5 South Florida Restaurants that your kids will absolutely love

5 South Florida Restaurants that your kids will absolutely love

by Melissa Clark

For the majority of the parents, dining out with a small child poses quite a difficult challenge. Choices typically range from places that are just way too fancy (and where kids and their harried parents are pretty much guaranteed to get the ol' stink-eye from patrons and servers alike) or mass market corporate chains with really boring food and zero ambience.  

But don’ despair as there is still hope for parents looking for that one spot to feed their family in Southern Florida. If a restaurant has a friendly wait staff, a kitchen open to the flexible whims of a child’s palate and a room of diners tolerable of tantrums, it all add up to a winning formula for feeding your children outside of the home.

Families are concerned with both time and money. With that in mind, here’s a selection of 5 best kid-friendly fast, casual restaurants – from neighborhood diners to mega-chains restaurants in South Florida that can please both big and little diners, whether you live in the area or are in vacation.

1. Giraffas

 

When it comes to child friendly restaurants, themed restaurants for kids are the ideal solution. At Giraffas your kids can enjoy a scrumptious kids cheeseburger, accompanied by fries and smiles, in a very colorful and welcoming décor, which includes a life-sized family of giraffes on the restaurants wall.

 

Giraffas Restaurant

2. Rainforest Café
 

Diners are supposed to feel as if they’re in a tropical rainforest. Artificial trees and vines drape across the ceiling jungle-like, with mechanical stuffed animals dashing, popping, and swinging about, cawing and growling. Menu items are diverse and kid-friendly. And to make you feel good about eating those amazing French fries, a percentage of Rainforest Café’s profits are filtered into sustaining the real rainforests of the world.

Rainforest Cafe

3. Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor
 

You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into “It’s a Wonderful Life” at this old-fashioned ice cream parlor and candy shop, where everything is made fresh on the premises. It makes more than 50 flavors of ice cream, from classics such as chocolate and vanilla to exotic tropical flavors like mango and passion fruit. Just watch for that sugar rush. 

 

 

4. Deck 84

 

Skip the indoor dining room and ask for a table on the considerable open-air patio where you and the family will get a stellar view of the Intracoastal Waterway. Little ones can gawk at the drawbridge as it rises for passing yachts. If patience starts to wane, there's plenty of room to escape for a quick walk to the water to take a peek at any fish that might be happening by.

 

 

5. BurgerFi

Burgers, fries, sundaes, hot dogs, shakes; the menu at this growing franchise is practically tailor-made for kids. But the quality of the product -- not to mention the craft beer and wine selection -- means it's not a total culinary bummer for the grownups. Plus, if soda isn't completely off-limits in your family, the kids will get a kick out of the digital "freestyle" fountain where they can mix and match fizzy drinks to their heart's content. Important note to parents with kids with allergies: French fries are made in peanut oil, so ask before ordering. 

 

 

Find out more about Melissa Clark, Author, Food Writer and contributing editor to Miami Food Review™!

    

 

Visit Melissa Sites Blog at:  www.MelissaClark.net

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Grilled Skirt Steak (Churrasco)

By Daisy Martinez

This Latin American recipe comes compliments of Chef Daisy Martinez of the PBS show Daisy Cooks! She serves the succulent grilled steak with a parsley-laden homemade Chimichurri Sauce.

Churrasco: Grilled Skirt Steak

Ingredients

4 skirt steaks, trimmed

Sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoon(s) onion powder
2 tablespoon(s) white wine vinegar

2 tablespoon(s) extra virgin olive oil

Oil spray

Directions

1. Rub, salt and pepper, onion powder on steaks.
2. Sprinkle with vinegar and brush with olive oil. Grill to taste. Drizzle Chimichurri Sauce over steaks.
 
 

Chimichurri Sauce

 

Ingredients

4 cup(s) flat-leaf parsley leaves

6 clove(s) garlic

1/2 cup(s) (or more, as needed) extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup(s) red wine vinegar

Salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon(s) (heaping) red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Process parsley and garlic in processor until fine, and scrape out into a bowl.
2. Stir in the olive oil and vinegar, and check for seasoning.
3. Add optional red pepper flakes for a spicy chimichurri. S
4. Serve with Grilled Skirt Steak, if desired.

   

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Argentinean Meat Empanadas

Photo by Bianca

By: Liliana  "My original version for the Argentinean recipe. Rich and delicious. Any meat can be used for this recipe, just be sure to cut it up into tiny pieces."



Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon hot paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives, chopped
• 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

Directions

1. In a saute; pan melt the shortening and add the chopped onions. Cook the onions until just before they begin to turn golden. Remove from the heat and stir in the sweet paprika, hot paprika, crushed red pepper flakes and salt to taste.
2. Spread the meat on a sieve and pour boiling water on it for partial cooking. Allow meat to cool. Place meat in a dish add salt to taste, cumin and vinegar. Mix and add the meat to the onion mixture. Mix well and place on a flat to dish to cool and harden.
3. Cut puff pastry dough into 10 round shells. Place a spoonful of the meat mixture on each round; add some of the raisins, olives and hard boiled egg. Avoid reaching the edges of the pastry with the filling because its oiliness will prevent good sealing. Slightly wet the edge of the pastry, fold in two and stick edges together. The shape should resemble that of a half-moon. You should have a 2/3 to 1/2 inch flat edge of pastry to work with. Seal by twisting edge, step by step, between thumb and index finger, making sure to add pressure before releasing the pinch and moving on to the next curl. Other sealing procedures like pinching without curling or using a fork to seal will not prevent juice leaks during baking, and empanadas must be juicy.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Place empanadas on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Be sure to prick each empanada with a fork near the curl to allow steam to escape during baking. Glaze with egg for shine and bake until golden, about 20 to 30 minutes.

   

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