My son Sebastion is 6, and my daughter Cecilia is 3, and I guide the development of their palates with the same vigor and purposefulness with which I approach their reading skills, bilingualism and social manners (all works-in-progess, BTW). They accompany me to the farmers' markets, the butcher, the fishmonger and ethnic restaurants. When the boy’s last birthday hit, I told him we could have lunch anywhere he wanted; he requested dim sum at Full Kee (no word on when he’ll venture into the Cold Shredded Jellyfish there). They earned their sashimi wings at Akida some months ago, recently dipped into my new tagine and enjoyed their first injera at Nile Ethiopian Restaurant just last week. Check out S’s video tour of our entrée for a nibble of what I mean. 

Institute the You Have To At Least Try It rule, and tongues start wagging in a new way. Am I bragging? Maybe, but only because I believe that a well-honed food vocabulary is an essential foundation to children’s development as conscious eaters, grocery patrons, restaurant regulars and adventure-seekers. Tell me there isn’t social capital to be found in a kindergartener telling classmates he ate octopus last night. Going out to dinner can still land you the free crayons and color-by-number kids’ menu, but don’t actually order from it. Get in the habit of feeding the children what you eat. Are they too picky? Don’t trust the Gorton’s Fisherman. Let ‘em starve … they’ll come around faster than you can say squid-ink risotto. To ease the movement from fish sticks to chopsticks, here are some family-friendly ethnic restaurants for breaking in the tots’ taste buds.

Mekong: Stay away from the American food and introduce your children to Vietnamese tofu, mild curries, bean sprouts and bok choy via fabulous noodle and rice dishes. Besides, chopsticks make everything fun, even if kids have to stab at their Thit heo xao thap like they're participating in bayonet training at boot camp.

Akida: isn’t edamame a superfood? Parents know that kids are hungry NOW, and that 15-minute wait for entrées can be the difference between a pleasant family outing and a spine-stiffening, smile-crushing, bender-inducing seismic meltdown. Edamame hits the table quick, so you don’t have to surrender with “Better make that ‘to go.' " It’s cheap, it’s salty good and it keeps them occupied long enough for those first hits of Sapporo to take effect (on you).

Kuba Kuba: Owner Manny Mendez once told a dining mama with a teary-eyed toddler, “I’d rather have her crying, than people who are bothered by her crying.” Here, all-natural juice boxes are served alongside Negra Modelo, and you can transition your children from scrambled eggs to huevos rancheros, or upgrade their usual beans-and-rice combo to a semi-spicy paella.