SMORGASBORD FOOD TOPICS : Courting Kids : Several restaurants make a special effort to welcome their younger clientele with their own menu, crayons and other goodies.

Just the thought of taking young children to a restaurant is enough to give some people indigestion. But that need not be.

Several Ventura County restaurants are courting the kid crowd--and we don’t just mean Chuck E Cheese’s. The three eateries listed below, all in Ventura, have good reputations for being “kid-friendly” while serving tasty fare that adults can also enjoy. Prices are reasonable, high chairs and booster seats are available, and a variety of extra treats are in store to make smaller folks feel welcome.

* Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant serves free spaghetti to children under 6 years of age. The service is quick, and the servers are instructed to treat tots as honored guests.

* At the Acapulco Mexican Restaurant every Tuesday, diners receive a free child’s meal with the purchase of an adult entree. The menu includes grilled cheese sandwiches, hamburgers and chicken strips, along with the traditional fare of tacos, burritos and taquitos. Each child’s meal is served with rice, beans and Jell-O.

In the extra treats department, children awaiting their food can color on a special menu using crayons provided for them. Helium balloons, too.

* At the Ventura Spaghetti Company, Shirley Temples and Roy Rogers served with animal straws are what kids look forward to. The entertaining “bambino” menu there doubles as a coloring page for younger children and a puzzle for the older ones. On the menu, children can choose from a variety of pasta shapes and mini-pizzas. After everyone has eaten, the server brings out the “Treasure Chest” and each child gets to choose a toy.

* WHERE AND WHEN

Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant, 2778 E. Main St., Ventura. 648-7270 or 656-7270. Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Dinner 4:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 4 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays. Major credit cards. Parking lot. Lunch reservations only.

Acapulco Mexican Restaurant, 725 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura. 644-3944. Hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays. Major credit cards. Parking lot.

Ventura Spaghetti Company, 2686 Loma Vista Road, Ventura. 643-7444. Hours 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays. Major credit cards. Public parking lot.