Need Dinner Help in Mid-town for a picky 6 and 8 year old.

[robb]

Heading to NYC in a couple of weeks with the kids and inlaws. Kids are very picky and really not interested in food, us and the inlaws are true chowhounds. Can anyone help us kleep everybody happy. FYI-staying n mid-town but willing to travel.

Robb

[LFeinberg]

Try something fun and familiar, like Carmine's or John's Pizza. Kids love pizza and pasta!

[RGR]

They may be fun for kids, but I'm not sure I'd recommend them for adults who are "true chowhounds." Certainly, when it comes to Italian food, including pizza, there are far better options.

[LFeinberg]

I disagree, but is there a happy medium? It seems that their emphasis is geared more to picky kids than "true chowhounds," as "picky 6 & 8 year old" is the title.

[ballulah]

Whenever I hear "midtown" and "kids" I think John's Pizzeria...and I'm a Chowhound and I love going there. Reminds me of being a kid and going to a pizzeria with tablecloths and silverware and thinking that it was fancy. The location on 44th St is beautiful, and the toppings interesting enough to satisfy the craving for something better than 'just a slice', kids will undoubtedly be happy and who doesn't love pizza.

[cimui]

Agree with RGR, but my shot in the dark would be Bar Americain. There's food on the menu that your kids will probably like--i.e. pizza, hot potato chips, KY hot brown, burgers, and fried stuffed squash blossoms, if they don't know what it is. The adults can nosh on offerings from the raw bar, duck with dirty rice and a very good rack of pork.

B. Americain is on 52nd in midtown.

[CNJFoodie]

Wow, this looks like a great place - wonder why I have never heard of it? Now I feel like I've been living in a box - or maybe hibernating. How long has it been around? Great place / location - especially for pre/post theater too. What's your favorite thing on the menu?

[cimui]

Not sure when it opened--but it's been around for at least four years. To tell you the truth, it's not one of my favorite restaurants because (1) I'm not generally a huge fan of this kind of cuisine, (2) I'm from KY and the KY hot brown they make here somehow isn't as good as I remembered it being back home (possibly my taste buds have changed). But it is a great place to go with a certain kind of picky eater.

My favorite items on the menu: hot potato chips with blue cheese dip and johnny cakes. Steak fans seem to love the steak here.

[RGR]

Bar Americain opened in 2005 in the space formerly occupied by JUdson Grill. It's a Bobby Flay restaurant. While it does have many fans on this board, I am definitely not one of them.

[JennS]

Agreed. I think you can do MUCH better than Bar Americain. Not sure what your cuisine/budget preferences are but Chinatown is always a fun experience and picky kids can have egg rolls and whatever. Landmarc in Tribeca, while not near your hotel, is very kid-friendly and has excellent food for the adults.

[RGR]

With literally hundreds of restaurants to choose from, you need to give us some specifics so that we can narrow things down and make appropriate suggestions. What cuisines do you prefer and think might offer some possibility that the kids may like something on the menu? What is your per person budget? And tell us if that figure includes alcoholic beverages, tax (nearly 9%) and tip (20%).