Forums >Health and Nutrition>Least healthy restaurant meals--ever had one of these?
sugnim
A groups at the Center for Science in the Public Interest gave out their "Xtreme Eating Awards" for the least healthy meals in American restaurants. I can't say I've ever had one of these meals or that I ever go to the places listed. Have you ever had one of these? Are they really so delicious as to be worth the amount of empty calories in them? What do you think?
Link to article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-f-jacobson/xtreme-eating-awards_b_2457987.html#slide=1970492
Same story, different article; maybe better pictures:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/16/health/xtreme-eating/index.html
The only place on that list I've been to has been The Cheesecake Factory and I had one of their healthier meals. Their damn menu is like 30 pages in length...I'm not kidding. If we go out to dine, we usually select restaurants that source locally.
I'm surprised these guys didn't make the list...
http://www.heartattackgrill.com/
They actually seem rather proud that they're contributing to the obesity issue in America. The one in Las Vegas has a sign stating that anyone over 350lbs eats free.
The CNN article listed 6 places - at some time in my life I've eaten at 5 of them and, yep, the food IS so delicious as to be worth the empty calories in them. Why do you think people eat there?
Why do you think people eat there?
Dunno. I don't generally have a taste for most restaurants or fast food places. That's why I ask.
Dave: I've heard of the heart attack grill before. Eeek!
Joggaholic
I've been to Cheesecake Factory many times, usually before or after my weekend long runs. I like their pasta dishes.
I sometimes actually look for high calorie dishes on restaurant menus, because I have problems keeping my weight up. The issue I have with most menus is that calorie count is not complete information, what makes up that count is also important (I know it is impractical to list them on a menu, I'm not suggesting to do that at all). I basically just have to guess what's good or not based on how the dish name sounds. 2000 calories of pasta? Sounds ok. 2000 calories of fried dough? Not so much.
As a side note, being Asian, I'm accustomed to eating family-style, so portioning is never really an issue when I dine out. I wonder how common (or uncommon) it is for Americans to split their dishes (at not-family-style restaurants)?
MTA: I've eaten at all the restaurants in the list, although none of the specific dishes listed. Food at Cheesecake and Maggiano are tasty, the rest are not that good imho
My wife and I alwyas split our non-family style meals on the rare occasions we eat out. The portions are just way, way too large.
Tracy
Cheesecake Factory is good stuff. And their portions are enormous, so the high calories listed on some of these doesn't surprise me. We either split a plate (and still have leftovers...) or order separately and have plenty of leftovers for days.
We don't eat there a lot, but always enjoy the food when we do... everything in moderation, right?
This is a good idea. But whenever my SO & I have shared meals, I always feel as though we are being thought of as cheapskates. Of course, it's probably better to be considered a cheapskate than a lardass.
I enjoy Maggiano's, but only with a huge group and then everything gets shared.
Pizzeria Uno makes good pizza, but again, I'd never order mac and cheese there.
The Cheesecake Factory is one of those places that I don't get. Everyone loves to rave about it, but it is very meh to me. The menu is so huge that there is no way everything on there can be good. Some stuff is fine, but I've never had anything particularly interesting, and once I had some tacos that about made me gag they were flavored so weirdly - some oddball combination of herbs and WAY overseasoned, and nauseating. Oh, and packing several hundred people in a room with 50 foot ceilings is an acoustic nightmare - I've had to shout at my dining companions every time I've eaten there.
Honestly? I eat at chain restaurants like these hardly ever. I always think that they really just don't do anything that well, or that unique. I haven't stepped foot in an Applebee's, Chili's, TGI Friday's, Ruby Tuesday, etc. in years. I will go once in a while somewhere like Pizzeria Uno because deep dish pizza is something a little more unique, or a family style place like Maggiano's is good for a group. For the most part we make an effort to eat out less often, and when we do pay a little bit more go to places that actually give a damn what they're serving to you.
My wildly inconsistent PRs:
5k: 24:36 (10/20/12)
10k: 52:01 (4/28/12)
HM: 1:50:09 (10/27/12)
Marathon: 4:19:11 (10/2/2011)
The Cheesecake Factory is one of those places that I don't get. Everyone loves to rave about it, but it is very meh to me. The menu is so huge that there is no way everything on there can be good.
I feel the same as you. My wife had been raving about them for years. Finally, we had an opportunity a few months ago when we were in Roseville around lunchtime. Like you, and I, noticed...the menu is freakin' enormous. We ordered and the food was...ok...but certainly nothing to write home about.
Queen of 3rd Place
Ugh, Cheesecake Factory, I have a pretty healthy appetite and like to take home leftovers, but the portions there are so huge I actually find it disgusting to go in there.
Ex runner
Oh man I love Maggianos. DH and I went there for our first "dating anniversary" many years ago and have been back several times since. We love it because you can get a crap load of pretty good food for a decent price. With it being all-you-can-eat, we've left there with 4 bags of nice dinners that we can bring home and eat on for days. Not bad for ~$100. Never had the veal they mentioned, but I'm pretty sure I have had the chocolate dessert that was listed. And it was awesome.
I've eaten at every restaurant on the list other than Johnny Rockets. I don't think I've tried any of the other meals though, but I'm pretty sure nothing they have is all that healthy.
Old Coyote
Oh, man. Now I gotta go to Maggiato's for that cake. I'd have been happy never knowing it existed...
Squidward Bike Rider
I'm happy to say that none of these places exist around here (that I know of, anyway), except for Chili's, and I don't eat ribs anyway. However, I could see me being tempted by the smoothie, but at least I know better than to order a 40 oz one.