Keeping the wallet and the kids happy

In today's economy everyone is looking for a bargain. Even with a strong economy every parent likes a bargain. With two little kids, going out for dinner seems to cost us at least $40, no matter how we order. Our kids have decent appetites now so they need their own meal and don't like to share. We don't eat out very much during the week, but sometimes the days just get too busy to get a meal on the table. We are always on the lookout for restaurants that offer "kids eat free" nights. So far I only know of 3 in the Bel Air area.

Mountain Branch (Mountain Road, Fallston)
Stop by Mountain Branch on a Monday night and you can enjoy pasta night and your kids can eat free. The pasta night is salad, bread a "create your own" pasta dish and dessert. The kids can have anything off the kids menu or a kids pasta. In addition they also have "extreme entertainment" where an entertainer walks around and makes balloon creations for the kids. He is really good. While I'm a big fan of Mountain Branch's Sunday Brunch, I'm not such a big fan of the pasta night. It's just not that good. However, if you can put aside that the food is about as good as you can get at home, it is a good deal and fun for the kids.

Lone Star Steakhouse (Festival Shopping Center, Bel Air)
On Tuesdays, 2 kids can eat for free with the purchase of one adult entree at Lone Star Steakhouse. Lone Star is a family friendly steakhouse (I'd put it a notch under Outback), but definitely a great deal for the family.

Bill Batemans (Bel Air Road, Bel Air)
On Tuesdays Bill Batemans has a great deal. Kids eat for free and they have a great rib special for the grownups. For $11.99 you can get a full rack of ribs, fries, cole slaw and garlic bread. We have been there and my husband and I have split this deal (neither of us can eat the whole thing) and maybe get a salad to split and the kids eat for free. They always have crayons and fun sheets and the staff is really attentive to the kids with the exception of the service sometimes being a little slow. Batemans also has great other specials during the week.

If anyone knows of any other "kids eat free" places I'd love to hear about it. Variety is the spice of life!