Chapter 16: Going Upscale—Fine Dining

Today, upscale restaurants serve quite a range of cuisines, from continental American to nearly any type of ethnic cuisine to a fusion of two or many cuisines. The age of the celebrity chef and TV food shows, as well as the availability of and the push to use locally grown and sourced foods, have upped the ante on fine dining. No matter what type of cuisine you choose, your expectations for the dining experience in an upscale restaurant are different than your expectations of a fast-food spot or family-style eatery. You expect starched linen, a water glass that is kept full, and an informed wait-person who will fully describe the menu offerings and respond to your requests and desires. Unlike less formal spots, you usually plan to linger over your meal in upscale restaurant, to enjoy each and every morsel, and soak in the ambiance and moments of relaxation.

Dining at an upscale restaurant is likely not something you do every day, unless you’re lucky enough to be a restaurant critic! Chances are, when you dine upscale you’re celebrating a special occasion, at a business meeting or on a business trip, or on vacation. Maybe you’ve read great reviews about the restaurant and booked your reservation months in advance. Whatever the case, the uniqueness and specialness of an upscale meal can make it more challenging to engage your willpower. The skills and strategies discussed in Chapter 4 will help you make healthy choices as you enjoy these one-of-a-kind meals.

The types and serving sizes of foods served at fine dining establishments differ greatly between restaurants, making it difficult to estimate portions and provide details on nutrition counts. Nutrition information at upscale restaurants is rarely made available. However, by becoming savvy about menu lingo, being an informed restaurant patron (as informed as possible), and implementing healthy eating strategies, you can have a healthy, yet very satisfying, upscale dining experience. For dining upscale for ethnic cuisines, from Italian to Middle Eastern and beyond, see the cuisine-specific chapters in Section 3.

On the Menu

Today, upscale restaurants offer a wider gamut of foods than ever before. Fine dining has evolved from standard American fare to menus filled with a fusion of different cuisines. The menu could be a blend of French and Vietnamese food or a hybrid of Chinese and Mexican cuisines, to name just two possibilities. Fine dining menus expose us to foods, cooking styles, and culinary techniques from around the world and often showcase exciting chef creations. It’s an exciting time to dine upscale!

The restaurant you choose may be one of many successful upscale establishments owned and operated by a celebrity chef who splits his or her time between the kitchen and the TV studio. From Bobby Flay to Tom Colicchio, celebrity chefs are more popular than ever, and opportunities abound to taste their craft firsthand in restaurants across the country. Many fine-dining restaurants in major U.S. cities are part of larger restaurant groups with several sister restaurants around town or in different cities. Typically, each of these restaurants has a unique menu, theme, and/or blend of cuisines, but the quality of the dining experience is ensured by an entrepreneurial chef or restaurant group.

In fine dining today, restaurants are trending toward serving organic and/or locally grown produce and promoting sustainable agriculture. Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, is a long-time leader and promoter of this movement. More recently, other chefs and restaurateurs have followed suit—from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to award-winning chef José Andrés in Washington, D.C., and a quickly growing list of others often catapulted to stardom by Top Chef, Chopped, and other TV shows. Depending on the restaurant’s priorities and local climate, the definition of “local food” varies. It can mean the food comes from across the state, around the corner, or even from the restaurant’s own rooftop garden. More and more, you’ll find the name and location of the farm where certain foods in the dish were grown or raised on menus.

Local doesn’t necessarily mean organic, however. When pressed, most chefs at fine dining restaurants will choose local over organic because of their trust in and relationship with local farmers and because local produce is often fresher and, therefore, more flavorful. Several of the changes that have happened in fine dining serve not only the eco-conscious diner, but the health- conscious one as well. A wider variety of foods and tastes means a wider array of nutrients to feed our bodies. Recently, the popularity of healthy whole grains has soared, like quinoa, millet, freekah, farro, amaranth, and buckwheat. These once only saw the inside of a food co-op store, but are now gracing the tables of upscale restaurants across the country (and hopefully your dining table as well). Vegetables are also enjoying a march to the center of the plate. As more of the population looks to limit meat (think of “meatless Mondays” and flexitarian and vegetarian eating plans), restaurants are responding by celebrating the humble vegetable as a main course option, or at least as a creative appetizer or side dish. Kale salads are ubiquitous, roasted vegetable salads are considered the new power lunch, and cauliflower steaks are snagging orders away from filet mignon and lamb chops.

