Restaurant and Keto

restaurantsurvival
(John Dawes) #1

I am about 10 days into keto and it is working great. I feel very satisfied and the scale seems to be moving in the right direction. My first hurdle is approaching and could use some advice… I am going out in NYC this weekend to a great Italian restaurant (Scarpetta). Anyway, besides the obvious (no bread, pasta, wine, etc…), what should i target to eat. Is ordering a salad just a good appetizer choice? any hot appetizer a good choice? Maybe use Olive Oil and Vinegar as dressing to be safe? Main course obviously thinking fish or meat, maybe in some butter sauce… Any other ideas? Sides or ingredients to look out for? Dessert if i get that far, i figure a few cheeses.

Any help would be much appreciated. Just trying to maximize my keto plan.

Thanks. John

(bulkbiker) #2

They seem to have a lot of fish and meat based dishes on the menu so you should be fine if you stick to those…

(John Dawes) #3

That’s the plan… Thanks for insight.

(Bob M) #4

I find fish to be not that filling. We go to places with very fresh fish, and the servings you get at a restaurant are tiny. You’ll be lucky to get 6 ounces of fish. On the other hand, that’s an expensive restaurant, so order what you think you can eat! And bring some extra food for later.

(Scott) #5

Watch out for some of the sauces that may use flour or cornstarch as a thickening agent. You can fib and say you have a gluten allergy to ask whats in the sauce or whatever. Should be able to find some meat and veggies that will fit. I would also enjoy the wine, at 4g per glass you can fit it in. Enjoy!

(John Dawes) #6

Great tips, especially the wine one. Salute!

#7

The fish crudi all look relatively safe, though it’s hard to tell. The primi all seem to have something like risotto, polenta, potatoes or pasta in them, though you might be able to eat around them, like with the short rib. For verdure, the zucchini, asparagus (assuming the ciabatta is on the side), and the salad all look good. The beets are higher carb and sadly the cauliflower has bread crumbs on it.

Obviously you’re skipping the pasta.

For pesce, the the cod comes with caramelized fennel, so I’d skip that one, but the others look okay. It could just be caramelized from the sugar in the fennel, but it probably has some added. For carne, it depends on what you’re willing to eat around. The chicken comes with noodles, fava beans and carrots which are all higher carbs. The veal comes with gnocchi and the sweetbreads are glazed, which = sugar. The waygu strip steak and the lamb both look safe. The lamb comes with a small amount of apricots in the dish, but it’s probably small enough that it’ll keep you within carb tolerances.

@ctviggen is right that the portions of fish might be smaller, but if you’re ordering several courses, you’ll probably do fine in the end. And maybe even have room for a cheese course! Though the menu also says they have strawberries with cream and granita–you could ask them to hold the granita for a perfect keto dessert.

(John Dawes) #8

Im thinking the Raw Yellowtail, possibly the Diver Scallop and AkAushi Wagyu Strip. They all seem to be keto friendly. And if i have room, maybe i can do the strawberries or cheese. But i do believe the steak will fill me up for sure.

Thanks for review and ideas…

#9

I’ve run into trouble saying “I’m gluten intolerant,” because they can use potato starch to thicken the sauce and it is basically the same sh** but different packaging. Try to avoid sauces, unless you feel sure that the waiter/chef gave you an honest answer.

You have some great ideas there and do have some backups in case you’re hungry later. :slight_smile:

(Failed) #10

Please don’t tell any restaurant you have an allergy unless you do. When you tell them you have an allergy, they are then obligated to go to a lot of trouble to ensure your food isn’t contaminated with the allergen: wiping down surfaces, separate preo tools, etc etc.etc

#11

It’s a rare trip right?
Not suggesting pigging out on pizza and tiramisu but if you eat a few extra carbs one day it isn’t going to derail a train that is going down the right tracks.

Just my $0.02

(Bob M) #12

I must eat a lot. I ordered a tuna appetizer and a tuna dish (on “succotash”), and was freaking starving once I left the restaurant. Part of that is likely the sugar rush due to the carbs (mainly corn) in the succotash.

I have ordered mussel appetizers with fish entrees, other appetizers with fish entrees, and always come out hungry. And I live where the fish has literally been taken off the boat and provided directly to the restaurant.

If I eat fish at home or we buy fish from a fish monger, I typically eat 1-1.5+ pounds myself, with no problems whatsoever. If you get 8 ounces of fish/seafood even ordering an appetizer, you’ll be lucky. At least with steak, they say how big the steak is. With fish, they rarely do this.

I have never come out of a restaurant while ordering fish with an appetizer and not been hungry.