Share Your Restaurant Nightmares and Nutritional Horror Stories

mandalinn82 · 11-30-2009, 10:19 PM

Oh man, I had an experience this weekend at a dinner that was catastrophically difficult for me, in terms of having my eyes opened to obscene calorie counts and choosing well off of a menu. We were at a family event at Claim Jumpers, and looked up nutritional info ahead of time, thank goodness. There were literally 3 entrees under 800 calories on the entire menu. I ended up with one of them, and it was extremely unsatisfying and overspiced/oversalted.

Anyway, not only were the calories on everything extremely high, they were also unpredictable based on menu descriptions. So, for example, pick the lowest calorie of the three from each category:

Appetizers:
A - Fire Roasted Artichoke (Seasonal) - One-half marinated artichoke served with garlic mayo

B - Creamy Tortilla Chicken Soup (large bowl) - A blend of rotisserie chicken, chiles, onions and tortillas with poblano sauce and tortilla strips.

C - Mini Tri-Tip Dips - Tri-tip roasted and simmered in French onion broth, melted Swiss and pickled red onions on two mini egg buns

Onto entrees:

A - Beef Stew - Homemade, hearty and filled with tender, slow-roasted beef, carrots, onions, celery and mushrooms. Served in a sourdough bread bowl

B - Whiskey Chicken - Half Order - Chicken breast sautéed and served over apple stuffing, mashed potatoes & roasted vegetables. With sweet apple whiskey sauce & a giant buttermilk biscuit.

C - Hickory BBQ Burger - Topped with applewood smoked bacon, smoked gouda, BBQ sauce and 1000 Island dressing

Desserts (and these are all from the "Small bites" dessert section, as were the appetizers...not from the "To Share" section)

A - Warm English Toffee Cake - A rich brown sugar& date cake nestled in warm toffee sauce with homemade whipped cream and McConnell's vanilla bean ice cream

B - Red Velvet Cupcake - A southern classic with a hint of chocolate, topped with vanilla bean & cream cheese frosting

C - Mini Hot Fudge Sundae - McConnell's vanilla bean ice cream topped with hot fudge, homemade whipped cream and toasted almonds

Got your guesses?

APPETIZER
A - Fire Roasted Artichoke (Seasonal) - 905 cal
B - Creamy Tortilla Chicken Soup (large bowl) - 249 cal
C - Mini Tri-Tip Dips - 562 cal

ENTREE
A - Beef Stew - 1387 cal
B - Whiskey Chicken - Half Order - 1902 cal. FOR A HALF ORDER.
C - Hickory BBQ Burger - 1355 cal

DESSERT
A - Warm English Toffee Cake - 383 cal
B - Red Velvet Cupcake - 796 cal
C - Mini Hot Fudge Sundae - 413 cal

Hard to predict, right?

Anyone else have any horror stories to share?

weebleswobble · 11-30-2009, 10:37 PM

They didn't have a salad?

I have found myself asking "how do they make that" "what's on that" "could you do _____ instead, or can I have the sauce on the side" lately. I've become the picky, difficult person. I just say, "sorry, I have dietary restrictions and can't eat that, wish I could!" and they usually understand. I think they think I'm allergic or have had gastric bypass or something. Usually people are very accommodating. My husband's a vegetarian, so whatever stupid request I have is usually a breeze compared to what he's asking for.

We tip well.

I'm thinking that artichoke would have probably been great if you'd gotten it without the mayo and maybe some lemon juice (or even a pat of butter melted or some olive oil, 900 calories, egads!) I love artichoke.

Justwant2Bhealthy · 11-30-2009, 10:38 PM

I can't site examples like you just did, but I am always dismayed that when we go into a restaurant how difficult it is to find a healthy meal these days. I use to work in restaurants as a cook, and sometimes was horrified how I saw some of the food prepared. I bet people had no idea that their hot dog or pork chops were fried in the grease vat! I was shocked!

Now, our "so-called" lean hamburgers (which 1 cup of oil was added to the mix) were fried on the grill, and the steaks were done on the BBQ grill BUT everything else was fried in the oil vat ...

That experience has made me very skeptical about eating in restauraunts now, esp since I know that I can make the food better and healthier at home. I am a bit envious of the Europeans becuz in their cafes and pubs, they still cook homemade meals in a healthy way and for a reasonable price too. Maybe it is time for the old-style cafes to return here too; wonder if it will ever happen? Dunno ...

mandalinn82 · 11-30-2009, 10:47 PM

They sure did have salads. Only one of which was under 800 calories for a small/half portion (I did start my meal with a small garden salad, which was 100 calories, but that wouldn't cut it for a meal for me...though my partner did end up with a small salad and a bowl of the creamy chicken tortilla soup and rolled in at a very reasonable 500 or so).

