PF Chang’s suggestions

(Erin Macfarland ) #1

I have a date tonight and he wants to go here for dinner- I’ve been keto for almost 5 years so I don’t need explanations of what macros to shoot for or anything like that- only what is available there that’s not drenched in sugary sauce. Can I get an entree without sauce? Obviously I can skip the rice and noodles and all that crap, but has anyone been here and been able to order without looking insanely neurotic?? “I’ll just have steamed broccoli!!” Lol…looking on their website they only list nutritional info for everything as it appears on the menu. So not sure if I can order something like beef and broccoli and not have the beef cooked in gross vegetable oil, with no sauce…

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #2

Call them and ask. Some restaurants are flexible and some not.

(Robert C) #3

PF Chang’s is really the wrong place to go but, if you are stuck with that decision - you are stuck.
(i.e. Of that type of restaurant, Cheesecake Factory is much better for example, because you can just order an omelette and add butter - PF Chang’s is a keto desert.)

If I were stuck with that decision I would call the restaurant directly and ask questions of management about how much you can change things.

Mom-and-pop restaurants with great cooks will give themselves great latitude to change things to get customers. They can because their great cooks know what they are doing and will not serve undercooked or bad tasting food to accommodate unusual requests. For example, they probably even know the sourcing of their steaks and so know whether it is safe to serve something very rare vs. requiring a minimum of “medium rare”.

So, a “good” PF Chang’s manager will know if they have some more high-end cooks that can adapt something for you or whether they just have a bunch of cooks in the back following fairly strict formulas (in which case they won’t want to vary much as many things are from a bag or partially pre-cooked and pre-mixed so knowing what is safe to do cooking temperature wise or safe to skip including might be too much to try to handle).

Of course the other option is to just skip keto for the night and enjoy the food. You are going for someone else so being overly picky (no matter how well intentioned) might be perceived as his making a bad choice.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #4

It might just be time to dust off the ole fasting skills . . . “Oh, I’m so sorry, but I’m just not hungry right now,” with a coquettish bat of the eyelashes, perhaps?

On the other hand, if he can’t handle “insanely neurotic,” what is he doing on the dating scene? :grin:

I’m sure you’ll figure it out! :bacon:

(Erin Macfarland ) #5

Oh that’s hilarious…and there are lots of neurotic women out there that are neurotic for the sake of being neurotic. I’m not one of them. I don’t hide the fact I eat this way at all. As a personal trainer it’s my specialization for nutrition. So I don’t mind explaining all that. But how annoying do I sound saying “I’ll have the steamed broccoli with beef and don’t put any sauce on it and no rice…” ugh.

(Erin Macfarland ) #6

I’ve been doing this long enough that if I were to just eat whatever for the night I’d be in rough shape for a couple of days. I can’t do a carb binge. It’s not worth it.

#7

I take pride in being able to eat keto-style satisfactorily in almost all restaurants. The two I’ve struggled with is P.F. Chang’s (we went somewhere else by the time I finished looking over the menu, luckily we were waiting to be seated so I had an excuse for skipping) and Panda Express (my daughter loves it so I bring her there sometimes but I just eat nothing).

I’d probably try two things:

  1. Eat a fatty meal beforehand, if possible. It doesn’t have to be a huge meal but something close enough in time to dinner that when you do eat in P.F. Chang’s you won’t need to eat a lot before you feel full.

  2. Avoid sauces, which I think is going to be your biggest problem in a place like that. I think they have a separate gluten free menu where they avoid flour etc in sauces, but I’d even just go beyond that and skip the sauces. I doubt it would be a weird request in a restaurant chain of that scale. Worst case you ate before you went, so you can just eat a little bit and then take the rest home.

This website seemed to have a few ideas but I’ve not eaten there myself so no idea if they are actually good and how easy they are to order:

(Rivermama425) #8

Have a friend with a pepper allergy and.my husband a shellfish allergy and both were able speak with the head chef to be crystal clear about their concerns.

(Julie ) #9

That would not be annoying, just true to what you eat. If someone does not like it then they do not understand being healthy.

