Do kids and fancy restaurants mix?

When we walked into the Olde Pink House restaurant in Savannah, Ga., I immediately felt out of place. The people waiting to be seated were elegant and distinguished. The women wore dresses and long wool coats with fur collars; the men wore sport coats and some even had on ties.
I looked at my jeans and tattered tennis shoes, my husband's fleece jacket, and my daughter's uncombed hair and gray sweat pants, and then bluntly said to the hostess, "We're dressed like slobs and we have kids. Can you seat us?"
"Don't worry about it," she said. "You're fine. Would you like to sit downstairs in the tavern? It might be a little more casual."
This splendid house sheathed in a layer of pink stucco was originally built in 1771 by James Habersham Jr., who was a hero during the Revolutionary War. It was the only mansion to survive a fire that swept through the city in 1796.
Over the years the house has served as everything from headquarters for one of Sherman's generals to a bank, and today it's a fancy restaurant known for Southern cuisine and an old world atmosphere. The dining rooms are dignified with crystal chandeliers, ancestor paintings, glowing fire places, and gilt opera chairs. The menu celebrates local seafood and signature dishes include black grouper stuffed with blue crab and crispy scored Flounder served with an apricot shallot sauce.
The hostess escorted us to the tavern--a dark, candlelit space with exposed brick walls, massive dark oak ceiling beams, cushy leather sofas, two roaring fireplaces, and a sprawling bar lined with beautiful men and women sipping martinis. I couldn't help but notice that there wasn't a kid in sight.
"What are we doing here?" I whispered into my husband's ear. "Just relax," he said.
The waiter came to our table and went over the specials. They don't have a kids' menu but thankfully macaroni and cheese was among the side dishes and there was a Cesar salad on the menu, my daughter's favorite.
The bread basket came--and my kids started to fight over the largest roll. Their voices gradually got louder: "No, I want that one!"
For a brief moment, I panicked, and thought, This is going to be a disaster. And then a man wearing a black tuxedo stepped into the tavern and sat down at the grand piano tucked in the corner. Something to drown out my children's loud voices.
The kids scarfed down their food and then walked over to the piano. They got the pianist to play a few Elton John songs. My husband and I savored three courses, and by the end of the night my son was snuggled up in the lap of a woman sipping a martini on the couch. If only we had dressed up.
Have you brought your kids to a fancy restaurant? Have you ever noticed kids behaving or misbehaving in a restaurant where entrees go for more than $20 or where a sports coat is proper attire for male diners?

Image: Frenchtower.com