Jay Lloyd’s Getaway: Dining Out With Youngsters

By Jay Lloyd

HERSHEY, Pa. (CBS) — Traveling with children can mean compromises at lunch and dinner, but it doesn’t have to.

On a recent visit to Hershey, Pa. (see related story), virtually every table but ours at a restaurant in nearby Harrisburg was occupied by parents and their offspring.  It was close by Hershey, after all, a magnet for young fantasies.

But this was an Irish pub!  Then it dawned on me: with colorful food names (think “bangers and mash”) and a casual environment, an Irish pub is the perfect on-the-road spot for families.

At O’Reilly’s Tap Room and Kitchen, chef Eric Dively (below) takes it a step further.

(Chef Eric Dively. Credit: Jay Lloyd)

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“I’m doing a Fruit Loop crème brûlée,” Dively disclosed recently.  “I’m taking Fruit Loops and soaking them in heavy cream, and I’m making a fabulous kid adult-style dessert.”

That should get their attention.

But the names of dishes can also entice.  How about shepherd’s pie?

But sometimes that doesn’t quite work. Taking our daughter’s friend to a German restaurant, she reluctantly ordered an unfamiliar chicken schnitzel.  After one taste she blurted out, “Why didn’t you tell me it was a giant chicken finger?!”

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