Engage picky eaters by embarking on these culinary adventures.
By Pam George
When it comes to Mexican fare, Rosa Mexicano at New York’s Lincoln Center is about as upscale as it gets, from the white linen tablecloths to a giant water wall that enhances the vibrant, contemporary decor.
In the midst of this luxurious setting, 5-year-old Olivia and her friend are standing beside the table, getting their hands messy and attracting attention—all the things that make parents vow never again to bring children to a nice restaurant.
Gayle Scott Hajian, however, is beaming as she watches her daughter. Wearing a diminutive “I Rocked the Guac” apron, Olivia was mashing together avocados, onions, tomato and cilantro in a lava rock bowl.
“She loved the idea of making something from scratch,” says Hajian, an NYC resident.
It is rare for guacamole to top any kid’s list of ultimate cravings, says Howard Greenstone, chief operating officer of Rosa Mexicano, but the restaurant’s new “Rock the Guac” program is tempting kids to have a taste. “Kids are occupied for 10 to 15 minutes, then they sit down and eat the guacamole—that’s great for parents,” Greenstone says. It’s not bad for sales either. Children who watch turn to their parents and say, “I want to do that.”
Rosa Mexicano is one of a growing number of upscale restaurants across the country that have programs to educate young taste buds. Some offer adult-styled foods and others, like Rosa Mexicano, use an interactive experience as the perfect learning tool for kids.
BEYOND THE NORM
Why venture outside the realm of pizza, fried food and candy? If children don’t experiment early on, it could lead to adults who are unwilling to experiment. Consider Brian Massie, the corporate executive chef for The Light Group, who oversees the Las Vegas kitchens at Stack in the Mirage and Fix in the Bellagio. As a kid, many of his friends ate limited items from restaurants because nothing tempted them. Massie became a chef, but his friends are still squeamish about trying exotic offerings. “When faced with a new food, they still say, ‘No way, I’m not going to eat that,’” says Massie.
Introducing children to upscale cuisine extends the customer base for eateries eager for family vacation dollars. Like kid-friendly spa services, which install the concept of pampering early on, getting kids excited about new cuisine also creates future customers. “We create a patron for life when they make guacamole,” Greenstone says. Giving children options also pleases parents like Hajian, who don’t want to leave their children at home, but also want to visit fine-dining restaurants. “I want her to try new and interesting food options,” she says.
The kids are also directing the trend, because families are better traveled these days. Many children have developed more evolved palates than those in Massie’s generation. “Young diners’ expectations are changing,” agrees Steven Richard, chef of the Portobello Yacht Club in Orlando, where, not surprisingly, the trend is particularly strong.
When Richard was working at Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe in Orlando, one 9-year-old ordered seared scallops and bouillabaisse from the main menu. “He almost needed a phone book to reach the table, and he was ordering bouillabaisse!” says Richard.
For some chefs, tweaking the children’s menu is a response to childhood obesity. For Jens Dahlmann, it’s a matter of principle. When this chef took over the kitchen at the California Grill in Walt Disney World’s Contemporary Resort, he banished fried foods from the children’s menu. “Once you have french fries on the menu, people ask for it,” he says.
JUST LIKE GROWN-UPS
Dahlmann’s menu is about as mature as they come. Consider the roasted salmon with basmati rice, the grilled chicken brushed with a mustard butter and the oak-fired rib steak, served with Yukon potatoes and seasonal vegetables. All these dishes are identical to those on the adult menu, just scaled down to three- to four-ounce portions to suit a child’s appetite. Children get the option of a small salad or fruit with any entrée. “It keeps them busy throughout the meal,” he says. “They’re sitting down and staying put.” Portobello Yacht Club’s children’s menu also offers kid-size versions of adult fare, including filet mignon, fresh fish and roast chicken. Side dishes include roasted potatoes and fresh applesauce.
At the new JW Marriot Grand Rapids in Michigan, Executive Chef John State has taken the adult-influenced children’s menu one step further. He’s introduced a child’s tasting menu at the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant, Six.one.six.
“I wanted a children’s menu that was significantly different than what kids are used to being fed.” He succeeded. The menu changes seasonally, emphasizing the restaurant’s dedication to local produce. It is priced at $21 and can begin with vegetable crudities and move on to a soup and flatbread topped with smoked salmon. The fourth course includes a salad with toppings like green goddess dressing and parmesan. The main course has included tempura-style fish and chips and a grilled petite filet of beef with sauce foyot. For dessert, children can munch on a rice cereal and marshmallow “sushi” roll topped with Swedish Fish “nigiri.”
At Stack and Fix in Las Vegas, Massie has introduced fun dishes to the main menu that capture the interest of children, particularly tweens and teens. “They’re playful—they appeal visually first, which is important to kids,” Massie says. Take, for instance, the “forks” at Fix. Playing off children’s love of lollipops, the dish features bite-sized smoked salmon, Osetra caviar and scallion blini poppers rolled up on the end of cocktail forks. “It’s a fun dish. You don’t care what it is when it’s walking by, you just say, ‘I want that!’”