Choosing these healthier whole grains and vegetable-centric entrées can be a good way to manage your health and blood glucose during a special meal, especially when you choose these healthier menu options over carbohydrate sources that contain added fats or sugars.

Another trend in fine dining is the prevalence of tapas, or small plates. As the tapas concept takes the upscale dining world by storm, portion sizes are skewing in favor of the health-conscious diner, at least at the restaurants that are adopting the trend. Tapas originated as a way for the Spanish to eat standing up while keeping the flies out of their wine (they used the small plates of food to cover their wine glasses). Today, you’ll find small plates on the menus of restaurants serving all types of cuisines. Depending on the style of restaurant, you may see these dishes described as “small plates” or “bites” or as part of a sharing menu. When the menu is inspired by tastes from around the world, you may see other words used to describe little dishes, including “mezze,” at Middle Eastern restaurants, “dim sum,” in Asian settings, and “antojitos,” in Latin American restaurants. No matter what they are called, small plates are a great option that can fit into your healthy eating strategy. They are perfect for sharing, and they allow you to enjoy the tastes of many foods but in small quantities. Since Spanish cuisine inspired the small plate trend, it makes sense to also follow the Spanish culture’s method of ordering: take your time. Rather than ordering the count of dishes suggested by your server at once, choose just one or two small plates at a time. Take the time to truly taste the food and enjoy good conversation. If you’re still hungry, go ahead and order one or two more, but try to balance your food groups and choose a variety of foods. Always consider your level of fullness (that’s your stomach, not your eyes) before ordering more.

One trend at upscale restaurants that generally doesn’t work in the health-conscious diner’s favor is that of the tasting menu. At some restaurants, the tasting menu may be an option in addition to the regular menu. Some examples of this are pre-theatre or fixed-price menus that allows you to choose from a quickly prepared appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Other restaurants—and these are few and far between—have a tasting menu that consists of a chef-determined seven- or twelve-course meal. The downside to any predetermined, chef-chosen meal is that you have little to no control over the meal. While these outings can certainly be a palate-pleasing extravaganza, you’re generally better off dining at a restaurant where you have more control over the food you’re served. Fortunately, at the majority of upscale restaurants, the chefs are more than willing to handle your special requests with aplomb, so don’t hesitate to ask them to prepare your meal exactly how you want it.

Several factors—the foods placed on the table without being requested (bread and butter), the length of the meal, the portion sizes served, the elaborate preparations, and the availability of higher-fat foods, alcohol, and tempting desserts—can make upscale dining more difficult for people with diabetes. You can find more information on the pitfalls of restaurant meals in Chapter 3, but the skills and strategies for healthier restaurant eating discussed in Chapter 4 apply to all kinds of restaurants, including fine dining restaurants. Use them to your advantage. You should have a game plan in mind, practice portion control from the get-go, make special requests, and know when you’ve had enough. One strategy that is especially helpful in fine dining restaurants is to focus on the pleasure of the special occasion and/or enjoyable environment. Luxuriate in the ambiance; it helps take the importance off the food and place it on the surroundings.

The Menu Profile

Drinks

The first question your server will ask at a fine dining restaurant is: “What can I bring you to drink?” An expectation may be that diners will order a mixed drink before dinner, wine with dinner, and/or a cordial to top off the meal. A liberal flow of alcohol can tally up to hundreds of calories. If you plan to drink alcohol, figure out a plan that works best for you. Is a glass of wine before dinner sufficient, or are you better off ordering a club soda with lime before your meal and then a glass of wine with your meal? Gather more tips and tactics in Chapter 5 and Chapter 9.

Appetizers

Once your beverage order is in, you may be greeted with a small tastebud teaser and/or a basket of bread and butter or the signature items served in that restaurant. These items are often hard to resist. Set a limit with yourself. If the bread is to die for, allow yourself one piece, preferably without butter. If you can take or leave the items on the table, leave them and bank your calories and grams of carbohydrate for a wonderful starch or dessert.

Appetizers are often laden with fat, but there are usually a few healthy choices. When it comes to appetizers, look for an unadulterated, unfried seafood or vegetable option—marinated ceviche, a shrimp cocktail, or blanched asparagus—then share it. Keep an open mind and be creative with the menu. You can combine an appetizer, salad, and soup, for example, to create a portion-controlled meal.

