This past weekend my daughters and I attended The Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak’s annual “Breakfast With Santa” event series at Rico’s American Grill. From the moment we arrived, my kids were fascinated and loved all the Christmas decor. Light up candy canes AND flowers?!
Once we were seated, the girls were greeted with coloring packs. Each sheet had a letter to Santa. Even though my youngest can’t write, she still drew an image for him.
The dining room was very well decorated with a large lit up tree in the center.
And, I loved all the lights and garland around the restaurant!
As far as the food goes, it was a buffet! Which you know is my favorite kind of experience, and first up was the Egg Station with made to order omelette bar.
Of course, the girls requested pancakes with fruit but I went all out for french toast, eggs and potatoes.
Oh, and did I mention they had Eggs Benedict, because, they did and it’s my favorite.
For the lighter breakfast crowd, they also had fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, cereal, pastries and muffins! These banana walnut ones were definitely my favorite. Since they were all bite size, I didn’t feel bad about trying one of each!
And Mrs. Clause could not have been sweeter. She brought pencils and work books to the table and asked the girls if they were having a great time. hint hint, they were. Also, I think it’s important to note, my kids are shy with strangers. It was nice there was a slow introduction to Mr. and Mrs. Claus as they came around and said, ‘Hi” while we were enjoying our breakfast. It definitely helped with the comfort level when taking photos later in the morning.
At the omelette station I opted for the veggie version with asparagus, tomato, mushrooms, bell peppers and spinach, not that my kids cared all that much. They just wanted all the maple syrup and fruit, but really who can blame them?
Oh my gosh and the hot chocolate. They wanted ALL of that. Rico’s American Grill had so many topping to choose from but I opted for whipped cream because I’m classy like that, marshmallows as requested by the kids, and for a unique crunchy experience I chose some crushed toffee. I’ll admit it was pretty great.
You could say they were happy with my choice too.
As my oldest finished writing her letter to good ol’ St. Nic., we took our last bites and headed down to tell the big guy himself exactly what they wanted for Christmas.
Once each of the girls told Santa what they wanted for Christmas, they put their letters in the mailbox and headed towards the cookie station.
Side note. There was no line to see Santa, not because no one wanted to see him, but because the Hilton has it timed perfectly, each family arrives at their reservation time: 8am, 10am or noon and since everyone finishes eating at different times, it wasn’t hurried or chaotic. They also took our picture and printed it out, which is included with the cost of the meal. After a childhood of going to the mall to meet Santa, I have to say this is a great alternative.
And the fun didn’t stop with Santa, once we were done saying our goodbyes, a cookie station was waiting for us, with Christmas trees and gingerbread men. The lovely lady pictured above helped the girls with their base frosting color, and then they each chose their own toppings.
I don’t know about you, but my kids love m&ms. To be honest, they are the perfect mini ornament shape, so I let them add as many as they wanted.
Once we were done Rico’s wrapped them up for us to secure them for the drive home. Next to the cookies Ricos’s also had a little nook where Mrs. Claus was reading beautiful holiday stories. Overall, this was a wonderful experience for our little mother daughter date and I’m excited to go again next year.
The highlight of our visit to Breakfast with Santa at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak was my oldest saying, “Okay, now I believe he’s real!”
What are your favorite Christmas traditions with your kids? I definitely think this would be a fun one to add to the mix!
The Breakfast With Santa series is still offered Wednesday and Thursday, December 23 and 24 with three seatings each day at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and noon. Pricing is $31.95 for adults and $19.95 for children ages 10 and under, inclusive of a complimentary photo with Santa. Reservations for Breakfast With Santa are required and can be made by calling 602-997-5850
And if you’re looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve they have a family friendly event from 6-10pm {ringing in the New Year on New York time}. For more info on Breakfast with Santa and their 9th Annual Yote’s Family New Year’s Eve Party click here.
This is a sponsored post. We had the opportunity to attend this event for this post. Our opinions are our own and this post is an honest one.
Love it! I want to check them out for NYE.