ETA, yes, I absolutely could have special requested my way into a lower calorie meal, and normally do so, but they had at least one option I was comfortable with based on the menu description, so I ended up ordering that and a salad and did just fine. I believe that you can make ANY restaurant work, if you want to special request and etc, and I do feel comfortable doing so in most situations. Last night wasn't a situation where that was appropriate for a lot of reasons (was with people who get defensive about it, was in a very large group, and was not in charge of the check or the tip), but normally, I do make requests, and again, no one was forcing me to eat anything. Mostly the post was about the REST of the ridiculously unhealthy menu and generally non-helpful menu descriptions (ie, there was no cream in the creamy soup, which is part of what made it a better choice than the "fire roasted" artichoke)

Justwant2Bhealthy · 11-30-2009, 10:56 PM

You know, maybe I'm just different, but when I think of going out to dinner in a restaurant, the last thing that I think of is that I am going to go out and have a salad and/or soup and that's it. To me, that may be an appetizer or a filler, but when I go out, I want a regular meal ... and if the meal is nicely balanced, I wouldn't even want the soup (except for maybe at lunch time when I love to have soup).

I am not saying that I haven't ever had soup for dinner; I love to make nice and hearty homemade soups at home and we have that with a nice slice of whole grain bread. BUT, when I go out, usually I am looking for something like a nice steak or a grilled chicken breast and I wouldn't mind a salad with them. Actually, that is my preferred choice of a meal, but it is getting really hard to find that these days!

EZMONEY · 11-30-2009, 10:57 PM

Oh Favorite One...did you really think you were gonna find something we could be proud of at Claim Jumper?

Just think of what it was before they "downsized" their plates!

I remember once when I was really working on my calories....Angie and I met her family at one at lunch for a birthday...I got the Mother Lode sandwich and fries....lasted me for lunch....dinner...and break the next day at work!!

EZMONEY · 11-30-2009, 11:00 PM

I agree ROSEBUD!

But it is nice to have those places we can go to...enjoy the evening AND have a sensible meal....so few of those choices around.

CLCSC145 · 11-30-2009, 11:03 PM

Ugh. Claim Jumper. We used to go there for business lunches a lot and my "always on a diet" boss used to get the cobb salad there all the time. They weren't that big, but I finally looked up the nutritional info just out of curiosity and it's astronomical: 1829 calories, 41 g of SATURATED fat, 3104 g of sodium! How can a restaurant serve that in good conscience? That's heart attack territory.

Out of morbid curiosity, I've gone back and figured out the calories in my former fast food binge extravaganzas and it's a wonder I only got to 338 pounds. Very, very scary.

JulieJ08 · 11-30-2009, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justwant2Bhealthy

Now, our "so-called" lean hamburgers (which 1 cup of oil was added to the mix) were fried on the grill, and the steaks were done on the BBQ grill BUT everything else was fried in the oil vat ...

LOL, they didn't need the vat for the burgers because they added it to the mix.

mandalinn82 · 11-30-2009, 11:05 PM

I didn't pick the restaurant...but 1900+ calories for a half portion of a non-breaded, non-fried chicken dish? 900 calories for half of an artichoke with some dip? Ridiculous!

I was all set to go with their 9 oz filet and eat under half, with two sides of asparagus, but again, was blown away with how much butter they must be pouring over the top of that sucker. 1100 calories for the steak alone...even if I ate a third, it'd still be unreasonable!

Justwant2Bhealthy · 11-30-2009, 11:12 PM

JULIE ~

my sentiments exactly ...

EZMONEY · 11-30-2009, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mandalinn82

I didn't pick the restaurant...but 1900+ calories for a half portion of a non-breaded, non-fried chicken dish? 900 calories for half of an artichoke with some dip? Ridiculous!

I was all set to go with their 9 oz filet and eat under half, with two sides of asparagus, but again, was blown away with how much butter they must be pouring over the top of that sucker. 1100 calories for the steak alone...even if I ate a third, it'd still be unreasonable!

Oh I know kiddo....and to think there is ALWAYS an hour wait to get into one! (well...maybe before the fall of the economy)

kellost · 11-30-2009, 11:23 PM

Ahh......restaurants. I feel like I'm always kinda preaching about restaurants on here, because I dine out pretty often. I've actually dined out at least 1-2 times weekly throughout my entire weightloss journey. Why??? Because I just enjoy it SO much. I like the atmosphere, the company, the experience. I have to find a way to include restaurants in my life, or this plan will not work for me. So, I look up nutritional info online. Sure, there's no way of knowing how accurate it is, but at least I can make a smarter choice than by just winging it. I eat a lot of grilled chicken at restaurants. Could I just make grilled chicken at home? Sure, and I do quite often. But I like "lunching" with my mom and sister. I like meeting my husband for dinner. I like going to a favorite spot with my kids. I don't want to stop doing those things. I just go, order the healthiest item possible and move on. If I go out to eat, I keep the rest of the day pretty light in terms of other calories.

That's my take on restaurants. I love em'! Which is probably why my weight got so out of control. But I've learned to do it in a healthier way, which has been a big accomplishment, and even a revelation for me. Who'd have thought I could continue to live my lifestyle, but do it healthfully. It's been eye opening for me.

midwife · 11-30-2009, 11:34 PM

Truly jawdropping.

What in the world do they do to those poor artichokes? And the whiskey chicken? Do they inject it with butter and corn syrup?

Buyer beware....

junebug41 · 11-30-2009, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by midwife

Truly jawdropping.

What in the world do they do to those poor artichokes? And the whiskey chicken? Do they inject it with butter and corn syrup?

Buyer beware....

It's all in the mayo. And I think artichokes are so perfect as they are

I think a lot of chefs believe that if it's not soaked in butter it's not worth eating.