The Fairmont Southampton Family Dining

The resort offers a variety of restaurants. Wickets, the Ocean Club and the Waterlot Inn rate as our favorites. All restaurants, even the AAA Four Diamond Waterlot Inn, offer a children's menu. While primarily the same, the kids' menus at each restaurant contain selections representative of that restaurant. We appreciate that. It shows an awareness of older kids who have more sophisticated tastes plus a respect for parents' pocketbooks.

Wickets, in the lower lobby, is the most family-friendly restaurant. Selections include burgers, salads and wraps ($13-$18 U.S.). For dessert, try a ginger beer float made with local ginger beer (non-alcoholic), $7 U.S. At Wickets kids can choose from chicken nuggets, cheeseburger, spaghetti and meatballs and chicken quesadillas ($6-$7 U.S.) Salad, soup, or fruit appetizers cost $5 U.S. and ice cream, cookies or a root beer float cost $5 U.S.

The Ocean Club, located beachfront, serves seafood. We liked the miso marinated salmon ($29 U.S.) and the sea scallops and lobster ravioli ($28 U.S.). Along with spaghetti and meatballs and chicken fingers (each $10 U.S), the kids' menu offers a pan-seared or fried fish with vegetables and rice or French fries for $12 or a kids' surf and turf of grilled filet of beef and coconut shrimp for $18.

Waterlot Inn, housed in a building dating to the 17th century, is known for its steaks. Filet mignon ranges from $35 to $44; a 22-ounce porterhouse is $62 U.S. and duck is $43. The food is fabulous and the service is attentive. As dinners can be long, we don't recommend this restaurant for young kids. The children's menu, along with linguini and tomato sauce ($8 U.S.), offers catch of the day, 6-ounce prime rib, chicken breast and tenderloin of beef ($12 U.S. each).

The Newport Room, formerly rated AAA Five Diamonds, was closed when we were there. No information was available on when it would re-open.