sushi baby?

Every so often, I do something unthinkable. I pump a bottle, leave babe with Pa and do something for myself. I know, radical right? It doesn't happen often so it has to be huge, like showers that not only include both shampooing and conditioning but exfoliation too.

Friday, I decided the margin of difference between the length of hair on my legs and J's beard wasn't nearly a large enough and headed to my esthetician. You know you need a baby break when you are looking forward to having all the hair ripped out of your body. After an hour and a half of ~ahem~ relaxing sans babe, I decided it was too nice out to go home. Why not take P and venture downtown for a mama-baby day. I thought I would take a nice walk, grab a latte, do a little shopping, and stop for a sushi lunch. Visions of sitting with my babe on my lap while flipping through a copy of Mental Floss, popping pieces of maki into my mouth went through my mind.

I should have known better. 

I managed to get my coffee and buy the magazine. Then it was a matter of finding a restaurant that was baby friendly. We all know the best sushi in town is Akira on John Counter but it's a little further than I'd like to walk. And they love babies. It's so baby friendly they would actually hold yours if you really needed them to.

But I was walking and downtown, so the first restaurant I thought about stopping into was this cute little place on Princess who has pretty decent sushi. But it's tiny and congested inside, especially around 1pm on a Friday, making it next to impossible to maneuver a stroller. Add that to the few steps leading up to the door, and the long staircase to the bathroom and you've got an environment that isn't baby friendly. Even if I had been wearing her, it feels like a pub at last call when there are more than 3 tables taken. So, I headed up the street to the other place. 

Oh Ta-ke, how I love your 9.95 sushi lunch; how I hate your attitude towards the stroller, even when it's dead inside. Last time we went in the waitress asked us to move it away from our table because they wanted to seat the next customers at the table it was blocking. There wasn't anyone else in the restaurant. 

Seriously. And you thought I was just being sensitive. ;) 
  
Maybe I was just in a mood, and I realize I have risked this post turning into a rant because I'm feeling bitchy, so I won't go into details about the hour that followed. Instead, I've let this experience inspire a new quest: finding a baby friendly sushi restaurant within walking distance of my house (downtown). 

Recommendations? 

ps. speaking of the baby and sushi combination, did you realize there are a lot of people out there who like to dress their babes up as their favorite nigiri or maki?

  Or, if you'd rather have the Tuna.

 Sad that it's not even the baby as a hand roll that makes this kid creepy. I can't put my finger on it but... oh no wait, it's totally the Trump hair.

 And our favorite - California roll and shrimp nigiri - I think we need to see the California roll close up

 I think the wasabi helmut wins over the soya sauce one

 These folks went out of their way to sew the shrimp tail. I'm impressed... but don't think you need sewing skills - you could simply tie a pillow to your kid's back and make them crawl around to imitate your favorite sushi.

  and to think we missed Hallowe'en by thiiiis much. ;)