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Dining at nice restaurants with your kids!

Dining with Shorty

I wrote an article for Honolulu Magazine about dining out at nice restaurants with kids because hell to the no am I going to spend a Saturday night at Chuck-E-Cheese unless there are shrooms on that pizza. I really love food and dining, but I am NOT a 'foodie.' I can't stand that word. It's like 'moist' or 'nipple.' Yuck.

Here is the (very tame) article:

When we had a baby, my husband and I had to sacrifice the usual things—sleeping in, movies, keg stands, the usual, but we refused to compromise our dining habits, and so from the time our daughter was born we’ve been taking her out to a range of restaurants, even the nice, potentially snobby ones. In San Francisco, we go to Range, Maverick, Roy’s, Ruth’s Chris. In Hawaii, Du Vin, Nick’s Fishmarket, Town, Merriman’s, and most recently, Stage. Our daughter is almost four and we have yet to go to a "child-friendly" restaurant. We were close once. We actually sat down at a family diner for dinner, but when they handed out the kid's menu we left. Do restaurants even need a kid’s menu? Aren’t the choices—chicken fingers, grilled cheese, spaghetti, hamburgers—permanently etched into our brains? I have a problem with children’s menus. Not only are the dishes the unhealthiest, they’re also the stupidest. Totally dumbed down and unadventurous.
Am I a food snob or do I just want to raise a brave eater? Whatever the case may be, hunting for non-kid-friendly kid-friendly restaurants has become one of my pastimes. 
I am always on the prowl for restaurants that are bi —you know-- they swing both ways. They can gratify parents with great food, an energetic atmosphere, and waiters that don’t scowl at your incoming rugrat, and at the same time, they can please kids without serving Fish Portions a la Cheese Whiz or putting on a nauseating circus act.
During this pursuit
I have been pleasantly surprised (relieved, elated) to find that what most of us would call “nice restaurants,” while not necessarily wallet-friendly are child-friendly.
Du Vin’s atmosphere was charming to our daughter. She loved the grilled flat iron steak with shallot pommes frites. The staff at Nick’s didn’t blink when she got up to dance. On a Sunday night, Nobu was packed with kids, contented with their sushi and sneaky chef-like “bowtie pasta” (squid that looks like pasta. Though with Nobu’s prices I’d rather just give her a bowl of rice.)
I was very impressed with Stage Restaurant, where everyone at the table, including our daughter and her four-year-old date devoured the “Green Egg and Ham,” (asparagus, quail egg, proscuitto. Everything on the menu seems to be in quotes), the snow crab cakes, pumpkin bread, and of course the “Deconstructed S’mores” (See. More quotes.)
Our waiters couldn’t have been more accommodating, immediately replacing the kids’ glasses with plastic cups with lids and straws. The kitchen made the kids a gorgeous chicken, crispy with breadcrumbs and herbs, accompanied by rosemary and garlic new potatoes. It was a huge portion, only eight dollars, and so tasty that the adults ended up picking at it between bites of Hamachi sashimi.
Other favorites to which we regularly return have been Lucy’s Bar and Grill in Kailua and Town in Kaimuki. At Lucy’s, our daughter loves the ahi tower and kalua pig triangles. We love the Euro-local flavors, the terrific staff, and the noisiness.
Town also has a great din, nice prices and healthy selections for kids like fresh fish and house-made pasta.
I love finding family-friendly restaurants in unexpected places. The key to searching is not to rule anything out. Remember, in this economy these restaurants need you more than you need them.
A few tips for dining out with kids:

1. Desert is the best motivator for good behavior
2. Have the kids’ food arrive at the same time as yours
3. Try to sit in a booth (this locks them in)
4. Go to loud restaurants
5. Let them order a fancy drink. Then they’ll have a Pavlovian association with the occasion. Dining out=special drink. Plus, you just ordered a Tequila Slammer so it’s only fair.
6. If the child’s menu is unimaginative and unhealthy order appetizers and sides and let them choose.
7. Bring noiseless toys and books.
8. When they’ve plowed through dinner and you’re right in the middle of a conversation about Obama, McCain, and energy policies, reward their impeccable behavior by taking that portable DVD out of your bag and pressing play.

