Take the kids along next time you go out for dinner. Here's how.

For families who enjoy dining out, the days of eating cardboard pizza at Chuck E. Cheese are a thing of the past.

Nowadays, dozens of casual but adventurous restaurants in Sonoma County offer pint-size menus for kids, outdoor patios for running off steam and hands-on activities to keep the kids from driving you - and everyone else - crazy.

Many of these eateries, not surprisingly, are run by folks who are parents themselves and understand how to make the little ones feel welcome by offering plates of free, kid-friendly appetizers, expedited service and even sweet treats for those who finish their meal. Others are simply noisy, exciting and fun joints where no one will notice a boisterous kid with too much energy who keeps dropping the silverware.

Thanks to this ever-expanding range of restaurants, dining out can be a win-win for parents who want to venture out and try something tasty without having to drop a bundle of cash on a babysitter. Along the way, they are teaching the kids some old-fashioned table manners.

Amy Meiers of Santa Rosa loves to stay home and cook, but when she goes out to eat, she and her husband always bring their 9-year-old son, Cannon.

“You should teach kids to act nice in the restaurant and respect everyone else who is eating there,” she said. “That’s a good lesson.”

However, there are a few pitfalls to avoid and some preemptive action you can take to set the kids up for success. Talking positively about the experience is a good start.

“Get your child excited about eating out,” advised Ari Rosen, chef/owner of Scopa and Campo Fina in Healdsburg. “If it’s a special grown-up thing to do, they will be more attentive and focused on the meal.”

We talked to local chefs and foodies who have already navigated this sticky wicket, carefully steering their kids past chicken fingers and French fries into the land of Caesar salad and roasted vegetables, sushi and ramen. Here are some of their time-tested tips and tricks:

Domenica Catelli, chef/owner of Catelli’s in Geyserville:

Although her daughter is now 21, Catelli has friends who take their 1-year-old son out to restaurants often and always come prepared for ensuing chaos. “They bring mats,” she said. “And they bring a ziplock bag for all the mess.”

Catelli’s offers a kids’ menu with affordable prices, coloring menus and activities, and an outdoor patio that is open spring through fall. The chef, who wrote the family-friendly cookbook “Mom-a-licious,” also believes in encouraging kids to eat their greens.

“We serve a vegetable with our kids’ meal, and they have to buy the fries if they want them - you can’t substitute,” she said. “We also offer a complimentary scoop of Noble Folk ice cream for kids who finish their meals.”

For other family-friendly restaurants, Catelli suggests casual, barbecue places such as Kin in Windsor or Kinsmoke in Healdsburg.

Manuel Azevedo, chef/owner of La Salette and Tasca Tasca in Sonoma and partner in Shiso Modern Asian Kitchen in Sonoma:

Azevedo’s daughter Nazaré, is now 15, but when she was younger, he and his wife took her to Saddles, the high-end restaurant at Sonoma’s MacArthur Place hotel and spa.

“Saddles is a very approachable steakhouse with a rib-eye steak and the baked potatoes,” he said. “And of course, Mary’s is great for the kids, with the free bread sticks.”

Among his restaurants, Azevedo suggests Shiso Modern Asian Kitchen, which offers a kids’ menu with chicken teriyaki, buttered noodles and shrimp tempura, along with lots of adventurous dishes for adults.

“It’s a great, entry-level restaurant for teenagers on dates,” he said. “For foodies who want to try something different, Ed (Metcalfe) does stuff with uni and monkfish liver and foie gras, all while the kids can have California rolls and be as content as can be.”

At Tasca Tasca, Azevedo’s newest restaurant, adults can try something fun and exotic while the kids enjoy Portuguese mac’n’cheese, piri piri fries with saffron aioli and lupini beans.

Chris Hanna, president of Hanna Winery in Healdsburg:

Hanna’s son Brian, now 14, grew up dining in restaurants with his parents, even when he was a busy toddler. In Healdsburg, Hanna and her husband ate dinner outdoors at Barndiva, which has a fountain and a large patio. The family also patronized the Hopmonk Tavern in Sebastopol for its approachable pub-grub, hub-bub atmosphere and outdoor patio.

“This is the beauty of outside dining,” she said. “Campo Fina (in Healdsburg) is great too, because of the bocce court in back and the room to run around.”

Without dumbing it down too much, she said, parents still have to be reasonable in their expectations.

“We wouldn’t make a 7 or 8 p.m. reservation on Saturday because that’s date night,” she said. “Sometimes your kid is going to flip out, but people are less concerned at 6 p.m. Monday.”

She also suggests getting to know the servers, tipping really well and ordering food for the kids as soon as you sit down.

“We would sit down and put the kids’ order in with our drink order,” she said.

In Sebastopol, Hanna suggests Ramen Gaijin because it is loud and has a lot going on. The restaurant’s kids’ menu includes noodles and broth, noodles and butter and fried chicken with ranch dressing.

