I've written about my favorite takeout experiences of 2020, but while I am critical of food as a profession, my two young daughters have their likes and dislikes based on, well, nature and the fact that they're kids—and if they don't like something they will not eat it. My kids had a lot of meals that they did enjoy this year, but there were still a few that I'll be looking back on fondly because they loved the food so much. With that in mind, I've rounded up a list of the takeout meals that were big hits with this particular pair of young folks over the past takeout-centric year.  

My children's favorite takeout experiences

May 10: We enjoyed Pinkerton's Barbecue al fresco on the back patio of our Heights apartment. We dined on a pound of pork ribs, plus macaroni and cheese, and potato salad. Evie, at the time three years old, was very content with scraping every last piece of meat off the bone. Birdie, one, wanted the cheese. Pickles for both, naturally.

May 12: A delicious meal from Cafe TH, which I picked up after we got done feeding the ducks at Eleanor Tinsley Park on Buffalo Bayou. I grabbed banh mi and vermicelli noodles with chicken. It was the first time Birdie really engaged with her fork, picking up lettuce and noodles and studying them ... before grabbing the food off the fork and putting it in her mouth. Close enough.

June 12: I knew Saigon Pagolac would be good—there are reasons I've written about this one a few times. Short story: Evie made a couple of spring rolls with fish and had a blast. She also enjoyed the results thoroughly, eating four in no time at all. 

Aug. 21: Shipley Do-Nuts couldn't help but go well. I mean, it's donuts. As usual, Evie wanted strawberry with sprinkles, while Birdie devoured an entire yeast donut without a second thought. 

Nov. 14: Iwa Ya Teppanyaki & Sushi, another slam dunk. There were dumplings, so right away it was one of the best meals of the year. Evie can eat five or six in one sitting, while Birdie isn't shy about shoving down two or three. But also, Evie gave sushi a try for the first time and ate most of her California roll piece. Next time we'll try the raw stuff.

Finally, no offense to any of the folks who made our meals this year, but I have it under good authority that Evie's favorite meal was the ribeye Dad grilled for her to celebrate her fourth birthday. Birdie's? Well, can any of you chefs out there make a ketchup lollipop?