Dining with Shorty

I wrote an article for Honolulu Magazine about dining out at nice restaurants with kids because hell to the no am I going to spend a Saturday night at Chuck-E-Cheese unless there are shrooms on that pizza. I really love food and dining, but I am NOT a 'foodie.' I can't stand that word. It's like 'moist' or 'nipple.' Yuck.

Here is the (very tame) article:

When we had a baby, my husband and I had to sacrifice the usual things—sleeping in, movies, keg stands, the usual, but we refused to compromise our dining habits, and so from the time our daughter was born we’ve been taking her out to a range of restaurants, even the nice, potentially snobby ones. In San Francisco, we go to Range, Maverick, Roy’s, Ruth’s Chris. In Hawaii, Du Vin, Nick’s Fishmarket, Town, Merriman’s, and most recently, Stage. Our daughter is almost four and we have yet to go to a "child-friendly" restaurant. We were close once. We actually sat down at a family diner for dinner, but when they handed out the kid's menu we left. Do restaurants even need a kid’s menu? Aren’t the choices—chicken fingers, grilled cheese, spaghetti, hamburgers—permanently etched into our brains? I have a problem with children’s menus. Not only are the dishes the unhealthiest, they’re also the stupidest. Totally dumbed down and unadventurous.
Am I a food snob or do I just want to raise a brave eater? Whatever the case may be, hunting for non-kid-friendly kid-friendly restaurants has become one of my pastimes. 
I am always on the prowl for restaurants that are bi —you know-- they swing both ways. They can gratify parents with great food, an energetic atmosphere, and waiters that don’t scowl at your incoming rugrat, and at the same time, they can please kids without serving Fish Portions a la Cheese Whiz or putting on a nauseating circus act.
During this pursuit
I have been pleasantly surprised (relieved, elated) to find that what most of us would call “nice restaurants,” while not necessarily wallet-friendly are child-friendly.
Du Vin’s atmosphere was charming to our daughter. She loved the grilled flat iron steak with shallot pommes frites. The staff at Nick’s didn’t blink when she got up to dance. On a Sunday night, Nobu was packed with kids, contented with their sushi and sneaky chef-like “bowtie pasta” (squid that looks like pasta. Though with Nobu’s prices I’d rather just give her a bowl of rice.)
I was very impressed with Stage Restaurant, where everyone at the table, including our daughter and her four-year-old date devoured the “Green Egg and Ham,” (asparagus, quail egg, proscuitto. Everything on the menu seems to be in quotes), the snow crab cakes, pumpkin bread, and of course the “Deconstructed S’mores” (See. More quotes.)
Our waiters couldn’t have been more accommodating, immediately replacing the kids’ glasses with plastic cups with lids and straws. The kitchen made the kids a gorgeous chicken, crispy with breadcrumbs and herbs, accompanied by rosemary and garlic new potatoes. It was a huge portion, only eight dollars, and so tasty that the adults ended up picking at it between bites of Hamachi sashimi.
Other favorites to which we regularly return have been Lucy’s Bar and Grill in Kailua and Town in Kaimuki. At Lucy’s, our daughter loves the ahi tower and kalua pig triangles. We love the Euro-local flavors, the terrific staff, and the noisiness.
Town also has a great din, nice prices and healthy selections for kids like fresh fish and house-made pasta.
I love finding family-friendly restaurants in unexpected places. The key to searching is not to rule anything out. Remember, in this economy these restaurants need you more than you need them.
A few tips for dining out with kids:

1. Desert is the best motivator for good behavior
2. Have the kids’ food arrive at the same time as yours
3. Try to sit in a booth (this locks them in)
4. Go to loud restaurants
5. Let them order a fancy drink. Then they’ll have a Pavlovian association with the occasion. Dining out=special drink. Plus, you just ordered a Tequila Slammer so it’s only fair.
6. If the child’s menu is unimaginative and unhealthy order appetizers and sides and let them choose.
7. Bring noiseless toys and books.
8. When they’ve plowed through dinner and you’re right in the middle of a conversation about Obama, McCain, and energy policies, reward their impeccable behavior by taking that portable DVD out of your bag and pressing play.

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