food a child wants to order?

I’ve been researching things kids will order, eat, and enjoy that may be outside of the norm. In my experience children will order chicken fingers, tacos, hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, pb&j, pasta with tomato sauce/butter and cheese, or anything covered in cheese for that matter. I have also experienced a twelve year old order shrimp and grits, a thirteen year old order the tournedos of beef with poached egg and fried leeks, to an eight year old that ordered escargot and was happy and excited about it, and surprisingly liked them. Looking for anything in between those extremes to try and serve good wholesome food that will not only entice a child but also make them happy without deceiving their expectations.

my 14 year old has been eating margarita pizzas since he was 4. He loved Gorgonzola, grilled chicken with veggies & pasta. He loves lobster, salmon etc. It all depends on what we expose them to. The earlier you start the more they will eat. Start a little at a time in the home. And if there are not adventitious eats don't push them.

I started getting more adventurous as I got older. I would say around late high school. I was never a super picky eater...but there were some things I thought I wouldn't like that I had never tried. And when I tried them, they were good. Grits is one of them. I <3 Shrimp & Grits. I could never eat oatmeal when I was growing up, even in college, and now I eat it all the time. I think my tastes have just changed in the last 10 years.

My parents always encouraged me to try new things but I was never forced. Except for one time at Girl Scout Camp, but that was the fault of the GS leader and not my parents. I had to take "3 Girl Scout bites" of spinach at dinner one night...and surprise, they were good.

To answer your actual question better (sorry!)...I would look toward healthier options. Kids will often surprise you in choosing them. I usually have raisins alongside my Halloween candy and you'd be surprised at the number of kids who will choose the raisins. The adults I tell this can never believe it. I went through 3 big bags of raisins one year and had 3 bags of candy too...had candy left over, no raisins.

Cheese grits might be a good choice.

Honestly? I think my 6yo daughter would be THRILLED if a restaurant had something as simple as chopped vegetables with dip. There was a restaurant in Seattle (when we visited on vacation over the summer) that offered that as an option. She was so happy. Most kids will eat carrot sticks after all. She's also a big fan of broccoli, but I have a feeling that's a little more unusual, lol. But a simple, colorful plate of carrot sticks, red bell pepper slices, celery? It's not like it's hard to do.

Other things she likes to order when we go out: 1. buttered noodles with parmesan cheese, 2. cheese pizza, 3. grilled cheese.

It would be nice if something like the veg plate were offered as a side, too. She never eats the fries that come with the grilled cheese, for example. An alternative would be great.

For the record, she won't eat anything you listed - hamburgers, hotdogs, etc.

I completely agree with Tina M. If we go to a restaurant that offers a children's veggie plate, that's what we order. I'm so tired of the grilled cheese, hamburger, hot dog options on a kid's menu. My son will eat the grilled cheese, but neither of them eat much meat.

We just ate at AP Crafters and the restaurant was full of families. They have no printed children's menu and their children's options are not that great. Their mac and cheese has some kind of off-putting seasoning (for my kid) and bacon and their grilled cheese was made with something other than cheddar. I don't know what kind of cheese they used, but again it was off-putting to my kid.

In my opinion if a restaurant sticks to simple, clean food for their kid's menu then everyone would be happy.

Grilled chicken is always a good option with my kids. Just don't put a bunch of green seasoning sprinkles on it. MOST kids don't want green "sprinkles" of seasoning on their food!
Cheese bread. Cheese pizza. Grilled cheese. Hamburgers. Pasta with butter and cheese. Broccoli....the only gauranteed veggie all the time. The veggie dipper plate (at Denny's of all places) is always a hit. Fruit as an option!! Can just be sliced apples and grapes....makes them happy, and they'll pick that over fries. Pancakes. Mashed potatoes with cheese. BLT.....minus the t and l. Mine are on a grilled steak binge right now. They wouldn't eat meat at all (I have 9 year old twins) for almost two years....now they are in love with steak, hamburger, bacon, grilled chicken.

I thought kids were not allowed in restaurants...