Stack also serves up the fun with “hot rocks,” a dish that lets guests cook thinly sliced sirloin at the table. Kids love it, Massie says. They don’t even notice that they’re searing beef carpaccio. Kids also clamor for mini Kobe sliders and fried mac-and-cheese, dishes that offer familiarity but demonstrate a better quality and a more interesting preparation.
At Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe, chicken fingers also bridge the culinary chasm between the familiar and the exotic. They provide the fun factor in the chicken finger sushi roll, a take on the usual spider roll, which is made with soft-shell crab. Why use chicken fingers? “You have to start them with baby steps,” says Keith Shock-ling, the executive chef. And chicken fingers are okay if they’re made well, Hajian says.
The kids’ sushi menu also includes a takeoff on ham and cheese—breakfast ham and American cheese rolled into nori and served with a mustard dipping sauce. Shockling got the idea from his daughter, who would only eat ham and cheese sandwiches for a time.
Adult-like fare for kids is not limited to food. Portobello Yacht Club recently launched the “Great Grape” menu, showcasing grape juices made from chardonnay, Muscat, zinfandel and merlot grapes. Kids like the idea that they’re drinking juice made from wine grapes. Parents like that the kids aren’t drinking soda.
EIGHT HOT-SPOTS
For the Under 18 Set
California Grill
407-824-1000
www.disneyworld.disney.go.com
Fix
702-693-7223
www.bellagio.com
Portobello Yacht Club
407-934-8888
www.levyrestaurants.com
Rosa Mexicano
212-977-7700
www.rosamexicano.info
Shiro of Japan
516-997-4770
www.shiroofjapan.com
Six.one.six
616-242-1500
www.ilovethejw.com
Stack
866-339-4566
www.mirage.com
Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe
407-938-9653
www.levyrestaurants.com
AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE
When Shockling sees children squirm in their seats, he asks them to make a pizza with him or roll sushi. “And I say, ‘If you eat this, we’ll make a sundae,’” says Shockling, whose own son was a wiggleworm at age 2. Pizza might not seem like an extraordinary dish for a child, but it is when it’s made with crème fraîche and smoked salmon. The pizza, a twist on bagel and lox, is now one of 9-year-old Max Nania’s favorite dishes. He helped make one when he first visited the restaurant at age 7. “It was really good,” he says.
Shockling took Max aside to cook even though the restaurant was full, says Max’s mother, “It has been such an inspiration,” Nania says. Indeed Max is now the author of a cookbook, Cooking with Max.
To introduce youngsters to sushi, Shiro of Japan began hosting field trips for students in New York at the Queens and Long Island locations. Students first receive a lesson in Japanese culture, says Peter Faccibene, who co-owns the restaurant with Hiro Ishikawa. They learn why the Japanese bow and why they remove their shoes upon entering a house, then they learn to roll sushi. “The kids have a ball,” Faccibene says. “A lot of them have never been exposed to sushi. After they make it, they’re curious to try it.”
Apparently the experience is a positive one. Shiro gives the children gift certificates for a free meal and tracks the return. “They definitely come back to the restaurant,” Faccibene says. When Shiro first started the tours in 2005, the restaurant hosted 150 kids. Last year, the number soared to 1,000, and even more are slated to participate this year (Shiro will go to schools if they cannot afford the trip).
With a little guidance, early exploration and participation, kids will not only learn to behave themselves at the table, but foster a life-long love for all kinds of cuisine.
[COOKING 101]
It is not surprising to see Girl Scouts with cookies. It is, however, unusual to find 18 Girl Scouts making chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. (480-624-1000, www.starwoodhotels.com).
The girls were participating in the hotel’s “Kids in the Kitchen” program, which gives children a behind-the-scenes look at the hotel kitchen. “They work with the chef—that’s what excites them,” says Todd Berry, executive chef. “They have fun with it.”
It also piques their curiosity about the culinary arts. “Bringing them into the kitchen gets them asking questions, and that’s how they learn,” Berry says. “They get to see how big the kitchen is, put on aprons and chef hats, and see real chefs at work.”
Like the Westin Kierland, restaurants and culinary facilities across the country are discovering that cooking classes both nurture and educate youngsters about food. “They realize that macaroni and cheese doesn’t just come out of a cardboard box, and that there are appliances other than microwave ovens,” says Mike Becher, owner of Epicures (614-863-5600, www..em>epicures-inc.com) a banquet hall and cooking school in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, just outside Columbus.
Epicures offers classes for people age 3 to 103, Becher says. For the tots, chefs read a story centered around food, and then the kids prepare that dish. Children make meals that are often shared around a festive fire pit.
Rocky Top Hospitality (www..em>rockytophospitality.com), which owns seven restaurants in North Carolina, also connects classes with a theme, says Liz Wallace, director of corporate affairs. For instance, dads and kids last year learned to make a Mother’s Day breakfast. Although classes are held at The Red Room (919-835-1322, www.redroomraleigh.com), which has an open kitchen, they often highlight the sister restaurants.
While parents interested in educating their children’s palates are sparking the trend, kids are also clamoring for the cooking classes.
Out of the 18 Girl Scouts who visited Berry’s kitchen, three wanted to attend culinary school. If nothing else, It’s a tasty way to earn a badge.
