Best Kids Menus in Orlando

 

The main reason most of us grownups go to Orlando is because we have kids, or grandkids, or nieces or nephews, who want to go to Disney World. While fulfilling that family obligation, you may the need to retreat from the Mouse and his minions to a steakhouse. Here are some places that offer outstanding steak and outstanding kids menus.

 

Yachtsman Steakhouse. In Epcot Center, the Yachtsman Steakhouse is technically part of the Disney universe, yet it offers a quiet respite with prime steaks and lots of food with kid-appeal. The kids menu is imaginative (hey, this is Disney!), and the young ones can have an Oak-Grilled Steak Skewer paired with a choice of beverages: water, milk or apple juice. C’est magnifique. As you’re in Florida, some seafood might be in order, and for the kids there’s a Baked Fish of the Day with farro, a lesser known kind of Italian wheat which may, if just a little, feel adventurous to small fry.

 

STK Orlando. In cities like Chicago and NYC, STK offers a swank and modernistic space, part restaurant and part club. In Orlando, there’s a little of that, and a lot for kids, some of it kind of fancy. The Kids STK is a filet mignon with hand-cut fries, but there are definitely dishes that will appeal to simpler tastes (STK Little Cheeseburgers, for instance) or vegetarian tastes (like Mac n’ Cheese). Even more pedestrian selections, like Chicken Fingers, are made in house, so you know the level of quality will be above most kids menus in the area.

 

Capa. At the Four Seasons, Capa has a kids menu with a “Young Culinarians” section that will please children as well as their foodie parents.  Aspirant gourmands can select items like Cocas, with smoked goat cheese, piperade and basil on flatbread or Pescado Pil Pil with olive-oil-poached seasonal fish and summer vegetables. This menu, which pushes the limits of a pre-teen palate just a little, is a good way to acclimate children to fine dining without asking them to eat possibly traumatic selections like oysters or rabbit (“But Daddy, I love Peter Rabbit!” You know what we’re talking about.)

 

 

The Palm. One of the most recognized steakhouses in the world, The Palm in Orlando breaks their kids menu into three parts: appetizers, entrées and dessert (just like on the grown-up menu).  Starters are mozzarella sticks with marinara or carrot and apple sticks, and the entrées include selections like Penne Pasta – which kids can have with sauce, cheese or, the all-time kid favorite, just butter – as well as a Grilled Cheddar Sandwich.  For dessert, get the little ones a fun Bag of Warm Doughnuts with chocolate and raspberry dipping sauces (a perennial hit).

 

 

Ocean Prime. Don’t call it a “kids menu.” At Ocean Prime, it’s a “Young Adults” menu, and although it includes Macaroni and Cheddar Cheese and Buttered Noodles, it also has dishes that appeal even to adults, like Maryland Crab Cake and Broiled Salmon. Such dishes, of course, may appear on the regular menu as well, and the last resort for parents who want to eat out at fine dining restaurants is to just order something good and get a share plate for the youngs. That works, too.