(Jeb Bower) #10
(Full Metal KETO AF) #11

@Emacfarland Life happens, it won’t kill you for 1 meal. Avoid the obvious grains and starch. If you’re not eating a bunch of sauce soaked rice you’ll be getting less of the sugar, oil and starch. A good place to start is the gluten free menu. Ask about “lighter” dishes and “not sweet”. Don’t get anything deep fried. Look for dry fried or grilled, smoked entrees. You can pull out the “bird like feminine appetite” and nobody will give you a second glance.

But you’re going to get a little bad oil and probably a few extra carbs but if you’ve been at this for 5 years and you’re a trainer why not just do a 24 hr fast after and get a good workout in. You’ll barely have a stutter. Have a normal social interaction. Or don’t…

If you’re just getting to know this person and they don’t understand about your eating style talk about it, it could be something that can be understood. If they already know you it probably doesn’t matter too much.

I kind of feel like a freak trying to explain something about my WOE to women that would be a potential date, so I I don’t. People tend to interpret your keto choices as “picky”, especially if they don’t know anything about it which most people don’t. It’s just awkward and I haven’t really figured out how to go forward with it yet.

(Carl Keller) #12

I’m probably too late but the Northen Style Spare Ribs @ 12 carbs , the protein options (4 or less carbs each) and egg drop soup @ 6 carbs are the least carby things on the menu. So for future reference, keep those in mind.

https://www.pfchangs.com/nutrition/menu-nutritionals

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #13

Only thing I have ever eaten at PFChang’s it the chicken lettuce wrap, every thing else is just too sweet tasting to me. I sampled a few dishes but the sauces just didn’t work with my tastes buds. And I haven’t eaten there since going keto/lchf. I just never liked the sauces, no matter what my eating style was at the time. I have been there many times, one is just 10 miles from my home in a shopping center we frequent.

Good luck finding a good choice.

#14

Now I really want crab rangoon. It’s my Kryptonite when it comes to Chinese American food.

(Robert C) #15

I followed the link - not sure I trust their numbers for the Nothern Style Ribs.

  • fat 21 grams
  • protein 37 grams
  • carbs 12 grams
    Calories are listed as 710 but those add up to 385

Even if each is actually separate:

  • fat + saturated fat is 33 grams
  • protein is 37 grams
  • carbs + sugars is 22 grams
    Those only add up to 533 calories

I think my math is correct?

So, if a serving is 710 calories - may be much more than 12 grams of carbs.
12 grams of carbs in a 710 calorie serving is 6% calories from carbs - that seems really low for ribs (because they usually are covered in a sauce).

(Full Metal KETO AF) #16

Maybe they’re including the bones @RobC

:wink::grin:

(Carl Keller) #17

It’s always safer to prepare foods ourself but when we are cornered into a restaurant, we should assume that the nutrition info is an exaggeration at best. I’m not surprised you found their calculations to be wonky.

(Erin Macfarland ) #18

So my worries about what to order were quickly dismissed because this incredibly attractive fellow looked at me like I was dinner…neither of us was particularly interested in sticking around to eat, lol! Don’t worry this is a PG post, but needless to say the night went great and I didn’t have to figure out how to navigate their menu!

(Mel Simpson) #19

Apparently it is sometimes good to have the odd sugary splurge…within hours your body will get rid of the glucose.
I get the Mongolian beef and is so delicious. Got this before keto and loved it too. I’m still in ketosis in the morning

(Robert C) #20

The “odd sugary splurge” idea is (I think) sometimes not applicable (“the odd” implies random times so essentially “anytime” to me).

  • I think at the beginning of your keto journey and trying to get fat-adapted, probably not good.
  • I think at lunchtime with a heavy afternoon workout planned - go for it.
  • I think that if you have a large amount of weight to lose, maybe not.
  • I think athletes pushing for maximal explosive performance for competition - cycling carbs might make sense.
  • I think that if you might follow it with more carbs due to an essentially addiction response - best avoided.