Soups and Salads

Soups, if there are healthy choices such as broth- or vegetable-based, tomato, or bean soup, can be nutritious and filling. They’re usually served by the bowl, which presents another opportunity to split the serving down the middle. Don’t hesitate to ask the kitchen to split it for you. You should stay away from creamy soups and bisques due to their high fat content. If any item is not well explained on the menu, ask questions. The ingredients and preparations that appear on some upscale menus today can challenge even the culinary gurus among us.

Opt for a salad rather than an appetizer or soup. Look for salads containing healthy greens and low-calorie vegetables. Try salads with interesting and unique ingredients, such as kale, endive, arugula, jicama, radicchio, beets, pears, apples, nuts, and so on. Be cautious about salad dressing. Get the vinaigrette, another oil-based dressing, or request olive oil and vinegar on the side. The good news is you don’t run into nearly as many creamy dressings because the chefs at upscale restaurants want their vegetables to shine. Plus, dressings are generally home-made. Be on guard against high-fat salad toppings, such as bacon, croutons, and cheeses (blue, feta, goat, or Parmesan). Simply ask that high-fat ingredients be left off or used sparingly.

Entrées

On to the entrée, which may, depending on the style of the restaurant, include a large amount of protein. Will it be chicken, duck, lamb, or shrimp? Or perhaps one of the adventurous cuts of meat, such as cheek, liver, tongue, pork belly, or marrow, that seem to be taking the culinary world by storm? No matter which entrée you choose, you’ll likely be served a cooked portion weighing at least 6–8 ounces. Yes, that’s about double what you need. So, be ready to practice portion control and menu creativity. Split or share complementary dishes to minimize the amount of protein you eat. You could also request that half be put in a takeout container, or you could leave a few bites on your plate.

Think about choosing low-fat fish, shellfish, or chicken as your entrée—as long as these options aren’t deep-fried or covered with loads of butter or cream before they reach your table. Consider the description of Chicken Kiev: a breast of chicken filled with herb butter and garlic and topped with butter sauce. Now, compare this with the description of a chicken and vegetable sauté: diced chicken breast sautéed in olive oil with sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, and asparagus. Neither dish is fat-free, but the latter is certainly a lower-fat choice. Some seafood medleys, such as cioppino and bouillabaisse, offer healthfully prepared fish in a light broth. Additionally, preparations of fish that keep the amount of fat low (e.g., grilling or poaching) are healthy choices. You still need to be mindful of portion with these dishes, but their fat content is tame compared to family-style American meals and portions are typically much smaller. Another trend in upscale dining is to serve an entire fish, head and all, rather than just a fillet. If this is the case with a dish you order, be prepared to share.

Seafood and chicken are often healthier choices, but unadulterated beef, lamb, or veal might be wiser bets if the seafood or chicken is loaded with fat during preparation. If you order meat, stick with a small cut— “petite,” “queen,” “filet mignon,” and “8-ounce” are descriptions of small servings. You can even split these as there’s often enough for two. Better yet, search for dishes that mix protein with starches or vegetables. That way you’ll end up with smaller amounts of protein. Next, choose leaner cuts of meat. Filet mignon (also called tenderloin) and sirloin are leaner cuts than rib eye, porterhouse, T-bone, or prime rib. Veal is often breaded and sautéed prior to cooking, but if you spot a broiled veal chop on the menu and you like veal, you can consider this choice, but you should also consider splitting it. The portion will be large. Lamb, depending on the cut, can be high in fat, but it is most often broiled or grilled, which doesn’t add much fat. If there’s fat to trim once the meat arrives, do so. Loin lamb chops are the lamb choice with the lowest fat content. Duck, skin and all, is quite high in fat. However, today, sliced duck breast is served, rather than the half duck of yesteryear. Sliced duck is quite lean and the fatty skin is gone. Often light fruit sauces or glazes are used on duck breast. Be careful of these, they can ramp up the carbohydrate grams. Order them on the side and use a small amount for flavor boosts.

Many upscale restaurants now offer vegetarian entrées. Survey these options. They’re a good way to cut back on the protein. There might be pasta dishes, Chinese stir-fries, or grilled vegetable platters. Be careful that vegetarian entrées don’t come loaded with fat, cheese, or a double dose of carbohydrate. Be creative and design your own vegetarian meal by ordering à la carte appetizers, soups, salads, and side items, and skipping the entrée. Or consider splitting one vegetarian entrée and one protein-dense entrée between two or even three people. Keep that strategy of ordering fewer dishes than the number of people at the table in mind. Enjoy the tastes and control portions with one strategy.

