Comments on: Kicking the Kids’ Menu Habit http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2009/06/04/kicking-the-kids-menu-habit/ Culinary Rants & Raves from Bay Area Foodies and Professionals Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:41:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Denise Lincoln http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2009/06/04/kicking-the-kids-menu-habit/comment-page-1/#comment-14924 Denise Lincoln Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:58:22 +0000 http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=4236#comment-14924 Hi Nicole -- Sounds like you have some great methods for getting your kids to eat well when dining out. I have also found that most restaurants are very happy to substitute in veggies, which is nice. Also, I agree that the appetizer menu can be a great resource. Thanks for mentioning it! Hi Nicole — Sounds like you have some great methods for getting your kids to eat well when dining out. I have also found that most restaurants are very happy to substitute in veggies, which is nice. Also, I agree that the appetizer menu can be a great resource. Thanks for mentioning it!

]]> By: Nicole http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2009/06/04/kicking-the-kids-menu-habit/comment-page-1/#comment-14922 Nicole Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:23:18 +0000 http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=4236#comment-14922 We have instituted "adventure bites" with our kids. We let them order off the kids' menu if they so choose, but we require that they at least try one bite of something we order, either an appetizer or off our plates. It's worked very well for us and our kids have now developed tastes for far more exotic plates than what normally is found on kids' menus. We also ALWAYS ask for a vegetable substitute to the accompanying fries in kids' meals. Generally, restaurants have been very accommodating; if they offer salads, it's not too difficult to get some chopped vegetables and a little saucer of ranch or Italian dressing to dip. If restaurants do not have kids' menus, we usually get the kids to either split a meal or order off the appetizers, as regular entrees are far too large-portioned for them. Using those guidelines, my husband and I have never curtailed our dining out because of our children. We've taken them to super-fancy restaurants to ethnic hole-in-the-wall places to the far reaches of other countries and they've been great dining partners. We have instituted “adventure bites” with our kids. We let them order off the kids’ menu if they so choose, but we require that they at least try one bite of something we order, either an appetizer or off our plates. It’s worked very well for us and our kids have now developed tastes for far more exotic plates than what normally is found on kids’ menus.

We also ALWAYS ask for a vegetable substitute to the accompanying fries in kids’ meals. Generally, restaurants have been very accommodating; if they offer salads, it’s not too difficult to get some chopped vegetables and a little saucer of ranch or Italian dressing to dip.

If restaurants do not have kids’ menus, we usually get the kids to either split a meal or order off the appetizers, as regular entrees are far too large-portioned for them.

Using those guidelines, my husband and I have never curtailed our dining out because of our children. We’ve taken them to super-fancy restaurants to ethnic hole-in-the-wall places to the far reaches of other countries and they’ve been great dining partners.

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