Out to Dinner: The Old Key Lime House

The weather's finally getting nicer here, so we ventured to a place where we could sit outside and relax. The food was nothing fancy- a turkey club with fries:

But this was the real star of the show:

Out to Lunch: Pholicious

It's great to know that when I'm craving a bowl of pho, it's as close as the food court at the local mall.

Whole Foodie

Lunch at Whole Foods:

Reed's Light Extra Ginger Brew
Chicken and dumpling soup
Salads clockwise from top: Sesame tofu, orange ginger beets, curried chicken salad, lentil and quinoa tabouli, and cabbage crunch.

Out to Lunch: Seasons 52

Saturday's lunch was at the Palm Beach Gardens location of Seasons 52, a small restaurant chain which proclaims on its menu that no menu item is more than 475 calories. They put the nutrition information on their website, which makes it great for a calorie-counter like me. Each time I've been there, the food has been delicious. It doesn't taste like diet food, that's for sure.

Artichoke and goat cheese flatbread (370 calories):

This had a very thin crust, almost like a cracker, and in addition to the artichokes and cheese had roasted peppers, onions, and olives. I shared this with my husband as an appetizer.

Braised beef tacos (420 calories):

Braised beef in red mole sauce with pickled onions, cilantro, guacamole, and slaw on corn tortillas. If I had one criticism it would be that the tortillas were thick and stodgy, a little too heavy for the filling. I ate one whole taco and just the fillings out of the others. It had a great mix of flavors, sweet, savory, sour and herbal.

I'll definitely be going back.

Out to Dinner: Cantina 1511

Tonight's dinner out was at Cantina 1511 in Stonecrest. Their menu has evolved over the past few years, and now includes both standard Mexican-American/Tex-Mex dishes (tacos, burritos, quesadillas) as well as more upscale protein-centric dishes. I tried one of the latter this evening - duck breast in blood orange sauce.

The duck was a little too fatty for my taste, the fat not fully rendered out of the skin. I took the skin off and ate the meat, which had a fine flavor. The blood orange sauce was very tart and strongly flavored - it almost overwhelmed the flavor of the duck but not quite. The fruit salsa served over the top was a nice addition. The rice was pretty bland - they say "saffron" but I'm thinking turmeric.  I wouldn't bother with this dish again as there are so many other items to choose from. Last time I was there I had duck "carnitas" tacos and it was much better.

Out to Dinner: 131 Main

We decided to have dinner out tonight rather than battle the Valentine's Day weekend crowds. We went to 131 Main, a reliable restaurant about three miles from home.

I started with a house salad, dressing on the side:

Main course was filet mignon, medium, with mashed potatoes.

Before:

...and after:

The leftovers are in the refrigerator, awaiting tomorrow's breakfast and lunch.

Dessert:

A warm brownie covered with vanilla ice cream and chocolate and caramel sauces. How does this fit into healthy eating? This is what I ate:

One perfect bite, and I left the rest for the menfolk to finish.

Out to Lunch: Malaya Kitchen

I had an errand to run at the Arboretum yesterday, so ended up at Malaya Kitchen for lunch. They had a special on the menu I couldn't resist: Hong Kong style duck soup with baby bok choy and egg noodles.

This was spectacular - the broth was rich and sweet, and the duck was tender and tasty. My only quibble was that it was kind of challenging to eat, as the pieces of duck included bones. A very hearty meal - I had to leave half of it behind.

Out to Lunch: Panera

Met the husband for lunch today - we went to Panera. I love that they list the calories right on the menu board - a great way to take the guesswork out of the situation.

You Pick Two, cup of chicken noodle soup, and 1/2 ham and swiss sandwich:

Chicken noodle soup: 80 calories
Ham and swiss on rye: 290 calories
Baguette side: 180 calories

Lunch stop: Subway

Eating healthfully on the road can be a challenge, but Subway is at nearly every exit from the interstate, and it's at least possible to get something that's not too bad. Sure, the meat is kind of icky, and the stores always smell funny, but it's better than most fast food.

6" Cold Cut Trio on wheat, with green peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, black olives, mustard, and light mayo: 420 calories.

Thankfully we have returned home safely and can start eating normal food again.

Disney Wrap-Up

So, I was naive enough to think that I would be able to blog in the evenings after days at Disney World. Um, no. A day in a Disney park is enough to knock one on one's backside, so to speak. All I could do after getting back to the hotel was have a glass of wine and space out. We left Orlando at noon and are now safely ensconced in a hotel in Atlantic Beach, where I can listen to ocean surf rather than the cacophony of a theme park.

Food at Disney actually turned out better than I expected.

Saturday we went to Epcot, and had lunch at Seasons Food Court after riding Soarin'.

Veggie wrap:

Quite tasty, albeit slightly too heavy on the eggplant.

