For the fifth straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com, presented by Concordia University. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as the winners of our "Best of Dining 2011."

Sometimes the outward signs at a restaurant can be deceiving. Take Mason Street Grill, located in The Pfister Hotel, for example.

On a recent visit, we couldn't help but notice that the restaurant, which obviously caters to a more mature clientele, has no kids menu and no changing station in either the women's or men's room.

That might lead one to suspect that kids aren't welcome.

But, on that same visit we learned that's absolutely untrue. And, in fact, our kids were treated more warmly, willingly and kindly than at some restaurants that offer those amenities.

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog entry about giving kids a variety of dining experiences and this evening dished up a perfect living example of that philosophy.

We wanted a nice dinner out. We knew we'd be near The Pfister and I've wanted to get a taste of the fried clams on the menu. So, we made a reservation. Though we'd been to Mason Street Grill before, I experienced an immediate pang of fear upon revisiting the dining room – with its fragile crystal – and the menu, which had no children's options listed.

But that trepidation was short-lived. I noticed a side of mac and cheese and a pizza Margherita on the menu and was relieved to see there were at least two of the kids' go-to dishes available. A few minutes later, when the kids arrived, to the coos and smiles of much of the staff, our server assured us the kitchen could – and would be eager to – set them up.

After a quick conference in the kitchen, she returned with a half-dozen items that would please nearly any young diner.

"Mason Street currently does not have a printed children's menu," confirms general manager Ed Carrella. "What we do is when we have children in the restaurant we 'hand-sell' the menu at the table. Our servers are instructed to go over the kid-friendly options with them."

Carrella says that just because Mason Street Grill doesn't focus on kids, it does accommodate quite a few of them and knows how to be prepared.

"We always have options for them," he says. "We do see a lot of children in the restaurant, (especially) in the holiday season when there is a lot of shows and events going on in the city."

To do our part, we took our own advice and arrived early and ate a nice meal and were on our way home by the time most other diners began to arrive.

That meant I really got to enjoy my fried clams, which shared a cone with a handful or two of french fries.

Crispy batter and tender clams made for a delicious appetizer that immediately transported me back to Coney Island, where I've had some of the best fried clams, in part, certainly, because of the location and the atmosphere.

"The fried surf clams come from the Atlantic Ocean, from Long Island to Virginia's southern coast," says Chef Thomas Hauck. "The clams are wedged from 10 to 300 feet. The clams mature between 5 and 7 years. Generally what is used is the 'tongue' of the clam."

The Mason Street Grill clams were tender and tasty without the slightest hint of grit. That meant for the first time, I wasn't the only one in my family enjoying them.

It's a rare clam that can please me, my wife and one of my kids (the latter two not typically bi-valve curious), but Mason Street Grill is serving it right now.

And they'll be happy to get something for the kids, too.