Veterans of the battle, I have another menu for you to peruse. If you ever get to Grand Rapids, MI, and can pull it off, this is an extraordinary experience. I would really appreciate your assistance with sorting out the absolute "DON'T GO THEREs!" Restrictions: None - I am an adventurous omnivore, and I eat everything (which is part of the problem!)

http://www.amwaygrand.com/pdf/the_1913_room_menu.pdf

That looks delicious!

Okay, here are the dishes I think you should stay away from.
Appetizers:
- escargot, it usually comes drowned in butter sauce
- foie gras, it's basically fat
- lobster cake, it's probably like a crab cake which usually has mayo in it
- lobster bisque - probably cream-based

Main Courses:
- filet of beef with potato souffle - I'm guessing souffle potatoes involves lots of eggs and butter
- filet with lobster terrine - probably the lobster portion has cream and the like in it

As for the desserts, the healthiest looking ones are the apple and sorbet, but you know all desserts are not particularly low-cal!

paperclippy - thank you! I have to tell you about the Forbidden Apple (they've been a repeater). Picture this: The plate is set in front of you. What you see is a shimmery red apple, complete with a little green leaf on a brown stem. It's sitting in a very shallow puddle of white sauce (yeah, that's the chocolate sauce). Your spoon meets resistance - the apple is actually hard! A tap, though, cracks the cinnamon candy shell, and your spoon sinks into homemade cinnamon ice cream below. A little further, and there's a small gush of liquid dark rum at the core. The stem and leaf are crafted from chocolate. It's divine. We found out that they use a melon scoop on rum frozen in liquid nitrogen to create the cores, and then press the ice cream into hand-carved wooden molds. At this point, I think I have to commit to a sensible salad and entree, because this apple is impossible to pass up.

How did it go? I would have had part of the dessert. Sounds delightful!

It's scheduled for Saturday. I've decided on the beet salad (last year was the lobster bisque plus participated in the sampler), and I'm totally intrigued by the flavor combinations that I imagine are in the vegetarian entree. I am about as far from vegetarian as anyone can get, mind you - I use my incisors as evolution intended! But I'm also a foodie and this is something that incites my curiosity. And yes, I'm going to have the apple. I'll have a glass of wine ... and my usual black, decaf coffee with the dessert. It's a splurge, for sure! It's a good thing that the apple is only about 2 1/2" in diameter, and that this restaurant serves closer to a European portion. This year, I'll be looking more closely at the estimated weights - I'm getting better with that. I may never know the full calorie damage, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it. It's one memorable meal.