John f. ruSSell
Best Children’s Menu: Johnny B. Good’s Diner Also second place Best Family Restaurant
John f. ruSSell
If your kid has a hunger for artistry fame as well as food, head to Johnny B. Good’s Diner, where crayon-colored place mats get hung up on the wall for all patrons to see. This family friendliness is exactly what owner Mike Diemer envisioned when he started the downtown diner in 1994 after moving to Steamboat from New York. “Kids are our bread and butter,” he says. “We built the diner on taking care of kids and giving them the respect they deserve. Kids can be kids here.” Well-fed ones at that. Johnny’s children’s menu includes hot dogs, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese and its best-selling Haley Burger. For breakfast, selections include the mini cheese omelet, mini day starter (eggs, meat, browns and toast) and Mickey pancakes. And it’s all in an atmosphere that feels like home. “The families who come here are all our friends,” adds Diemer, whose own sons — Jack, 3, and Charlie, 5 months — contribute regularly to the art wall. “So it’s not really like Johnny B. Good’s Diner: Where kids can be kids (and so can the adults). work at all.”
2. rex’s American Grill & Bar
Founded in 2006 in the Holiday Inn, Rex’s American Grill & Bar is the restaurant to hit with the rugrats. Its kids menu is loaded with specialities for the youngins while doubling as a game-filled coloring sheet. “We’re very accommodating to kids,” says manager Nick Sharp. Between your child’s doodles, you’ll find chicken lips, kids pizza, homemade macaroni and cheese with trees (that’d be broccoli), kids’ burgers and butter-laced slippery noodles. It also features the two buck noodle and two buck banana for tykes 3 and younger. “That way, no one has to go plateless,” Sharp adds. Finish their plates and kids can have Worms and Dirt, a dessert consisting of gummy worms, chocolate pudding and cookie crumbles. And don’t worry about kids burning off the calories. During the summer, a kid-friendly backyard offers Hula Hoops, a bean bag toss, Frisbee golf hole and more.
3. Freshies
Freshies doesn’t create kids’ meals but rather mini versions of its adult meals. “It’s real food made from great ingredients,” says Christy Fox, who owns the restaurant with husband, Scott. “We try to keep everything pretty healthy.” It also keeps it fun. Kids can color their menus with a jar of crayons and get a free cookie when they leave. “Some people might complain about the noise, but it’s a fun place to bring the whole family,” Fox adds. “It’s an informal atmosphere, and we go out of our way to accommodate them.” She adds that part of this also involves the aftermath. “We also clean up after them,” she says.
Spring 2012 | STEAmbOAT living
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