Zoo A La Carte

We actually had our company picnic at Zoo a la Carte this Sunday, and I was so stoked as I haven’t had a chance (or the cash to spare! $$$) to go in previous years. We were given admission and parking (it’s $ 14.25 to get in, and $ 12 to park!!!) We also were given $ 10 worth of tickets. We got there around 11:30, the line to get in was not long at all, and parking was simple. The food booths were grouped in sets of about 5, and there were different «pods» around the park to find.
We were given beer at our shelter for the company picnic, however most people complained of feeling ill after drinking the beer. As it is a zoo and not a bar, we all were suspicious that the lines haven’t been cleaned out in a long time. I can’t attest to the prices of the beer, but I was interested in getting a glass of wine. There was one area I saw wine being poured, and it was TWELVE tickets! That comes out to $ 6 for a glass of wine, and these were dixie cup sized. No thanks.
We got food from Alioto’s, (corn, fried pickles and totchos (nachos with tater tots instead of chips). The corn was fine, but the kernels were really small and not juicy at all. The fried pickles were not good at all, the batter was purely cornmeal which made them very chewy and rather tasteless. The totchos were fine. We got a hot dog wrapped in a baguette from Lake Park Bistro, it was as described. I got reuben nachos, which was corned beef with melted swiss over kettle chips. The one thing I really noticed is that the prices were pretty high for the portion sizes. Each person had to get something from a couple different booths to fill up.
It was great that tons of the animals were awake and moving around being silly. As we were on our way out we were looking at the orangutans and there was a volunteer answering questions which was cool. Overall it was a fun event, but the prices (had we paid), were SUPER high and would end up being a very expensive day to leave with a belly ache from the dirty beer lines and copious amounts of fried food.

It had been 10+ years since I’d been to Ala Carte so I was excited to go back in the company of some fellow Unilocalers. If you haven’t been, Zoo Ala Carte takes place over the third weekend in August. They bring in bands, the zoo stays open late and 30 – 40 restaurants set up tents for your grazing pleasure.
Good:
+The Zoo knows how to handle the (massive) crowds. They had extra staff at the gates and extra bathroom areas. Good work!
+You’re supporting a great cause
+Spring rolls from Hue and Veggie Couscous from Aladdin — delicious!
+Family friendly
+“Reasonable” beer prices at $ 4. Remember that the zoo has a very liberal carry in policy so you can bring non-​alcoholic drinks in. I’ve «heard» some people sneak in like 12 beers in their monster purse but I’m not confirming that I participated in that.
+Pretzel bites from Rock Bottom. I don’t know what that spicy cheese dip was all about but it was tasty.
+Tickets vs. Cash — usually not a fan of this system but with the crowds it helped the lines move quickly. (You know I’m always the one stuck behind the guy trying to pay with rolls of pennies or postage stamps)
+Having restaurants «clustered» in 4 – 5 areas vs scattered everywhere
Bad:
–Most of the restaurant choices — Applebees, Joey Buonas, Wongs Wok — REALLY? There was good reason that the longest lines were for locally owned places as they had the best food. I came to Ala Carte hoping to try new things. Definite need for an upgrade here.
–Beer choices need an upgrade too. I’d like to see some more local offerings vs. Miller
–Family friendly. Parents — it’s crowded, ok? Leave the monster truck strollers at home.
–Expensive! The food prices were pretty reasonable but it’s $ 14.25 each admission + $ 12 for parking. For a couple, that’s $ 40 before you even get in. Yikes!
Awesome:
Many of the animals are much more active at night. I had never actually seen the badger — ever– until yesterday. There was bear wrestling, a very friendly raccoon, and the reclusive wolves were front and center checking people out at the fences. I’m pretty sure the wolves were sizing me up and thinking «hmm…all these people smell like chicken fingers. I bet I can take that chubby girl over there» and they would have been right. I left full and happy and planning to come back!