Ellington

Description

For the parents: There are five sizes of burgers, ranging from 5.5 ounces to 20 ounces and from $4.89 to $9.99. You can create your own burger or chicken sandwich, choosing from the standard toppings of lettuce, onion and tomato, and a host of other not-sostandard ones, like garlic/black pepper spice, Grey Poupon, pineapple, artichoke hearts and teriyaki sauce. For the children: Meal choices for the 12-and-under crowd include the Jr. Classic (a smaller version of the smallest cheeseburger on the grown-up menu), Grilled Cheese, Chicken Fingers and Peanut Butter and Jelly. All children's meals include fries and a soft drink, apple juice or milk. For $1.35, you can substitute half a shake, malt or child-size root-beer float; substituting for a Shake-a-Soda is $1. Highchair report: Standard wooden ones, plus nice plastic boosters. Hire a sitter? Only if you want your children to stay home and eat their veggies. Family budget: My, oh, my. There was a little sticker shock when we got the bill for our lunch of burgers and fries; our total, before tip, was $43.67. But then the restaurant is situated in one of the city's upscale shopping centers.