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.
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