Onix

Onix
412 S Main Street
552-4609

Saturday we had tickets to the Magic Tree House at the Orpheum, so naturally we had to eat dinner downtown first. We have been on a total Best Wings kick at home, so I thought it would be fun to take the kids (Satchel, 6, and Jiro, 4) to Onix where they could get a chicken wing fix and some waffles. Yes, chicken and waffles. Believe it or not, they really go well together. (Not that I expected the monkeys to actually eat them together.)

The owner of Onix is the son of the owner of Best Wings. The two places couldn't be more different, but the sauce for the chicken is the same. (Read more about that here.)

The icing on the cake was the $25 certificate I got from Restaurant.com. (It cost me about $2.50 and provided me with $25 off of $35 or more.)

The only problem with my plan was that the play started at 6pm. Onix opened at 5pm. One hour is not a lot of time to eat, especially in a pretty nice restaurant. We were literally standing at the door at 5pm and were the first customers. I told the waitress we needed to be at the Orpheum and asked if she thought we could be in and out in about 45 minutes. She assured me that we could, but that didn't stop me from worrying.

Because we needed to spend at least $35 on food, I ordered each monkey a 7 piece wing basket. (Normally without an actual kids' menu to choose from, I have them share, but I have seen each monkey eat four whole wings at Best Wings. I was pretty sure they could eat 7 Buffalo style wings if they set their minds to it. If not, we'd have leftovers!) Jiro wanted waffles, but Satchel wanted fries instead. I decided to splurge and ordered the $14 coconut crusted tilapia. Warren ordered a burger. (Why, oh why does he always order the burger?)

While we waited for the food, we played "I spy." Both boys had ants in their pants and were really amped up. Jiro definitely needed a nap, but there was no time for it. Hence, the game. It was actually pretty funny playing because the interior is very spartan and almost everything is black, save for the brightly colored paintings on the wall. (Of course Warren insisted on going first and saying, "I spy something in my eye, something black.") Between "I spy," the TV, brief episodes of "Guess what zoo animal I am," and frequent trolley sightings out of the window, we managed to keep the monkeys under control until the food arrived.

Several more tables came in while we were waiting, including another family with small children. I definitely wouldn't describe Onix as a place catering to families, but like I have said before, I think it is perfectly acceptable to take kids anywhere at 5pm. Especially if they serve chicken! On Friday and Saturday nights Onix has a lounge atmosphere and usually some sort of live music, so definitely don't take the kids after 8pm or so.


Our food arrived at about 5:35pm. Everyone was pleased, except for Satchel. The waitress thought that I had meant for the boys to share so she only brought one order of wings. Knowing we were in a rush, she checked with the kitchen and said she could have another order out in five minutes. Satchel happily munched on his fries and Jiro pushed his waffle at me and said, "Cut it up!" He grabbed a wing to eat while he waited, but it was way too hot to eat. Warren seemed happy with the appearance of his burger and dug right in. My tilapia was a hearty portion, perfectly fried, and resting on a bed of yellow rice. Next to it was a healthy looking salad of mixed greens. (I could tell Warren was jealous so I gave him a bite.) The chile lemon sauce was very tangy and very much to my liking. I ate the fish, the rice, and salad almost in one breath. It was delicious! (A sure sign of my food being exceptional is the lack of a photo. I couldn't wait!)

I tried convincing Satchel to eat some of Jiro's wings for the sake of time, but he refused. He also refused to try some of the waffle. I was surprised because he really hadn't eaten very much all day. When his wings came out, they were too hot to eat, so he did eventually agree to share with Jiro. Between the two of them they polished off six wings. Warren polished off the last one of Jiro's as well as the serving of carrots and celery.

Our waitress was really nice about bringing the check early and I had no problem using my Restaurant.com certificate. Our bill before the coupon was $55, so after the coupon and additional tip, we spent $35.

Overall it was a nice experience, and by virtue of Onix being downtown and on the trolley line, I'd recommend it to you and your monkeys. (With the live music/late night weekend caveat.) Onix has a really nicely priced lunch special if you happen to be downtown during the work week. I'd definitely like to go back when we aren't in a rush.