Side Dishes

A starch is usually, but not always, included with entrées or available à la carte. Again, it’s a good idea to search for unadulterated starches (starches with no or minimal added fats). Healthy starch choices include baked potatoes, red potatoes, rice, couscous, or any new, interesting grain that you’d like to be introduced to—millet, freekah, or quinoa. If you believe fat will be added to the starch you choose, ask to have it left off or on the side. If you order a baked potato, ask that the butter and sour cream be served on the side. Your entrée may also include a side of vegetables. Ask how these are prepared if it’s not clear. Make sure that cream, cheese, sour cream, and hollandaise sauces are left in the kitchen. Steamed vegetables are the healthiest choices; sautéed, grilled, and roasted vegetables likely have some oil added. If vegetables don’t come with your entrée, order them à la carte. But consider the preparation method.

Desserts

Upscale restaurants cry out: “Have some dessert! It’s a special occasion.” Needless to say, these desserts are often decadent and the carbohydrate count can range from 50–100 grams and beyond, making glucose control a challenge. If you want to save your calories and carbohydrate grams earlier in the meal and splurge on dessert, remember that a taste or two of a sweet may be all you need to satisfy that sweet tooth. To limit your bites, share a dessert with several dining partners. In upscale restaurants serving lighter cuisine, fruit might be found on the dessert menu. Often the offering is berries with crème fraîche and liqueur. Hold the crème fraîche, but let them pour a few drizzles of the liqueur—it’s fat-free (and relatively low in calories). See Chapter 8 for additional tips on navigating the dessert menu.

Green-Flag Words

Ingredients:

• Amaranth, barley, couscous, freekah, farro, millet, polenta, quinoa, cracked wheat, wheat berries, other whole grains

• Balsamic, raspberry, or any type of vinegar

• Chipotle peppers or sauces

• Herbs and spices

• Leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, collards)

• Vinaigrette dressing (made with a combination of various oils, vinegars, and herbs)

• Onion, garlic, shallots

• Rice (brown, wild, risotto)

• Roasted peppers

• Sun-dried tomatoes

• Mustards

• Olives, olive oil

• Salsa (fruit or vegetable based)

Cooking Methods/Menu Descriptions:

• Au jus (with juice of meat)

• Au poivre (heavily peppered)

• Blackened

• Cajun

• En brochette (on skewer)

• En papillote (in parchment package)

• Fruit sauce

• Grilled, grilled on mesquite or hickory chips

• Marinated

• Mustard sauce (make sure it’s not a cream sauce)

• Petite or queen size

• Poached

• Roasted

• Steamed

• Tomato, garlic, or herb sauce

• Wine sauce (red or white; make sure it’s not a cream sauce)

Red-Flag Words

Ingredients:

• Bacon

• Butter, drawn butter, cream, beurre blanc, brown butter, béchamel (white sauce), béarnaise (brown sauce)

• Cheese (blue, goat, mozzarella, feta, Parmesan)

• Hollandaise, rémoulade, mornay sauce (other white sauces and mayonnaise-based sauces)

• Melted cheese

• Nuts (small amounts are alright)

• Pancetta

• Pistachio, orange, herb, garlic butter

• Sausage

• Sour cream, crème fraiche, whipped cream

Cooking Methods/Menu Descriptions:

• Au gratin

• Casserole (usually has butter, cream, and/or cheese and breadcrumb topping)

• Cheese sauce

• Creamy mushroom sauce

• Garlic and herbed cream sauce

• Served in pastry shell

• Stroganoff

• Stuffed with seasoned breadcrumbs

• Wellington

• Wrapped in bacon, phyllo dough, or puff pastry

At the Table:

• Butter

• Extra-high-fat sauces

• Olive oil

• Salad dressing

• Sour cream

Healthy Eating Tips and Tactics

• Have a plan. Peruse the menu and read online reviews from other diners before you even set foot in the restaurant. It’s easier to make decisions when you’re not hungry, and reviews from other diners can clue you in on preparation details that you may not hear from the wait staff (a reviewer might let you know if a certain dish is too salty or too greasy, for example).

• Observe portion sizes before you order as you eye others being served appetizers, main entrees, and more.

• Talk to your waitperson. Ask them what they think the healthiest, yet tastiest, dish is. They not only are familiar with every item on the menu, but they have the benefit of seeing all the items as they are being prepared and have likely tasted nearly every dish. They may even be able to make off-menu recommendations—delicious and healthy items that the chef prepares for the staff, but doesn’t feature on the menu.

