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?