Introducing Fine Dining to the Littlest Gourmets

One recent Saturday night, well-heeled guests at New York’s Tavern on the Green restaurant were happily dining on Caesar salad, lobster bisque, roast chicken and rack of lamb. Not bad for kids who aren’t even in middle school yet.

“We’re serving well over 1,000 kids a month,” said Allan Kurtz, the managing director for Tavern, himself the father of two young boys who appreciate a good steak. “People want to expose their kids to the better things in life at an earlier age.”

In Chicago, just in case families run out of things to talk about at the dinner table, little conversation starters are available along with cinnamon buns and stuffed chicken breasts at the American Girl Place Cafe, part of the retail and entertainment complex designed for little girls and their parents.

In Orlando, Fla., so many kids are dining at Disney’s oh-so-chic California Grill atop the Contemporary Resort that the staff has been trained in serving the junior gourmets. Lesson No. 1: Talk directly to the kids. Their favorite dish: filet mignon atop mashed potatoes--from the kids’ menu.

“It’s not unusual for a family to spend more than $100 on dinner here,” said George Miliotes, manager of the California Grill. “As people’s tastes in food get more sophisticated, they don’t want to compromise just because they have the kids with them.”

The National Restaurant Assn. reports that more than 45% of today’s food dollar is spent away from home, with kids eating more kinds of food out. “It’s a generational thing,” said Steve Anderson, president of the association. “Our parents left the kids at home. We want our kids to be part of the experience.”

“It’s good for the kids to learn how to behave in a restaurant,” said Greg Westbrook, an Alabama investment broker, whose 6-year-old son had just cleaned his plate at Epcot’s Coral Reef restaurant.

Privately, restaurant managers lament about parents who seem unaware that their preschoolers are racing around the dining room, annoying everyone. To make sure that monster isn’t your child, here are five tips I’ve collected:

* Get the kids’ input on where and what they want to eat. Allow them to order their own food. How about a half portion for half price from the adult menu? About three-quarters of fine restaurants report offering child-size portions at lower prices.

* Eat early, before the restaurant gets crowded and the kids get too hungry and tired.

* Tote a small box with stickers, colored pencils and paper, small plastic characters or Matchbox cars for younger children.

* Take some crackers and juice for younger kids so they don’t have to wait for harried waiters to serve bread and drinks. Ask that the kids’ meals be brought with your first course.

* Use the time around the table to tune into the kids. What’s been the best part of the vacation so far? The worst? What does everyone want to do tomorrow?

The Rainforest Cafe chain of Florida is drawing so many families that it just launched the Wild Bunch Club for junior diners, with newsletters and free drinks.

Meristar Resorts, which counts the South Seas Plantation in Florida and Sapphire Beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands among its properties, had kids taste-test a new menu. (The scrambled eggs in crispy crepes got thumbs up.)

Disney’s Epcot restaurants regularly invite young diners to don chef coats and prepare desserts for their parents and themselves.

Are the kids worth all the fuss? Absolutely, said Karim Lakhani, Meristar’s vice president of food and beverage. Not only will the parents opt for another spot if the kids aren’t happy, but “these kids are our customers of tomorrow.”

* Book Tavern on the Green reservations at https://www.tavernonthegreen.com or call (212) 873-3200. There is a prix-fixe children’s menu for $13.85 at lunch, $16.85 at dinner. Open for Easter brunch.

* Visit the Rainforest Cafe Web site at https://www.rainforestcafe.com or call (612) 945-5400 to make reservations for your trip. Kids can join the club for $5 and adults the Safari Club for $10, enabling you to be seated within 30 minutes--a good bet when waits can stretch for hours. A part of the fee supports environmental causes.

* Weekday reservations are easier to snag at the American Girl Place Cafe. Call (877) 247-5223, Internet https://www.americangirl .com. Three-course dinners are $18, lunch and tea $16. A book of “conversation starters” is $10.95.

* Watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the Contemporary Grill. Kids are chosen at random at Epcot restaurants for the junior chef program. Kids’ do-it-yourself desserts, priced less than $3, are available at all sit-down Epcot restaurants. Ask about the free cooking class offered at the Grand Floridian Resort; each class has a dozen kids and is open to all guests at Disney hotels. Call (407) WDISNEY (934-7639) for dining reservations, or for more information see https://www.disneyworld.com.

Taking the Kids appears twice monthly.