A kid-friendly restaurant that serves really tasty food made with all natural, local ingredients? Yes, it’s Shaka and we are lucky to have it in our back pocket…we eat there often in the summer given its proximity to the beach. This particular summer evening was the stuff of great memories. Eating outside listening to fun live music with your family as the waves lap in the background. I was eating one of their delicious mahi mahi fish tacos, my husband the chicken burrito, and my soon to be 3-year-old son, well he was munching on chips & guac until he picked up the carrot–suddenly the music disappeared and all I heard was coughing…the carrot was stuck in his throat. He was breathing fine, but we could definitely hear it lodged in there. Our beautiful summer memory turned into a memory of a night in the emergency room. Several hours later, a frightened & overtired little boy started to cry when he saw the extra-large X-ray machine that would take a picture of him. He cried so hard in fact that the piece of carrot flew out of his mouth and landed across the room! All’s well that ends well…we look forward to many more fun times at Shaka. I highly recommend it the next time you find yourself in Long Branch, NJ.