As the mother of 2 boys, I've had more than my share of meals that weren't up to my standards at restuarants that were geared toward children. I usually knew walking in that this was not going to be a meal memorable for its quality, but it was a place that the boys had been "dying" to visit. So we went. Rain Forest Cafe was one of those places. The atmosphere thrilled my kids - the food was mediocre, at best. We visited once.

If your girlfriend "didn't even want to drink" the mai tai, she shouldn't have. She should have sent it back immediately, asking the waitress (nicely) to have the bartender make another one or take it off your bill. Some restaurants use mixes for their drinks instead of mixing fresh & a less-than-awesome drink is the result.

As for the cake, the restaurant has several desserts that you could have discreetly asked the waitress to bring out to your son. They do usually keep extra candles. Yes, you would have had to pay for it, but why do you think they SELL birthday packages if they are going to GIVE cakes & presents to any child who turns up with a birthday. If I recall correctly, they do have a birthday registration (or they used to) where they will send you a postcard for a free something on your child's birthday. But this does require some advance planning.

Now for the Spiderman cards. My boys have ADHD so it's been a constant battle as a parent to make sure we leave restaurants, theaters, the grocery store, Wal-mart, wherever, with everything that came in with us. The loss of something serves to remind them (and me) that we have to be extra-vigilant in checking to make sure we have everything before we leave because no one is going to check behind us & save whatever they find for us. To us, it's a prized possession (as in the Spiderman cards). To others, it's either stuff or junk, easily discarded.