For example the other day I got butternut squashed stuffed ravioli. There were 8 ravioli drizzled in olive oil topped with a couple pecans. They were decent sized ravioli of course for $16.
That did not look 900 cals, but apparently it is!
And sometimes even tomato linguines/pennes, etc -- they are like 1400 cals for a dish that I could easily finish. For 1400 cals -- what is in it! Tomato is a pretty light sauce, and yes, the pasta is calorie dense (but not 1000 cals worth of pasta) and there usually is a bit of cheese on top (but not enough for 1400!) . Is there a lot of oil added to the sauce/pasta prep or something?
Does anyone work at a sit-down restaurant chain or something and can explain to me how these pastas are prepared that makes them so calorific and not-a-great-option for dieters?
restaurant servings (especially of cheap things like pasta) are usually 3 or 4 times more food than most people actually need. not to mention - "drizzled in olive oil"? at 120 calories/tablespoon, a drizzle adds up fast.
Yeah, a lot of it is the oil. Drizzling olive oil on top is just asking for disaster. They're also add cream to sauces you think don't have cream. Or cheese. Especially in raviolli filling.
Sugar and salt are frequently added to restaurant foods as well to "enhance" their flavor. In fact my Italian grandmother used to add some sugar to her homemade tomato sauce to reduce the acidity. Many restaurants do the same, as well as adding a heck of a lot of olive oil, or at least we hope its olive oil...
A Canadian news documentary (can't remember the name of it-on CBC) did a piece on the sit down chain restaurants like Chillis, Boston Pizza, etc. The calories and fat content are shocking. Basically they were saying that all the fast food restaurants are getting the flack for unhealthy foods, where as these restaurants are under the radar, even though some of these meals are more fattening and with more calories than say a big mac meal! Boston pizza web site, (typical sit down chain restaurant) they have a nutritional section all in pdf
dhkp - Oh absolutely. I'd rather eat fast food than a sit down restaurant meal for health/diet reasons. At least fast food is usually portion controlled.... and the food court has SO many options!! But of course you don't get the same cozy atmosphere. Or the calorific appetizers or desserts or drinks.
Sit down restaurants were what ended me here!
I agree - huge servings and the addition of high calorie ingredients turns a wholesome dish into a caloric nightmare. I bet the butternut squash stuffing had heavy cream or butter added to it. My strategy for Italian restaurants:
1. Drink only water
2. Don't eat the bread
3. Order the largest plain salad available with fat free dressing on the side and eat it, or most of it, before your entree arrives. Another good filler upper is minestrone soup or a clear soup.
4. Order anything you want, but eat only 1/3 of it. That would put the 900 cal entree at 300 cal. Ask for a carry out box.
5. If you want desert, share one if possible. If not, eat only 3 bites and push it away. There is no penalty for not cleaning your plate.
Original Post by c_jamie:
bobev - your probably right on the sugar tomato thing!! i didnt even think of that!
not a likely explanation. i use sugar in my tomato-based sauces, too, but it only takes about a teaspoon to neutralize the acid in a 10-12 serving batch.
it may be a combination of all of the things listed above (oil, cream, cheese, butter, sugar in the sauce, lots of pasta, nuts, etc).
Which is why it pays to ask for a 'starter size' serving at a restaurant, share it with a friend or ... even better.... eat at home!
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