I’m a frequent visitor of Wood Ranch mostly because I love a good steak… But what about Morton’s or Ruths Chris you say? I love a good steak ANYTIME– not just when I get dressed up. Plus- Wood Ranch is more than steaks (their Chopped Tri-Tip Salad is the stuff my dreams are made of… speaking of- it might be a Postmates kinda day). I used to get to indulge at Wood Ranch much more often before JL showed up on the scene, but since Sarah Ro & I decided to take advantage of the fact I was off of work at a reasonable hour and we both ditched Mommy group to head over to the Grove and have our little men take pictures with the Easter Bunny. (Pictures were beyond adorable BTW and turns out we both have red-headed little boys according to the pictures.)
Since we both had strollers we thought we would cruise around and pretend we were back in the good ol’ days and replenish our missing makeup at the MAC counter and then park it for a moment to have a glass of wine and talk business. Since we live in LA and it’s March the weather was fabulous and we opted for a place with a patio. Whisper Lounge was all full on the patio, and I was skeptical of Umami burgers wine selection (I’ve only been there for business meetings so drinking is usually not a must-do). So we wandered over to Wood Ranch for appetizers and booze, of course.
Not an eye was blinked when we walked in with our big strollers (both of us have jogging strollers in case we are ever inspired to jog somewhere), and we were quickly escorted to a nice outdoor table with plenty of space for us to spread out and leave the strollers on either side of the table still assembled. Our waitress was sweet to offer us both high chairs and menus (we do have a total of 5 teeth between the two now), but we let the boys hang out and get comfy. I pulled JL out for a bit and let him stretch his legs and try to grab everything off of the table. Our waitress noted his antics and made sure to put the garlic rolls far enough back that I could still reach and devour them.
Cocktail wise, WR is known for their Margarita so Sarah indulged in a Cadillac (my hubby is a frequent margarita man so I have had more than my fair share of tastes of it) while I had their Bourbon Street. Both were delicious as usual, but having never had the Bourbon Street- it’s aptly named. Just like its namesake you’re likely to imbibe and enjoy and then wake up in the street wondering what happened. We ordered their signature shredded onion and chips and guac (mostly so the boys could nosh too). We were in there at lunch hour and it wasn’t busy at all and we received no dirty looks for having our boys there or having a drink! The waitress didn’t grimace either when she saw that JL decided he LOVES guacamole and was attempting to become one with it while eating & spreading it everywhere (I wiped it all up and cleaned before we left, but sadly none of my wipes could save that napkin).
Boozy Mommy Pros:
- Drinks are delicious, strong, and priced fairly enough and they have a decent selection and a full bar
- High chairs, kids menus, changing tables in the bathroom, and extra large strollers are all a-okay with them
- Wait staff has no problem with kids and didn’t blink an eye when certain members of the team got squirrelly
- Tables spread apart fairly well. Room for a stroller (or two!) on each side without difficulty
- Valet is offered AND they Validate for the Farmer’s Market (NOT the Grove)
Boozy Mommy Cons:
- Parking in the Farmer’s Market is a crapshoot
- We were there in the afternoon- it gets pretty busy and crowded in the evenings there
Bottom Line- I’m going back. Often. It’s a great location and great food. I’ve seen people let their kids play outside in the garden area between Wood Ranch and Maggiano’s and there’s not an issue with it. It’s great food & service, and a beverage list that makes me happy!