take them everywhere. And if they misbehaved, they certainly were not allowed to continue and bother other people and did not get to go again.

[Randy]

Antiquities is great , Amy has grown into a fine chef in her own rights . The food has always come first and even though the place is small it is very nice and private and the wine list is one of the best in town . Amy and Steve do great for the customers and hopefuly they have learned how to treat their staff better than when I was doing pantry for them . Oh yeah they go all out for holiday dinners , but they are usualy booked a year in advance , so make your reservations for Christmass and Valintines day early !

[once banned twice shy]

This is one of my pet peeves. Unfortunately, it does indeed seem that people with children do not hire babysitters anymore--they seem to think that every place is appropriate for children. Including bars. People. I don't care if O'Niell's and Two Fools aren't dive bars--they are still BARS. Leave your children at home when you want to go out for a beer. If you weren't prepared to realize that a child changes your life and keeps you from going certain places you loved when you were childless, then maybe you should have never had the child in the first place. Also, for those of you who think it's darling to allow your child to run around unfettered in restaurants or bars, YOU ARE WRONG. It is dangerous for the child and dangerous for the servers. If you can't control your child or teach it how to behave properly in a social setting, STAY HOME.

Now that I got that rant out of the way, La Crepe Michel in Old Town doesn't have too many children and is quiet and restful. La Provence in Nob Hill has also been child-free when I've been there, but I am not sure you can count on it. Both are fairly reasonably priced.

[Sarah]

Agreed. I have many of the same thoughts on this subject, especially when I witness children having their age 10 birthday parties at Hooters. Seriously.

I rarely see children dining at La Provence, but again this is an EXTREMELY loud restaurant, unless you find seating on the patio.

[jeff]

our general rule of thumb is that we don't take our daughters to restaurants with loud ambient noise because it just puts them in a funk - they're just too young to know how to deal with it.
so, if others have similar rules, a high-quality and loud place should be most child-free.

la provence is such a place, as is yanni's.

[Kitson Harvey]

I actually always see kids at La Provence, but they've been - universally - impeccably behaved French children. Whom I quite enjoy sharing a dining room with.

I'd try (some have been said already):
Almost any sushi joint
Artichoke Cafe
Le Crepe Michel

[Masshole in Fringecrest]

If O'Niell's and Kelly's are strictly bars as you surmise, why do they have Kid's Menus? In addition, at the latter kids eat free on Saturdays and Sundays... but I agree with the principle of your statement, especially about the kids running around.

[Zoe]

I couldn't agree more with the concept of getting a babysitter. It's a bummer when you can't go somewhere because you can't get a sitter. But, good parenting requires sacrificing. Same goes for movies! I once asked for my money back for a movie because it was ruined by crying children. It was rated R.

Unfortunately, the one time I was at La Provence, there was an annoying child right behind me. :-(

Don't get me wrong. I love children. But when I go to a "big girl" movie or nice restaurant... I want to relax and enjoy it.