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The Hard Rock Nachos are a popular appetizer at the Hard Rock Cafe at Tower City Center.

(Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer)

They had the kids at our table at the menu title.

"This is called Lil Rockers, yeah, I'm a rocker – it's not a boring kids menu!"

And so began a fun and pleasingly well done dinner at the Hard Rock Café at Tower City Center, with two 6-year-olds and two adults.

We were downtown to see Kris Kringle's Inventionasium and wanted to grab a pre-Santa bite – something a little better than the food court, but not too expensive or upscale with the kids. There went Mortons, the Ritz and Hyde Park . . .

There are actually surprisingly few family-friendly dining options centrally located downtown, unless you want to trek to the Warehouse District for Taza, head to East Fourth for the House of Blues or make it a very special occasion at somewhere like Blue Point.

So, with the snow blowing and no desire to go outside the mall, we decided on the Hard Rock Cafe. It was a good choice. I had eaten at the international chain on several occasions before, and was never disappointed by their sandwiches or burgers. But this was the first time for the kids to enjoy the Hard Rock experience.

Enjoy it they did, from seeing the guitars and memorabilia on the wall – "Mommy, who is Joe Walsh?" "Look! That's from the Rolling Stones!"– to the Lil Rockers Menu. The wide-ranging list offers several healthier choices than most children's menus, too. These include the oven roasted chicken salad, with fresh greens and diced, chicken; and the grilled chicken breast sandwich. Other offbeat options included the BBQ Drum Sticks, deep fried in hickory sauce.

My Lil Rocker though, stuck to her usual, the macaroni-and-cheese. But Hard Rock's is no ordinary dish. Dubbed the Cheesy Mac, it featured twisty cavatappi topped with a very rich, three-cheese cheddar cream sauce. It came with two giant hunks of fresh buttered garlic bread ,and she chose the side of carrot slices. Just about the perfect meal, said my little rocker.

Her friend Noah opted for the Chicken Tenders, also a step above the usual nuggets. These were big, most pieces of white meat dipped and crispy fried, served with honey mustard.

All kids meals come with a side of slaw, salad, fries or carrot sticks, and pop, milk or juice ($6.50).

We started out meal with a shared order of the Hard Rock Nachos with grilled chicken ($10.50), which I thought the kids would like. But with the jalapenos it proved to spicy for them. Oh well, more for us.

On past visits, I had also tried their rightfully praised burgers, especially liking the Red, White and Blue Burger, topped with spicy Buffalo sauce, Cajun Seasoning, onion rings and blue cheese. Their Blackened Chicken Pasta, cavatappi tossed in creamy alfredo sauce, with pico de gallo, spinach and Andouille sausage was also a nice change of pace. Hard Rock offers a solid, if not too adventurous menu - with lots of All-American Southern flavor.

But this time, I opted this for one of their favorites, the Hickory Smoked pulled pork sandwich from their Smokehouse Menu ($11.95). The mouth meltingly tender meat was topped with hickory barbecue sauce and marinated slaw and served on a ciabatta bun, with a side of baked beans and fries.

My friend opted for a lighter meal, the signature Haystack Chicken Salad, with fresh greens, red onions, grilled Cajun chicken orange slices, spiced pecans, red peppers, dried cranberries, blue cheese crumbles and honey citrus dressing (11.95).She praised the combination of the tender chicken and spiced pecans.

The desserts sounded fabulous, especially the chocolate mousse and crème brulee bites, but we were too full. Instead, we followed dinner with a stroll through the restaurant and gift shop, checking out the cool memorabilia from Prince and Sid Vicious, the Stones, Janet Jackson and others.

The Lil Rockers are already asking to go back for an encore.

Taste Bites: Hard Rock Cafe

Where: 230 West Huron Road, inside Tower City Center

Contact: 216-830-7625

Online: www.hardrock.com

Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight.

Prices: Most entrees under $20. Sandwiches, salads $12 and under. Kids meals, $6.50.

Reservations: Not necessary, but can be made for large groups.

Credit cards: All major.

Kids: Lil Rocker Menu has several kid-friendly options.

Cuisine: American, burgers.

Accessibility: Full; elevators available to take customer to basement restrooms.

Grade: * *