• Follow the strategy that food critics use: enjoy your meal in moderation. Relish the experience by taking a bite of this and a taste of that. Now is not the time to join the clean-plate club.

• Request that the chef use less oil, butter, or cream when preparing your dish. Chefs appreciate a challenge and will often come up with a new way to flavor your meal, such as with a special vinaigrette that they may whip up just for you.

• Fill up on vegetables before your entrée arrives. Upscale restaurants are really doing fabulous things with vegetables these days. Choose a vegetable-centric appetizer, soup, or salad to enjoy before your entrée. A healthy starter will help fill you up so that you’re less tempted to polish off every last bite of your entrée or dessert.

• Soak in your surroundings. Enjoy conversation with your dining companions. Order one course at a time and relish the taste of every single bite.

Get It Your Way

• Talk to your waitperson about how the dish is prepared. He or she will likely be well versed in discussing all the main ingredients and preparation methods. Use the information provided to customize your order healthfully.

• Ask for your entrée to be split in the kitchen so that you and your dining companion can both enjoy a smaller amount of it.

• Request that less oil, butter, cream, or cheese be used in the preparation of your dish or ask that high-fat ingredients be served on the side so you can control the amount that goes on your dish.

• Request a healthy preparation method, when possible. For example, if the entrée you want is typically fried, ask if they can grill it or broil it instead.

• Make small substitutions to what you order. Choose healthier salad dressings, ask for sauces on the side, pick steamed rather than sautéed vegetables, ask for your entrée to be grilled not fried. You get the picture. Lots of little tweaks can add up to a big nutritional difference.

Tips and Tactics for Gluten-Free Eating

• You may have better luck eating gluten-free in more expensive restaurants, as the staff may be more attentive to your gluten-free dining requests and willing to tackle bigger challenges in the kitchen. Be sure to ask the usual questions before you order and once your meal is served. You may want to call ahead to ask some questions. See Chapter 6 for some examples of the kinds of questions you should ask.

Tips and Tactics to Help Kids Eat Healthy

• Upscale restaurants aren’t usually kid-friendly places, thus you won’t often find kids’ menus. So it’s the perfect time to expose your child to a variety of foods that may be new or different and prepared to perfection.

• Share dishes with your child. This will allow both of you to enjoy a few tastes of a variety of options.

• Talk to your child about the menu. Discuss where the food comes from, how it was prepared, and what it tastes like. Kids who are knowledgeable about food and have the vocabulary to describe various tastes and textures are more likely to make healthier food choices no matter where they eat.

• Think of fine dining restaurants as a training ground to teach your children about table manners and healthy eating behaviors that can last them a lifetime.

What’s Your Solution?

It’s your wedding anniversary and you and your spouse have reservations at a highly reviewed traditional French restaurant. You rarely go to such an expensive restaurant and you want to thoroughly enjoy this dining experience.

How can you celebrate, enjoying this restaurant’s offerings to the fullest, and still honor your healthy eating goals?

a) Read the menu online (if available) and check out online reviews from other diners before you head to the restaurant. Pick out a few options that you think you’d like to try, discuss them with your spouse, and, together, evaluate how these could fit into your healthy eating plan.

b) Engage your spouse in sharing an appetizer, entrée, and/or dessert with you. How romantic!

c) Customize your order. For example, if you plan to order the traditional French onion soup, ask them to skip the bread and put very little cheese on it. For your salad, request the dressing on the side. If you want a steak, order the petite portion, request that they hold the herb butter. Skip the mashed potatoes and order the side of barley and herbs you spotted served with another dish. Say yes to the garden-fresh green beans that come with your dish.

d) All of the above.

See the end of the chapter for answers.

Menu Samplers

What’s Your Solution? Answers

a) Excellent strategy. Having a plan in advance is one of the best ways to make smart choices. And talking about it with your spouse increases your accountability and the likelihood of success.

b) Sharing is a smart way to feel satisfied. You get to experience lots of flavors and textures while limiting your portion sizes. Given the number of courses you are ordering, this is still likely to be a lot of food, so consider leaving some food on your plate or taking some home.

c) Customization is key, especially at French restaurants that are notorious for high-fat ingredients. Asking your waitperson for additional ways to customize your order is another great way to make your meal even healthier.

d) Yes, yes, and yes! Combining all these strategies together will help ensure that you have a delicious, satisfying meal that controls portions, calories, and your blood glucose level. After all, you are not just celebrating your anniversary, you’re also celebrating each other, and your health is a key part of that.