What's YOUR favorite restaurant?

Ok, next Sunday I am going out to lunch with my mom, and I don't know where to take her.  This is my first time going out to eat in a VERY long time--I'm sort of trying to "recover" from food-obsessed issues that made it very hard for me to eat out.  I'm trying to adopt a more "normal", everything-in-moderation type outlook on food.  I'm open to any and all suggestions of a place I can get a great, yet reasonably healthy, lunch.  If it's a chain restaurant we might have one in my town.  If not, share anyway, because it might inspire me to find a similar place close by!  Thanks!

east side marios is my favorite dine-in restuarant.

as for take out? starrburger (it's only in my town) and subway.

I travel for business so I eat out alot.  I find that I can look up menus and nutritional info on the internet.  Most things are fine if you skip the bun or half of it.  I love going to Earls.  I was astounded though to find out the California Pizza which is a small thin crust with only a bit of goat cheeze, pesto and a handful of shimp was over 1000 calories and 60 grams of fat!  Must be in the pesto.  Now I choose the roasted chicken breast with salad instead of garlic mashed potatoes or a chicken club sandwich with only half bun.  Seems to be working for me.  Also, I work out after dinner and know I can't have a really full tummy so I eat reasonably for nurishment and stop. 

Not sure what kind of restaurants are available around you, but the favorite place for my boyfriend and I to go for lunch is a sushi restaurant.  During lunch hours it's typically quite a bit cheaper too.

I have never walked out of a sushi restaurant after lunch feeling stuffed.  I usually eat some miso soup for an appetizer and then about 3 pieces of sushi and 4 pieces of sashimi, as well as 1 ikura (salmon roe seaweed wrap thing).  It's an incredibly healthy lunch, and it always leaves me feeling perfectly satisfied and not at all stuffed :)

well if i HAVE  to eat out, i try and go for applebee's.  they have a weight watchers section in their menu and they give the fat and calories for each meal.  i've tried several of them and they are great in my opinion.

Hope you and your mom have a great lunch next weekend!

 

I Love LONGHORN! Delicious chicken breast with portabella mushrooms and steamed veggies.

My first (not really first) restaront I went to during my recovery of anorexia was Panera bread.. I don't know if there are any around your area, but I think there great. I got a salad which was pretty low calorie (Not that you have to obsess over that) But it was also, very good. They also have sandwiches, soup, things like that. They have a website too, if you want to check out any of their info.

Have fun (:

I LOVE going to Brazilian steakhouses like Rodizios or Grille from Ipanema. But with the all you can eat meat going around it's hard to practice good self control. :-)

Thanks for all the great replies so far!  I'll definitely keep your advice in mind.

The grilled salmon at Macaroni Grill is WONDERFUL!

Applebees has a dozen diet-friendly menu options.

Olive Garden has a Garden Fare part of its menu with healthy options.

Logan's Roadhouse has awesome steaks. Get the 6oz sirloin (take half home) and the sweet potato -- butter on the SIDE. (Take half home!)  Watch the salad dressings and stay the heck away from their bread!

Mexican ... order Cocido or a grilled chicken tostada or fajitas. Decide ahead of time whether you'd rather eat 10 chips with salsa, or eat a tortilla. Ask for cheese on the side (or no cheese). Order boiled beans v. refried.

=^..^= MOLLY

This place down the shore right near my house is great. I get this entree called Chicken Monica, which is two pieces of grilled chicken over pasta with broccoli and a light marinara sauce. It's pasta, but I don't care; I go there maybe 3 or 4 times the entire year (not including the summer). THey also have this really good orange sorbet (again, probably high in calories and sugar, but give me a break).

i like the natural sandwich shop place in the local health food store and the japansee restraunts.

Favorite cheapy fast food sit down chain, T.G.I. Fridays.  I just can't enough of those Zen Pot Stickers!

Favorite real restaurant, local steakhouse/lounge called Peppercorns.  Their Roumanian Skirt Steak is killer!

I like sushi, but that's a bit pricey. My favorite places are cafe-type joints where I can get a short stack of buckwheat pancakes or a classic soup and sandwich combo.

I love Ruby Tuesdays. They have a huge salad bar that I could fill up on alone, but all of their items have the nutrition info listed under them(or used to anyway)

P.F. Chang's - my wife and I usually split an order of lettuce wraps and an entre.  They are really good and in a lot of cities now.

 Carraba's is excellent, but harder to eat low-calorie.   Their seafood is great, though, and if you get vegetables for your side instead of pasta it doesn't end up too bad.

i LOVE ethiopian food. i don't know her tastes, or if there is one near you, but you eat with your hands. how much fun is that?

whenever i go out to eat its usually some kind of spicy ethnic food -- thai, indian, mongolian...also, lots of japanese, (nice) chinese, and i love brick oven pizza.

 

TGI Fridays has a good "right size menu".  I had the Garlic Chicken Primivara...oh soo good and low cal...here's the description.

Juicy Garlic Sauteed Chicken breast served over fettuccini and tossed with sun dried tomatos, brushetta marinara and summer vegtables

Oh so yummy!!  I have also had the dragonfire chicken.

These portions are perfect for lunch and the price is good too!

I travel to Mexico often, and my fave restaurant there is called Santo Coyote (in Guadalajara), and they have a wonderful roasted salmon in a huitlacoche sauce with roasted cactus.

The tres leches cake is killer, and I can only have it if I've deliberately planned for it and exercised that morning.  Which, BTW, is one of the keys to eating out at restaurants that don't have nutritional information available.  Otherwise, there are the typical tricks like requesting veggies or a salad instead of fried sides, go light or leave off the cheese ("menos queso por favor"), and order lighter fare like grilled chicken or fish.

Domestically, I typically stay away from most chains, although TGI Friday's has vastly improved their menu, and I'm a sucker for a burger at Red Robin (again, if I've planned for it, and don't get the fries).

olive garden, TGI Firdays, applebees,and hudsons Grill but they closed down

I love Greek restaurants.  Chicken souvlaki w/ tzatziki or hummus & greek salad is the best! Their appetizers are usually killer too - just watch out for things with goat cheese.  If you like seafood, you can't beat Red Lobster either.