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Hands down, the Rainforest Caf� is one of the most family-friendly dining experiences in southern New Jersey. If you've never been to one of the international chain's 30-plus restaurants and you have children, it's the ultimate treat. Billed as "A Wild Place to Shop and Eat," the Rainforest Caf� lives up to its motto.

When you walk into the dining room in Atlantic City, it's like walking into a jungle-themed movie set. Aquariums filled with colorful fish, vines hanging from the ceiling, chirping birds, screeching monkeys and a running waterfall set the tone for an adventure of a meal.

And if those attractions weren't enough, animatronic animals that include elephants and gorillas come to life every 10 minutes with a simulated stampede, followed by a thunderstorm every 30 minutes, complete with dimming lights and earthquake sound effects.

Located inside Trump Plaza and Hotel Casino, the Rainforest Caf� is a hoot.

But it comes with a hefty price. Like most chains, the Rainforest Caf� does not offer an inexpensive night out. All of that production, including safari outfits for the wait staff, does not come cheap.

Luckily, the Rainforest Caf� is more than just a gimmick. The food is actually above average than most chains.

In the summer, expect a two-hour wait at the Rainforest. Go offseason and you shouldn't have any issues. We arrived on Saturday for lunch and were seated in approximately 5 minutes. Our drab hostess - or "guide," as they are titled - was obviously numb to her mundane job of telling first-timers about the Rainforest Caf�. She inaudibly mumbled about what we would expect. We saw others get a brief tour of the sprawling, 200-plus-seat dining room; we were seated right to the table, feeling slighted. But that was our only bad experience for the rest of the meal.

While we looked over the large menu, which offers everything from wraps and burgers to seafood, steaks, pizza and pasta, we ordered the "Awesome Appetizer Adventure," which my 12-year-old son pointed out as soon he saw it.

It arrived pretty quickly, and our hungry crew dived into it. A bowl of creamy, delicious spinach and artichoke dip with tri-colored tortilla chips were surrounded by ordinary mozzarella sticks, above-average chicken tenders and the standout Chimi-Cha-Chas, light, crisp wonton skins filled with roasted chicken breast, sweet corn, onions, black beans, roasted red peppers and a four-cheese blend. The dipping sauces, particularly the coconut curry sauce, complemented the apps nicely.

The $15.99 price tag was certainly steep, but it was more than enough for the four of us. And the sheer variety of the "Appetizer Adventure" made it awesome, as billed.

My son and 11-year-old stepdaughter perused the adult and kids menus and decided to go for the 10-item children's menu that certainly had enough options. All items were priced relatively inexpensively at $5.99 or $6.99, but drinks are 99 cents extra, which we thought was a little overkill.

The menu was on the back of a great activity booklet. At my kids' ages, they usually don't even look at the books, but this one had enough interesting puzzles and activities to keep them entertained between the thunderstorms.

My son had the "Rainforest Rascals" ($5.99), two nice-sized cheeseburger sliders with shoestring french fries that he devoured. My stepdaughter had the "Shrimpkens" ($6.99), a heaping pile of popcorn shrimp accompanied by homemade potato chips that she equally liked.

The "Rainforest Burger" ($10.99) with saut�ed mushrooms (99 cents extra) proved to be a great choice by my wife. Topped with a fried onion ring and served on a fresh toasted bun with pickles, lettuce and tomatoes, the burger was huge, filling, moist and delicious. It was definitely an above-average burger, and she was blown away by the chips, too.

I originally ordered the chicken chimichanga, but our friendly waitress advised me to stay away from it, offering a bunch of other suggestions.

Not in the mood for ribs or a sandwich, I chose the Parmesan Chicken ($17.99) just to see if the Rainforest could pull off Italian. Surprisingly, it did. While not the greatest chicken parm I ever had, it was one of the best chicken parms I ever had in a chain restaurant, easily beating places like the Olive Garden and Carrabba's.

The humongous portion featured two large breaded chicken breasts and a side of linguini, the latter being nothing to brag about.

Throughout our meal, the servers would scream "Volcano" and walk through the room with the "Sparkling Volcano," a giant, rich chocolate brownie cake stacked high and served warm with vanilla ice cream and a bunch of sauces. We were too full to conquer that, and my principles just would not allow us to pay $13.99 for a dessert. No way.

So our waitress suggested the "Chocolate Indulgence" ($7.99), which came out looking nearly as large as the Volcano. Layers of ice cream sandwiches were topped with fudge sauce, whipped topping and Heath bar brunch. We put a pretty good dent into the massive concoction, and I couldn't imagine the Volcano being any better than this monstrosity. It was delicious and sinful.

If you didn't spend enough on lunch or dinner, good luck getting out of the gift shop without your kids convincing you to get something in there. Like most well thought-out chains, you have to walk through the gift store when you enter and leave the Rainforest.

When it comes to a true family dining experience, it doesn't get any better than the Rainforest Caf�. Just make sure you have room in your belly - and on your credit card - for a great experience.

Rainforest Caf�

WHERE: 2201 Boardwalk, at Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays.

HOW MUCH: Our bill for two adults and two children was $75.77 plus tip. Appetizers range from $7.99 to $15.99; soups and salads $5.99 to $14.99; sandwiches and burgers $10.99 to $12.99; seafood $16.99 to $23.99; meat entrees $14.99 to $24.99; pastas and pizza $13.99 to $18.99; desserts $4.99 to $13.99; kids menu $5.99 to $6.99, does not include drink.

SERVICES: Major credit cards accepted. Liquor license. Disabled accessible through front door. Kids' menu. Private parties. Eat in. Takeout. No smoking.

MORE INFO: Call (609) 345-5757 or go to www.rainforestcafe.com.

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