Restaurant Advice Puhlease!

Hi!

So I am going out for V-day dinner tonight, and want to know what y'all think would be the healthiest, lowest cal option. I am also going to be drinking (I'm guessing...) abt 3 glasses of red wine. The menu is below:

I've already decided on no dessert, but I'm sure we will order an appetizer.

Any advice is appreciated!

Chilled Tapas Artisan Cheeses, Figs and Olive$20Side Salads (Caesar, Spinach, Tossed, Cajun Creole or Greek)$5Crostini (olive tapenade, tomato basil relish)$7Crab, Spinach & Goat Cheese Dip$7Seared Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tartare$10Hot Tapas Panko-crusted Sea Scallops$81/2 Dozen Steamin' Crawdads$6Fried Green Tomatoes with crawdad red pepper cream$7Fried Calamari$7Roasted Clams & Andouille Sausage$8Pesto Cream Mozzarella Brushetta $5Duck and Peppers Cornbread Napoleon$7Crumb-crusted Fried Brie$5Voodoo BBQ Shrimp 'Orleans $8Pan-Poached Mussels $8Crab and Avocado Quesadilla $7Cajun Cornmeal-fried Oysters and Grilled Andouille Sausage$8Soups
(Chicken & Andouille Gumbo, Crab & Corn Chowder or Butternut Squash Bisque)

(Choice of soup or salad and a side dish included with each entrée) Fish & Shellfish Jambalaya$19Cajun Platter$25Cajun Atlantic Salmon$22Shrimp & Crawfish Etouffee$22Grilled Ahi Tuna , gorgonzola butter$28Blackened Shrimp and Scallops$28Crab & Spinach Portabello$24Crab Cakes$27Andouille-crusted Mahi Mahi$28Pan- Roasted Salmon$24Sweet Potato-crusted Catfish$22Crab and Crawdad on Hot Pepper Pasta$22Blackened Catfish $20Meats & Fowl Stacked Sliced Beef Tenderloin and Portabello$33Steak and a Crab Cake$33Grand Marnier Pear Duck Breast$25Blackened Duck Breast$24NY Strip Steak, gorgonzola butter$27Almond-crusted Chicken$19Grilled Chicken & Shrimp on Cornbread Stuffing$21Cheese Tortellini with Andouille Sausage$20Chipotle BBQ Pork Tenderloin, goat cheese grits$2Chicken & Mushrooms$19Chargrilled Lamb Rack, Creole mustard demi-glace$33Pasta & Vegetarian Red Beans, Rice, Collards and Cornbread$11Green Tomato & Eggplant Napoleon$18Vegetable Jambalaya$17Cheese Tortellini with Andouille$18Cheese Tortellini & Artichokes with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Cream $18Creole Chopped Salad with Balsamic Portabello$12Artisan Cheeses, Figs and Olives$30  

We also offer a variety of delicious homemade desserts and after-dinner drinks.

 

 

Yeah so that didn't copy so well

http://www.spatscafe.com/site/index.php?optio n=com_content&task=view&id=9&Item id=23

There's the menu link

They don't say how a lot of those things are cooked, which makes it hard to decide.  Personally I might go for the crab and spinach portabello (assuming the portabello refers to the mushroom) since those are some of my favourite foods, but I'd ask the waiter how it's prepared.  I was going to say the grilled tuna, but then I saw the butter sauce :(

I love seafood, but I live inland so it's hard to get really fresh fish here. 

Whatever you get, ask for the sauce or dressing on the side.  This shouldn't be a problem for your waiter.  If it comes with it on the dish - send it back.  You are paying them good money and it's not an unreasonable request.

Any kind of grilled fish is going to be a good bet.  The sliced stacked beef tenderloin and portobello sounds good, would be satisfying and unless there's some fattening sauces (which you can get on the side anyway), should be pretty low cal.  Tenderloin is very lean.  Chicken & Mushrooms might be okay, depending on how it's cooked.

Don't forget, you can always just ask for an item on the menu - beef tenderloin, fish, chicken, whatever - and ask them to grill it for you, no sauce, and give you some steamed or grilled veggies on the side.  This looks like a nice restaurant, so they shouldn't have any trouble with that kind of request.

If the portions are huge, ask for a to-go box as soon as they deliver the food and put half your meal in the box right away.  That way you aren't tempted to eat the whole thing. 

 

:) no matter where you go, what holiday you are celebrating...lifestyle changes are ...for life, and life is about having fun. enjoy your dinner, laugh, be happy...you'll excercise a bit extra tomorrow..or during the week.

 

take care - diana