( CNN ) -- First , it was babies in bars . Now , children in fine-dining restaurants are feeding a raging debate . The argument is fueled by new efforts of some Michelin-starred New York restaurants like L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon and Café Boulud to cater to the under-3-year-old crowd . Not every patron of expensive restaurants desires to share a formal dining experience with young children who may be more interested in playing with their food than savoring it . Some are upset at the parents of the young diners , but others believe that even adults do n't always behave in ways that allow customers to enjoy peaceful dining . More than 100 people -- mostly against the idea of tots at upper-echelon restaurants -- posted their heated comments in response to Shivani Vora 's recent New York Times piece , `` Fine Dining Where Strollers Do n't Invite Sneers . '' `` People who force their toddlers on others in enclosed public spaces like fine restaurants ( and airplanes ) are even more selfish than those who insist on talking on cell phones in such places , '' one Times reader said . `` If you object to 'howls ' ( based on your ridiculous presumption that all children inevitably howl ) , let 's start by excluding all the adults who are yelling into their cell phones , are drunk and/or obnoxious , etc . '' another commenter said . `` I 'm with the majority -- thanks for this list , because now we know which high-end restaurants we will never set foot in , '' another said . World 's 50 best restaurants list . That 's certainly the customers ' standpoint , but what about those manning the stoves and host stands ? Many chefs and restaurateurs with families are teaching their own children to be good restaurant citizens and are making accommodations for kids in their establishments . Marc Murphy , chef and judge on the Food Network 's `` Chopped '' series , created children 's menus at all three of his New York City restaurants so his two children , ages 3 and 5 , have dining options on their nights out . At Landmarc , adult diners can enjoy Murphy 's foie gras terrine or roasted marrow bones while their booster-seated offspring have the option of ordering orecchiette ( a type of pasta ) , grilled lamb chops , peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches or petit filet mignon . Michael Anthony , executive chef of Michelin-starred Gramercy Tavern and a father of three ( including a newborn ) , is even more accommodating . Chef Colicchio : Do n't fear fine dining . `` When my own children are in the restaurant , I 've sent them soufflé crackers with what looks like little frogs ' tongues . I 've sent out a beet dressed as a mouse , '' Anthony told CNN . Anthony also works with a New York public school , P.S . 41 , offering lessons in table manners to first-graders . There are also hands-on cooking activities , a tour and lunch at his restaurant , as well as visits to the Greenmarket , an open-air farmers market -- all experiences geared toward establishing a fundamental understanding of where food comes from . `` They 're very impressionable and starting to form their opinions about food . We want to impress upon the kids that food is fun , '' Anthony said of the program . Teachers in the program particularly focus on younger diners developing a `` restaurant voice , '' teaching children that restaurants are a busy place and that certain manners differ from when one is out playing tag in the park . This notion is especially poignant at Gramercy Tavern -- which Anthony will admit is a fine dining establishment -- as there wo n't be stroller valet any time soon . `` It 's not a restaurant adapted to children ; it 's a group of people who are warm and welcoming , '' Anthony said . The haute tots are , after all , children -- with an average attention span of three to five minutes per calendar year of their age . Anthony says he has invited particularly antsy adolescents back into the kitchen to focus their attention after they have created a disturbance . `` As with any performance , practicing before a big event , such as going out to a restaurant , is a good idea , '' advises Sue Fox in `` Etiquette for Dummies '' in a chapter on Tips for Children and Teens . `` I know of people who dress their kids up , sit them down at the family dining room table and hand out homemade menus to practice eating out . ''
Some patrons at fine restaurants are not pleased with sharing space with disruptive customers . Debate is raging after a New York Times article . Gramercy Tavern chef Michael Anthony works with local students . Students visit restaurant , learn about food and farmers markets .