Bennigan's offers tasty food, plus kids meals for just $3.79
By Brad Miklosovic
Family Fare
Published Dec. 15, 2004

I always miss out on the good stuff.

I'm the guy who shows up a few minutes after Bill Gates was throwing $100 bills out the window of his limousine.

Why do I bring this up in a column about dining with children? Because I took my wife, the lovely Bunky, and the brood out to eat at Bennigan's on a Wednesday.

Of course, when I sit down I see a table topper -- that is one of those little advertisements on restaurant tables -- that promotes the fact that kids eat for free, with paying adult, on Tuesday.

Just my luck.

We might have been eating at an Irish restaurant, but I had none of the luck of the Irish with me.

But I digress.

As the brood descended upon Bennigan's, we were greeted by a group of employees and quickly taken to a booth- a nice large booth that was able to fit everyone and our coats, something that needs to be considered as we plunge into the icy depths of another Ohio winter.

The kids were each given a kids menu, with the obligatory puzzles and coloring page, and crayons, which they began to squabble over. Fortunately, because of the size of the booth, they were able to do their thing without being close enough to pester each other.

The kids menu -- the lads and lassies meals -- feature your typical kid items and all include a soft drink and a cookie. Best of all, the meals all cost $3.79.

The adult menu is varied and features some items that aren't found on the menu of your typical chain restaurant. But the menu items, while often given Irish sounding names, are very un-Irish. For example, the Flaherty's Famous Fish, which I got and recommend, is served with a pesto orzo. (Orzo is a pasta shaped like rice, not exactly a traditional Irish food.)

While the food might not be authentic Irish, it still is darn tasty.

The brood, not surprisingly, got the chicken strips again.

You know, a few months back, I got an e-mail from a woman named Tracey who lives in Bay Village. She had some nice comments about this column and made the suggestion that I inform parents what items were on the kids menus so parents whose kids would only eat one particular food would know in advance whether to try that restaurant. (By the way, I didn't mention it before, but there is macaroni and cheese on the menu.)

At the time, I thought if Tracey's kid were my kid I would make the child try something different.

Proving that God has a sense of humor, my children now have become chicken stripaholics. They're addicted to them. It's gotten to the point that I hope, every time we walk into a restaurant, that there are no chicken strips on the menu just to force my kids to try something different. (This from the man who ate nothing but Pop Tarts for breakfast during his entire academic career.)

The service was good and fast. The food came quickly, which is always good, and the servers brought the kids food first, which is even better. Of course, the drinks all had lids.

What I liked was the fact that the server came over several times to make sure we didn't need anything and asked everyone, not just the adults. The kids like to feel like they matter too. The manager also came over to check on things.

The price for all of us to eat was just over $40, which isn't bad for a family of five.

Lastly, at the booth next to us was a family with four boys. The father, Frank, was celebrating a birthday and the waiters descended upon the man and sang one of those inane birthday songs that chain restaurants make their servers sing.

All I have to say is whatever they are paying these people, it isn't enough to sing those silly songs.