Hard-boiled eggs (ate the whites, left the yolks behind:

Had to get some protein in since the veggie wrap didn't have much.

We met friends for dinner at Chefs de France.
Appetizer of French onion soup:

Tasty but large - I ended up leaving half of it behind.

Entree of duck breast and leg with cherry sauce:

This was cooked very well, the sauce was delicious, and there was none of that un-rendered fat that can make duck unpleasant. It was accompanied by mashed sweet potatoes and baby pattypan squash.

We spent Sunday in the Magic Kingdom. I did not eat anything there as the offerings at counter service restaurants were unappetizing. We got there first thing in the morning, then at 2:00 or so left for a swim and rest at the hotel. I had lunch poolside - a Cuban sandwich. Then we returned to the park at 7:00 to catch the Main Street Electrical Parade, the Wishes fireworks show, and a few more rides.

Monday morning we returned to Epcot, and had breakfast at the Seasons food court while waiting for our Soarin' Fastpasses to become valid.

Special K and fat-free strawberry Greek yogurt:

A satisfying breakfast that clocks in at 190 calories.

The Seasons food court definitely wins for healthy eating; the Magic Kingdom would do well to add something similar to their offerings.

Out to Lunch: Spice South

The wonders of a good Indian lunch buffet. This lunch at Spice South was a big splurge, calorie-wise. I'm not sure where I'd even start trying to calculate calories. But it was delicious. The great thing about Spice South is that they don't dumb down the spices for the lunch buffet - this stuff is serious. Also, in some Indian restaurants everything tastes kind of the same. These folks make each dish taste distinct.

Plate of vegetarian dishes:

Clockwise from the top there's green peas and carrots, potatoes in stew, okra and green peppers, a pappadam, and dry-cooked potatoes. 

Plate of chicken:

Clockwise from the top, tandoori chicken, curry chicken, naan, and chicken tikka masala.

And dessert:

Warm rice pudding with raisins and spices (predominantly cardamom).

A big meal, and a splurge, but I did try to keep it from becoming a total pig-out. I took small portions of each dish, did not eat rice (except for dessert), and only had one piece of naan.

As I always say to myself in this kind of situation, "All you can eat" doesn't have to mean "Eat all you can!"

Out to Dinner: AZN

Saturday night we tried a new restaurant for dinner - AZN, recently opened in Piedmont Town Center. AZN describes itself as "upscale pan-Asian", and the prices reflect that - appetizers in the $10 range, cocktails $9 to $11, and entrees from $12 to $30. We got there at 7:15 and the restaurant was about half full. It filled in some as we ate and was nearly full by the time we left. Service was uneven at the beginning of the meal, with people who appeared to be managers circling the dining room every couple of minutes but inexplicably not noticing that we needed drink refills. For some reason, once the room started to fill up, the managers and servers became more attentive and we had no further issues.

I started with a vegetarian sushi roll.

This was excellent. It had cucumber, avocado, carrot, pickled turnip, and pickled burdock root (along with one or two things I don't remember - I should have taken notes). The pickled vegetables gave it brightness, and the flavors blended very well. I enjoyed this much more than my vegetarian roll at Cowfish last week. The roll was more compact and easier to eat, with a better ratio of rice to filling. Also, this roll had a seaweed wrap, unlike the Cowfish roll which was wrapped in flavorless soy paper. I didn't realize it until I ate this roll, but I really need that seaweed flavor in a sushi roll - it just doesn't seem quite right without it.

My main course was Cantonese roasted duck.

I enjoyed this, and brought about half of it home - duck is rich and heavy! The meat was moist and flavorful. It was served with flour tortillas, cucumbers and scallions, and a sweet dipping sauce. My only quibble would be that I like duck better when the fat is completely rendered out of the skin - this had about a 1/4 inch layer of fat under the skin, which is a texture I'm not fond of. However, I think I'm an outlier in this respect - most people who like duck like it the way they served it. On the whole, we enjoyed our experience at AZN and would definitely go back.

Out to Dinner: Big View Diner

Tonight's dinner was at Big View Diner, one of my favorites for a casual meal.

Yes, the dreaded diner diet plate - chicken salad, cottage cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers and fruit. But here it's not dreaded, because Big View does such a great job. The chicken salad is light, made with sour cream instead of mayonnaise so it doesn't get that stodgy texture. And I'm not sure how the folks at Big View do it, but they have flavorful tomatoes all year long. Big View serves a lot of big food - giant sandwiches, big platters of appetizers and entrees, and monster-sized desserts - it's all good. But it's nice to know it's possible to keep it healthy there as well.

