Tastes of summer: Area gems that kids will eat up

No disrespect to Serendipity — I only had its cinnamon fun sundae 100 times growing up in NYC — but now that I’m a parent myself, I’m hoping to introduce my son to broader culinary horizons that still bring the joy of that foot-long hot dog chased with a funhouse mirror level magic.Ahead, nine restaurants to please tiny tasters. No chicken nugget dinners here.

The idea for the “Young Gourmands Club” experience came after Restaurant Le B.’s chef and proprietor, Angie Mar, recounted her first fine dining experience at age 8 at Seattle’s Canlis to a friend.Now, for the past year, Mar has replicated that epicurean wonder for pint-sized patrons of her own, introducing children to nuanced flavors and advanced culinary techniques.

Whether they’re sinking their deciduous teeth into “Le Burger Mignon” a smaller version of the haunt’s beloved burger or spooning up a banana split with flambéed bananas prepared table-side expect big smiles and satisfied stomachs come meal’s end.Three courses (an amuse-bouche followed by a choice of main and dessert course) costs $65 for children 12 and under.283 West 12th St., NYCIt’s the summer — healthy eating rules are out the window on days over 85°F (and on days that end in “y” depending on your youngster’s tantrum level).

Of course, summer indulgence doesn’t get more classic than chomping on salt water taffy and fudge amidst a boardwalk stroll down the shore.No one (arguably) does it better than Shriver’s, a third-generation, family-owned institution after being purchased by four brothers in 1959.

The reward for journeying some 130 miles from midtown Manhattan? Everything from chocolate nut and peanut banana fudge to mango, sea salt caramel and peanut butter taffy.(Fun fact: Folklore has it that “salt water taffy” got its name after an Atlantic City’s candy shop’s taffy inventory was soaked in an ocean flood in 1883, but the recipe doesn’t actually contain salt water.)One pound of...