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Monday, June 16, 2008
What Restaurants Are Best for Kids?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOVE ME SOME FROZEN YOGURT: Yoforia is one of my 11-year-old’s favorite spots for a treat
Photo: Jenni Girtman/ AJC staff
Parents magazine’s July issue (which hit newstands last week) has a survey from more than 50 full-service and buffet style restaurant chains as part of an on-going series of ‘ten best’ articles.
The magazine surveyed the restaurants and logged info about reservation policies, kid amenities (likes crayon and coloring stuff) and changing stations in the bathrooms. On the food front, they asked about trans fats and food allergy accommodations, then compiled the answers into their report after checking out the menus.
Here are the magazine’s top ten in order of their ranking:
Legal Sea Foods
Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes
Mimi’s Cafe
Uno Chicago Grill
Chili’s
Red Robin
The Old Spaghetti Factory
P.F. Chang’s
Denny’s
Claim Jumper
I find the results somewhat amusing. First, shouldn’t the survey have asked parents and kids what their choices would be, not the restaurants? Okay, maybe all and a comparison?
Second: Denny’s? Are we kidding? Everything served there comes from a box. The Old Spaghetti Factory? No wonder our children can’t make informed decisions about what they eat. Cheap and easy doesn’t equal good.
Here’s my list, and it’s not all chain restaurants:
Chipotle — my daughter LOVES this place. For a chain, it’s pretty darned fresh.
Chili’s — yes, she loves to eat here. And admittedly it’s very kid-friendly. I dig the burgers. She likes the Kraft macaroni-and-cheese and broccoli with cheese sauce.
Maddy’s — she can get down on a pulled pork sandwich and listen to a little blues at the same time.
Fritti — great pizzas, lots of choice, she likes to sit outside.
Baraonda — ditto, plus she likes the pasta choices.
Eclipse di Luna in Miami Circle — insalata Caprese, calamari fritti and chorizo. Plus she can dance to the live music. If you get there a little early, it’s not such a crazy scene.
Chocolate Bar — okay, this one is an obvious splurge, but everyone needs a dose of a really well-made dessert from time to time.
Palomilla’s — my only regret is that we don’t get to this little family-owned Cuban spot more often.
Okay, one more pizza place: Mellow Mushroom. Very kid friendly, plus she loves the pizza, though we usually get it for takeout and watch a movie.
Yoforia — she really loves the tangy taste of this “that’s so 70s” yogurt joint — especially since she can have raspberries AND Captain Crunch for toppings on the original flavor.
What would your list be?
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