Lynx to Food: Tyvola Road

Today's Lynx to Food is a visit to the venerable Charlotte institution Bill Spoon's Barbecue, which has been serving up delicious 'cue for nearly half a century. Their slogan: "We Cook The Whole Pig - It Makes The Difference". Unfortunately, dim lighting meant that my photos did not come out, so no pictures with this entry. I had a pork barbecue sandwich and unsweet iced tea. The sandwich at Bill Spoon's is definitely one of the best in town. The pork is very finely chopped, mildly smoky, and only lightly seasoned with Spoon's vinegar-pepper sauce, which allows the rich flavor of the pork to dominate. (There's more sauce available on the table for people who prefer to spice it up.) The pork is topped with mild white cole slaw. Presentation at Bill Spoon's is decidedly no-frills -  the pork sandwich came on a small paper plate, the tea in a red Solo cup - but when it comes to great barbecue, who needs anything fancy?

I can't pretend that a barbecue sandwich is health food, but I didn't order any side dishes, so at least the 'cue wasn't augmented by mac'n'cheese or french fries or - sigh - sweet potato pie.

Out to Lunch: The Cowfish

Today's post-shopping lunch was at The Cowfish, a popular South Park establishment which offers sushi, burgers, and "burgushi" - sushi rolls with burger fillings. I had a Soy Vegan Roll:

The outer wrapping was soy paper, and the fillings were lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, beets, and mango. This is a great place, as much for the fun vibe as the food, and since we were there at 3:00 pm we didn't even have to wait.

Surviving the Chain Restaurant

In an ideal world, my restaurant meals would all be taken at quirky local places with delicious local products. Of course, that world is not the one I live in, particularly with a kid in the mix. We went tonight to one of his favorites - Red Robin.

How does a dieter survive a restaurant where the burgers routinely top 1000 calories, and even things that sound like they could be healthy - like a Caesar Chicken Wrap or a Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad - are laden with calories and fat?

One redeeming quality that a lot of big chains have is a website with nutrition information. When I plan to go to places like this, I look at the menu online and decide what to order while I have the information in front of me.

With that in mind, I ended up with a Simply Grilled chicken sandwich, with a lettuce wrap instead of a bun. (The grilled chicken breast is hiding under the tomatoes and onions.) Switching lettuce for the bun took that one down to 175 calories from an already not-too-bad 400. Also, I got cole slaw for a side instead of fries. I love fries, but if I'm going to splurge on them it's going to be someplace that has really good fries, which Red Robin's aren't. (My fries of choice in Charlotte are actually fried Tater Tots at Bad Daddy's Burger Bar.) I did sneak a fry from my son's plate - it is a widely-known fact that anything stolen off a child's plate has no calories in it.

This meal was reasonably tasty, and with the calories I saved on junky fries and squishy bread, I can have dessert tonight. (I'll be back with an update later.)

Lynx to Food: Archdale

Lynx to Food visits the Archdale stop.

First, shopping at Payal Indian Grocery and Spices:

Then, lunch at Doan's Vietnamese restaurant:

Pho tai (beef broth with rice noodles, thinly sliced beef, and fresh herbs):

Accompanied by delicious freshly-squeezed limeade:

This was my first visit to this restaurant. The staff were very nice and friendly, and the pho was excellent. I'd definitely go back and try some of the other dishes as well - everything on everybody's table looked good.

Out to Dinner: 18 Asian Sushi Bar

Tonight's dinner was at 18 Asian Sushi Bar in Blakeney.

Salad with ginger dressing:

Chicken noodle soup:

Garden roll (avocado, carrot, cucumber):

Out to Lunch: McAlister's Deli and TCBY

Today I was doing some errands in Blakeney and stopped for a quick lunch at McAlister's Deli. I had their "Choose Two" option with a cup of chicken tortilla soup and a veggie spud.

Chicken tortilla soup: 200 calories
Potato: 390 calories

I then went next door for dessert at TCBY, one of the many local self-service frozen yogurt stores. I like this because they charge by weight, so if you want a small taste, you pay a small price!

I had fat-free fruit punch flavored sorbet, with a small spoonful of waffle cone bits and a small spoonful of granola. The whole thing was 3.2 ounces, which had approximately 75 calories, and cost $1.57.

Out to Lunch: Malaya Kitchen

Today's lunch was at Malaya Kitchen in the Arboretum. No pictures because I forgot my camera. (Bad blogger!) I had tofu in garlic sauce with brown rice. This was delicious - savory, sweet and very spicy. It had broccoli and red bell peppers stir-fried with the tofu, and the garlic sauce had lots of red pepper flakes. One thing that sets Malaya Kitchen apart from other strip-mall Asian restaurants is that their lunch special comes with a salad (a small bowl of iceberg lettuce with ginger dressing) and the portions are substantial but not overwhelming. It makes a nice change from the default greasy egg roll and pile of fried rice that many places give you.