After almost two decades as Madrona’s high-end dining destination, Dulces Latin Bistro will reopen Wednesday as a more casual, family-focused restaurant.
Co-owner Carlos Kainz said the combination of a tough economy and a shifting customer base led him to adjust his offerings. Gone will be the tablecloths and the more complex platings. In their place will be rustic hardwood tabletops, lower prices and lighter dishes tailored to the palates of toddlers and parents alike.
“We’re making the restaurant more family friendly,” Kainz said, pointing out that many of his regulars from past years are on the older side and no longer eat out regularly.
Kainz has already been branching out with his new wine outlet and weekly free wine tastings, both of which he said have been going well and bringing in new clientele.
We’ll post some pics of the re-imagined space once they reopen.
I am very excited to try Dulces. I’ve never been there as I found the prices too high, and the place too fancy. As much as I love St. Clouds with my kids, it will be great to have another choice!
Just how many “kid-friendly” restaurants do we need in that neighborhood? Dulces has lost my business– won’t be eating out with the risk of ill-supervised children at the next table.
Hey Jack, I’m so sorry your parents never took you out. Very glad I won’t be running into you at this wonderful establishment, your ill-supervised pompous attitude would likely upset my stomach.
I love Dulces! We’ve saved it for special occasions, so now we’ll just have make more excuses to dine there. Thanks Carlos!
Spend a little money, hire a baby sitter, feed your kids chocolate milk and a peanut butter sandwich, and LEAVE YOUR CHILDREN AT HOME. They don’t belong in places for adults!
It looks like there weren’t enough patrons to support the fine-dining sophisticated place — so hat’s off to the owner for trying a new plan. I hope many families support the new place, especially to replace diners who are so put off by kids. I know it can by annoying to deal with them (and parents who have a higher threshold for disruption) in restaurants.
I just want parents to supervise their kids at a restaurant rather than letting them run around like crazed monkeys. I had to sit at the table when I was out with my parents as a child – it’s kind of sad to see that isn’t so much the case these days…
Have to admit I am disappointed with a few of these responses.
I have been in many restaurants with children present, who behaved politely and whose parents were watching them. There was nothing wrong with these dining experiences.
Parents need to have family friendly restaurants to teach their children how to behave in public. To not treat a public place as ones home.
I admit I don’t like dealing with noisy rude kids when I am paying money to eat out, but it is important to have places for families to eat. Just because children are present doesn’t mean that your dining experience will be bad.