My daughter has, I guess, odd taste for a kid. No fries. No soft drinks (only milk, water and the occasional sip of apple juice.) No hot dogs. No tomato, so ketchup, spaghetti and pizza sauce are out.
She likes a good number of cooked veg - Green beans, pintos, great northerns, broccoli, carrots, corn.
Most meats are on her list too, but she prefers grilled to fried.

I am really surprised at some of the restaurants that have a kid's menu and don't serve milk - KFC and Buffalo Wild Wings are on that list. (I know - bad Mom for knowing that)

MissChele

Oh, my gosh! Yes on the sprinkles! Unexpected sprinkles are baaaaad! They may look pretty and it may kill the chef to send out plain rice, but really, that's all most kids want.

And yes - the simpler the better. Some places are surprised at the food she orders, but even if it's generally an "adult" choice, she's more attracted to it than the options on the kids' menu. For example, at Mojito's she'll order the cheese platter. Cheese, crackers, grapes. Perfect.

My 16 year old has been eating anything from fine dining to ethnic since before he could walk. My wife wouldn't leave him with a sitter so he's been at whatever table we eat at most nights ever since. In our experience kids will eat the same things as adults if you offer it to them. By the time my kid was 10 he was craving sushi, sweat breads, tongue tacos, any number of veggie options at places like Zen Garden. The thought that kids only eat pizza, hot dogs, or grilled cheese is a self fulfilling prophesy in my book. Things we banned from early on - fast food as a meal other than a quick bite on the road.

At less than a year my daughter was eating avocado as a snack. She is 9 now and loves sushi, beef carpaccio, escargot, mussels (particularly with white wine, garlic, and parsley), tandoori chicken, and a number of other things that have gotten us rather peculiar looks when she orders.

She also likes to cook, so she's had experience making a number of those things. I think the more you can involve them in the process, the more likely they are to try something they had a hand in making...

Mark,

We exposed our kids early and had one child who ate everything and a younger brother who likes typical "kid foods". ( much to our chagrin). Here are some suggestions:

I agree on the sprinkle thing- leave green sprinkles off!
Ditto on sauces on the food- kids love to dip stuff. Much more fun if your meat/poultry/veggies come with a dip or dips.
Grilled cheese with or without meat ( ham /bologna ) is a hit
Offer some veggies/fruit as a side first- they could sub with fries or preferably mashed potatoes.
Grilled chicken cut into "fingers" with a dipping sauce
Buy some kids cookbooks. They have fun presentations that kids love, are unique
and will keep them coming back.
Little corn dogs are a hit and can be done well.
Have plain milk to offer. The organic kind in boxes has a long shelf-life so you don't have to worry about spoilage.
Deb

I know at North End we offer your typical children's menu items (which include breakfast items) but we are always willing to make almost anything. Our meals have options as well so you don't have to get fries, you could get fruit, salad, slaw, potato salad or tortilla chips. Since almost every item we offer is made to order there a million things we can do to make your child happy. Just let us know and we will be more than happy to help you out

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and suggestions. When I have a kid I plan to expose the child to as much food as I like to eat, which is a lot of food. The dipper idea is good, I'll try and think of something healthy to dip in, maybe a thinned out humus or yogurt sauce as opposed to ranch or mae ploy chili sauce. Maybe I can create yogurt mixed with milk and flavored like ranch dressing. I also think everyone is right about simple being the way to go, I would be disappointed if I had a child focused special on kids night that was a flop because of a little green chop-chop. The mashed potatoes sound it will be familiar and there are a lot of neat things you can do with them. The fruits and vegetables will be the staple sides for the dishes, but yes, K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid.) Sliced or in sticks, easy enough. Who knows, maybe I'll stop at Nuts and Stuff and get some fresh peanut butter and do ants on a log if kids do indeed eat raisins. The great life of a chef, always changing, always growing, and still always room to be better. Thank you to everyone who is helping me be satisfied with our kids menu, hopefully we will blow away any other kids menu in town.

In the vein of "ants on a log," my dad used to call PB&J "mud with rocks & slime." That could take an old standby and make it fun.