Quick bites: The play place can be as important as the food

Every year, my three daughters participate in the National Federation of Music Clubs piano evaluations.

We drive to Riverton Music in Sandy, which has a nice little concert hall in the back, and spend at least an hour waiting for our turn and watching each girl perform two memorized pieces for the three judges.

Because our girls have great teachers and work hard, this usually is a fun event for all of us, with the exception of my 5-year-old son. He's been dragged along to Federation since he was a baby, and only one thing keeps him from becoming a major distraction: There's a tiny "play place" right outside the concert hall.

With a wee slide and a few other toys to play with, the play place is nothing elaborate. But it's just enough to keep our little guy quietly, happily busy while we take turns listening to our daughters' performances.

It's kind of amazing how many businesses these days have play places. Heck, my kids' dentist has a waiting room with a movie playing on one wall, two video game monitors in one corner and a little "cabin" with books and squashy bean bags built into another wall.

I don't select restaurants based solely on their play places, but I do have criteria for play places, as I'm sure all parents do. Here are mine, with good examples of each:

Safe

I don't want my kids to get hurt while they're trying to have a good time. That's one reason I like the play place at our favorite Burger King at the corner of 1300 East and 7800 South. This play place has height and challenges, like a big net kids climb up to get to the top, and its structure is big enough for larger kids to enjoy without getting claustrophobic.

However, it's also nicely designed to minimize the chances of small kids falling or otherwise getting hurt.

Appealing

The whole appeal of play places for our family is the promise of fun for kids and of a few minutes of uninterrupted conversation for adults. But for a fun play place, grown-up chatting and food that's not the fast kind, it's hard to beat Joe's Crab Shack at Jordan Landing.

Joe's is raucous and kid-friendly anywhere, but the Jordan Landing location boasts an actual outdoor playground attached to the restaurant, and it's fenced in for safety. This play place has major kid appeal, and grown-ups can enjoy some "real" food to boot. That's hard to beat.

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