“I’d also be really comfortable taking a child to the new Handline in Sebastopol,” she said. “The fish tacos were not super spicy, and there’s a burger and a fish sandwich.”

Rosso in Santa Rosa and Petaluma is also kid-friendly, she said, but they don’t take reservations. So don’t show up at 7 p.m. on a Friday and expect to get a table.

Most families arrive between 5 or 5:30 p.m., said Rosso owner/founder Kevin Cronin. The popular wood-fired pizzeria offers a kids’ menu with items like Fried Chicken and Caesar Salad, plus a make-your-own activity.

“We automatically bring every child some pizza dough,” Cronin said. “They can make any shape, we cook it, and then we bring it back to the table with marinara sauce, and they dip it.”

Josh Silvers of Jackson’s Oven and Bar in Santa Rosa:

When he first opened Jackson’s in Railroad Square, Silvers set out to create a place where he would want to eat on a regular basis with his wife and young son, Jackson.

So in addition to a kids’ menu with the requisite burgers and a cheese pizza, the kitchen sends out a free appetizer plate to all young kids as soon as they sit down. It includes snacks like carrot and celery sticks, peanut butter and grapes, homemade potato chips and cheese.

“It buys the parents a little bit of time to look at the menu and have a cocktail,” he said. “I call it a nibble from Jackson ... we take good care of the kids.”

When he and Jackson go out to eat together, father and son often head to Monti’s in Montgomery Village.

“They do chicken strips with fries on the kids’ menu,” he said “The menu is on a chalkboard, and the kids can draw on the back of it.”

Jackson also is fond of eating at Hana in Rohnert Park, where he used to order the fried chicken and mashed potatoes but now enjoys prawn tempura.

“Our other favorite place is the taco truck, Delicias Elenita, in front of La Fondita at Sebastopol and West roads,” Silvers said. “They are the best tacos in the county ... We spend $15 for dinner for the three of us.”

Liza Hinman, chef of The Spinster Sisters in Santa Rosa.

Hinman is the busy mom of Oscar, 6, and 2-year-old twins Miranda and Bridget. When the growing family dines out, they often head to a local taqueria or a breakfast spot, such as the Singletree Inn in Healdsburg.

“At breakfast or brunch, there’s always something that’s familiar and that the kids will be happy to eat,” she said. “At dinner, you are risking the meltdown time of day.”

If you do go out for dinner, she said, try to go early when it’s quiet, or later when it’s bustling and noisy. And bring things to keep them occupied.

“Moms who are organized keep a restaurant bag with a couple of toys and a coloring book and some Play-Doh,” she said.

Another hint: Try to meet up with another family with kids, so that some of the parents can relax and eat. Then trade off with the other parents who are watching the kids.

Dustin Valette of Valette’s in Healdsburg:

Now the proud papa of two baby girls - Charlotte, 18 months, and Adeline, 6 months - Valette favors the Healdsburg Bar & Grill for a late lunch or dinner in the spring and summer, because the kids can play on the lawn and the adults can enjoy a frosty beer or glass of wine.

“It’s paradise for kids and adults,” he said. “There’s a kids’ menu, plus crayons and coloring books.”

This time of year, he likes to stop at Costeaux Bakery in the morning because it is kid-friendly and festive, with giant Nutcrackers and fun family events.

“It’s great for a croissant and coffee, and Charlotte loves the granola and yogurt,” he said. “She eats a croissant like there’s no tomorrow.”

On the way out, he always picks up some black and white crinkle cookies, the same kind he got from the bakery when he was 10.

Amy Meiers of Santa Rosa, cooking contest champion:

When the family goes out for dinner, Meiers likes to go out for Mexican food, especially at Chevy’s, where kids get a tortilla dough ball to play with. She also likes the Italian fare at Mary’s Pizza.

“The kids get the dough and the cheese and the topping and get to make their own pizzas,” she said. “All the stuff on the menu is super kid-friendly, like the spaghetti and the wrapped hog dogs.”

But the family’s favorite restaurant meal is breakfast at Santa Rosa’s Midtown Café, owned by Mark Dierkhising of the Parkside Cafe on Santa Rosa Avenue.

“People aren’t going out on dates at breakfast, so ?you aren’t interrupting anyone,” Meiers said. “There’s an outside area where we love to eat, the waitresses are nice and the food is good.”

Just up the street, at Hank’s Creekside Cafe, the breakfast menu includes pancakes for kids with a “really impressive smiley face,” she added.

Other tips from Meiers: If you’re going out for dinner with kids, make a reservation so you don’t have to wait for a table.

Like other parents, Meiers said she does allow the cellphone to help keep her kid entertained, but only in small doses.

“If we’re waiting a long time, I’m not opposed to using the cellphone,” she said. “But when it comes time to eat, you have to put it down. You want to have a nice conversation. That’s the whole point of eating out ... and kids say the most interesting things.”