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Summertime and the living is easy in our corner of paradise. There’s parking galore and a brief shower to cool things off in the afternoon — it just doesn’t get any better.

Well, this week your Marco Eagle/In the Kitchen reporter decided to go one better and make the rounds of Marco Island restaurants — an informal survey — to better define which restaurants are family-friendly and healthful too (when dining out with kids) and share the results with eager Eagle readers.

Among the things we looked at to determine family-friendly (aside the from the impassioned verbal assurances from all restaurants that children were indeed welcome), were the children’s menus. Preferably the kind adorned with puzzles, games and coloring activities with crayons. In addition, we thought game rooms were a plus as well as TV screens. In short, any diversions to keep the kids occupied so that adults could enjoy their meal.

Last but not least by any means during this three-day trek, was our polite but firm question “What kind of cooking oil do you use?”

It was gratifying for us to hear that all the restaurants we visited had voluntarily switched to trans-fat-free cooking oils — a few as long as a year ago — and others a several months ago. Did I mention that New York’s eating establishments were recently banned from using hydrogenated vegetable oils while California decided to adopt a voluntary program to use only trans-fat free oils for frying and sautéing? ‘Nuff said!

Why all the flak? Well, originally hydrogen atoms were added to vegetable oils to increase their shelf life, but then it was found that, like butter, trans-fats could also clog arteries and contribute to heart disease.

That having been said, it’s on to our list of Marco Island’s family-friendly restaurants which, we hope, our eagle-eyed readers will notice is in alphabetical order to avoid any hint of preferential ranking.

-- Bayview, 740 N. Collier Blvd., The Esplanade. Phone: 389-4511. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Dress is casual, and all major credit cards accepted.

“We only use a zero trans-fat blend of canola and corn vegetable oil for deep-fat frying food like chicken fingers, potatoes and onion rings,” said Bayview Executive Chef Laura Beth Owen, adding that she sauté’s foods in a canola/evoo blend, adding a bit of butter for seasoning.

“Our new Summer 2008 menu is very family friendly even though we do have a separate coloring menu for our younger guests.” Chef Owen said, noting that the Summer Fresh Salads section offers several different salads in small and regular sizes with optional additions of grilled ahi tuna, chicken or shrimp to make it an entrée. “We get a lot of families that come here to eat so that the children can watch the boats and see the dolphins.”

-- Cocomo’s Grill. 945 N. Collier Blvd. (between McDonalds and Bald Eagle Dr.) Phone: 394-3600. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and dinner, 4 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, dinner 4 to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, dinner 4 to 10 p.m.

“Our motto: Get here fast … and take it slow …,” said Cocomo’s owner Scott Gibbs, stating that the restaurant began using trans-fat free oils a year ago.

“We’ve always been health conscious, and our Specialty Salads — chicken, taco, Caesar, grilled portabella and Cobb — salad dressings are homemade using only olive oil. It’s the best for flavor as well as being heart-healthy,” he noted adding that in addition to traditional kid’s favorites, Cocomo’s Kid’s Menu also features grilled chicken breast and kid’s steak and chicken Caesar salad.

“Parents comment that our game room is a great asset. Families can come in and the kids can play in the game Room while the adults enjoy a nice dinner and mom and dad can relax!”

-- The Crazy Flamingo Raw Bar & Seafood Grill, 1035 N. Collier Blvd., No. 313, Marco Town Center Mall. Phone: 642-9600. Covered outdoor seating available. Hours: Open 7 days a week, 11 a.m. to 1:40 a.m.; Sushi Bar 4 to 10 p.m. except Thursday, noon to 10 p.m.

Motto: “If our seafood were any fresher, your clothes would get wet eating it,” General Manager James Hubbard stated. “We have been using trans-fat free oil exclusively for several month now, and our homemade salad dressings are made with olive oil and fresh lemon juice or wine vinegar. We have the freshest sushi and one of our fresh catch tuna, marlin, mahi or salmon is always a featured fresh fish platter special on our daily blackboard menu,” James added, noting that although the restaurant’s Crazy Kids Menu does feature those ubiquitous munchies, it also includes linguini marinara and — drum roll please — Crazy Flamingo would waive the $3 plate sharing charge if the parents wanted to split a fresh fish platter between their two children. Now isn’t that family friendly?

