What would you eat from this carb-heavy Mexican restaurant?

#1

I’ll be eating a work lunch at this place today (link is to menu):

https://www.cactusrestaurants.com/menus/food

It’s a nice restaurant and I used to eat there a lot pre-keto. I’ll be eating a work lunch there today - no fasting or other tricks. Just need to eat a regular meal.

Just to be clear: I’m in this situation a lot and always end up being able to find or tweak something that works well keto-wise. I’m used to switching things around and being a good judge of what fits macros. I thought this time I’d share just to see if anyone comes up with anything better!

Currently my plan is to get the Grilled Skirt Steak Salad, and ask them to skip the pico de gallo, red onions, and switch the vinaigrette for the Caesar dressing they have listed above.

Grilled Skirt Steak Salad
Grilled St. Helens skirt steak, mixed greens, bacon, pico de gallo, red onion escabeche, avocado, Point Reyes Farmstead blue cheese, chipotle–balsamic vinaigrette.

What did you Keto today? Part Deux!
(Empress of the Unexpected) #2

Sounds delicious - I know onions can be a bit carby, but I cannot resist.

(Lauren Lake) #3

I love Mexican for easy keto. I’m hitting a local restaurant for my birthday this week. I order a big batch of guacamole, bring my own pork rinds for dipping, and then get a big side of whichever meat I fancy, usually pork carnitas or carne asada. Mexican restaurants tend to have lots of good components, they just assemble them with too many carbs. Fajitas with just the meat and veg are another good option.

(Sophie) #4

I also take my own pork rinds if I know in advance I’m going to a Mex place. Otherwise, it never hurts to ask if you could have chicharones instead of chips. My go to is usually beef fajitas (no tomatoes) and I ask for extra “salad” (sour cream, pico & guac) instead of beans/rice/tortillas.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #5

Those fajita numbers include the taco shells.

Probably the lowest there, and fork and knife the meat,veg, cheese and sour cream.

#6

The Sonoran Spa Chicken has 15 carbs, but who can resist steak? :heart_eyes:

(KCKO, KCFO) #7

Looks like the carb counts include the tortillas, beans and rice. No way are steak fajitias that carby and you can eat around the onions if you are that strict.

I also noticed no carnitas nor chicharrones. What kind of Mexican place doesn’t serve those??? Fake Mexican in my book.

Go with your plan and never eat there again. That’s my advice.

#8

I was definitely checking out the fajitas as well (was going to ask them to skip the beans, rice, and onions). Starting to tip towards that.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #9

Eat anything you want just ask to hold the rice, tortillas and such. I don’t worry about some tomatoes and onions but that’s me. The Jalapeños wrapped in bacon sounds great and they have brisket too. Maybe you can order items like the brisket ala carte instead of a plate and assemble your own meal.

(Vladaar Malane) #10

I love Mexican food too. Just always don’t eat the carbs.

Make sure to ask for Guacamole, and sour cream that will boost up your fat intake and help fill you up when you don’t eat the rice, beans, shells.

(Julie ) #11

Fajita, steak, and/or grilled chicken for meats.

Grilled veggies, and/or side salad with ranch and no croutons.

Found Mexican to be one of the easiest place to order.

(James) #12

I didn’t look at the menu. I always get a Molcajete or ribeye fajitas from my local spots. I just discard what doesn’t adhere to my diet.

(Doug) #13

:sunglasses: Whew… Some great choices there. On a fast here, getting dizzy… :stuck_out_tongue:

(Katie) #14

Naked fajitas/tacos. Fajita/Taco salad without the dressing and the tortilla strips (use the lowest-carbohydrate dressing and/or guacamole and/or sour cream if the sour cream is lower-carbohydrate). Guacamole.

(Bob M) #15

I eat Pico de Gallo and red onions, though most vinaigrette I skip (don’t know what they put in it). But I don’t get/buy these that often. I realize people freak out about them, but I personally did not get fat eating these, and I don’t think they’re going to make me fatter than I already am.

#16

OK, so I ended up with the grilled skirt steak fajitas, minus rice, beans and onions, and skipped most of the pico de gallo that was on my plate too.

This is what it looked like as served:

fajitas-1
fajitas-1.jpg800×600 125 KB

fajitas-2
fajitas-2.jpg800×600 109 KB

I mixed it all up, moved the steak to the same plate and enjoyed it.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #17

The steak, the Sonoran chicken, and Pablo’s Special were what looked good to me.

Is this a chain? Because I’d expect a real Mexican restaurant to be able to provide mole poblano de guajalote/pollo/carne on demand, The mole has no sugar in it, just chocolate and chili (and poblanos are much nicer than jalapeños), and I’m sure they could come up with some decent side dishes.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #18

There is much factual error in your comment. First, molés will frequently have piloncilo or sugar. It’s actualy a very common ingredient throughout Mexican cuisine as a flavor booster. Any dish with chiles might have some.

Second, most molés are fairly time intensive to prepare. Yellow and green molés can be a bit faster, but it’s not really a thing places “whip up on demand” so much as they have it in the back for staff meals, and can throw a plate together.

And that’s at real deal places where the Mexicans of Chicago eat. Never mind in actual Mexico.

(Jenny) #19

well, now I want fajitas you guys! good job :sweat_smile:

#20

Just spent 10 days in Mexico and I did not fair well with staying keto. But I am back at it today! I couldn’t say no to the tortillas and margaritas.