-- Kretch’s Restaurant, 527 Bald Eagle Dr., just south of Elkcam Circle. Phone: 394-3433. Hours: Lunch served Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; and dinner, 5 to 9 p.m., Monday to Saturday; and closed Sunday.

Motto: We are dedicated to providing you with fine cuisine and excellent service in a pleasant atmosphere we prepare everything in our kitchen, each order is sautéed, broiled, baked or fried and receives individual attention from our Owner/Chef Bruce Kretschmer.

“Yes, we only use no trans-fat, no cholesterol vegetable oil for frying,” Owner/General Manager Ellen Kretschmer stated firmly, noting that during the school year Kretch’s provides lunch at the Marco Island Charter Middle School, taking turns during the week with several other local restaurants.

Did I mention that Kretch’s Kid’s Menu of four printed pages, two center ones with several puzzles, a separate insert with a color-in cartoon, and that the cover page is a duplicate of the adult lunch and dinner menus? Now if that isn’t kid and family friendly — oh yes — and nice sturdy, old-fashioned wooden high chairs?

“You know,” Ellen added, “Sometimes kids have a thing with mashed potatoes and gravy — we can do that too!”

-- Nacho Mama’s, 599 S. Collier Blvd., Marco Walk at the intersection of Winterberry Drive. Phone: 389-2222. Hours: Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. Motto: “I’m Nacho Mama’s Tex Mex American and my sign out front says so!”

Owner/Chef Eric Phillips stated, “Yes, we only use pure canola oil, no trans-fat, no cholesterol, for all our fried items. None of that high-temp wok oil,” he noted, adding that Nacho Mama’s had a different special menu every week: Appetizer, a Mex entrée, a frozen drink and frozen milkshake in addition to the regular menu. “I want the families to come here. We may have a full liquor bar out in front, but the booths keep it family friendly. If the parents come and have a drink and the kids have a good time in the game room in back — that’s all I’m looking for!”

Eric added that if the parents asked, he’d be happy to split any of the salads or the grilled grouper or tuna platters between two children and waive the shared plate charge.

-- Porky’s Last Stand, 701 Bald Eagle Drive, Marco Island. Phone: 394-8727. Hours: Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to close; entertainment on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings; Sunday, breakfast/brunch served 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., then a la carte menu to close.

Motto: Our house specialty baby back ribs are grilled to fall-off-the-bone perfection and lightly basted with our own barbecue sauce.

“We’ve always used trans-fat free vegetable oil for the nine years that I’ve been here” declared Porky’s Head Chef Michael J. Case, noting that the restaurant’s bountiful salad bar, including the soup and fresh baked bread station is equally popular as an entrée with adults and children. For children under 12, the salad bar is only $4.25 for both lunch and dinner, while adults are charged $6.95 for lunch and $9.95 for dinner. There is a Children’s Dinners section for 12 and under included on the regular menu, and crayons and coloring paper are always available for budding artists.

-- Sand Bar, tucked away at 826 East Elkcam Circle. Phone: 642-3625. Restaurant hours: Open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to close, breakfast served up to 10:45 a.m. only.

Motto: “We never charge to split an entrée for two children,” said Day Manager Capri Sickler, noting that the popular island hangout only uses trans-fat free cooking oil for frying seafood, french fries and other items.

“We do have a children’s menu with the usual items and we welcome families with children,” Capri said, noting that any one of the 37 TV screens mounted on the restaurant’s walls can be tuned into the cartoon channel and be heard with a speaker box at your table. Equally popular with older children and adults are the portable NTN Trivia Games that can be played at the table to compete with players at restaurants across the United States.

-- Snook Inn, 1215 “Bald Eagle Drive. Phone: 394-3313. Hours: Open 7 days, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Motto: Most major credit cards accepted but reservations are not (ever).

“We only use trans-fat free canola cooking oil for frying and in our homemade salad dressings,” said Restaurant Manager Teresa Gangl, when we stopped by at the venerable, award-winning seafood restaurant famous for its all-you-can-eat Thursday and Friday night Seafood and Salad Bar extravaganza.

“We will accommodate parents, who want to split a grilled fish platter between two children 10 and under, but many youngsters enjoy choosing a meal from our extensive salad bar and that’s only $4.75,” Teresa added, noting that the restaurant is definitely family friendly and children are encouraged look for dolphins and the occasional manatee that swims by the restaurant’s dock facing the Marco River.

The award-winning Snook Inn is famous for its seafood and popular with kids for its bountiful salad bar.