Decided to try Chili's with the family on the weekend. I had a steak with grilled avocado, asparagus, roasted grape tomato and fried mushrooms. So good, and within my plan for the day! (It also came with fries but my husband and sons split them.)

Most restaurants will accommodate specific requests as well. My favorite place for lunch has a couple of great options. There's a salmon caesar salad I just love. Or I get the philly cheese steak, no bun, with veggies on the side. I get a pile of beef, onions, and peppers with provolone cheese melted over the top, and a side of snow peas, sometimes with bacon.

I travel frequently on business and often have little say in where we go to eat.

I don't even order off the menu. I just tell the waitress what I want to eat. The cooks in the vast majority of places are bored of preparing the exact same thing day in and day out. When you tell them what you want, I found have it extremely rare that they don't do exactly as you ask. The harder part is getting the waiting staff to actually ask the cooks if they will do it.

When it comes to pricing, they really don't know what to do... so they make something up. It is almost always very very reasonable. Not always... I have paid way too much on occasion... but most of the time.

Examples:
I would like an 8 oz steak and fill the balance of the plate with veg and salad. Please... no carbs on the plate.

I'd like 6 egg whites / 2 egg yolks scrambled up, sprinkle some cheese on top and have some salsa on the side. No toast.. nothing else on the plate please.

I'd like that fish(point to an item on the menu) with that appetizer(point to another item) on 1 plate as my main entree.


It is always safe to just order the protein and have them fill the plate with salad and vegetables.

All day meetings are the hardest. They always bring in donuts, fresh fruit, warm cookies, fruit drinks, etc into the meeting room and very little that I can eat.

I sit there for long hours, staring at crap food, starved and bored for eternity. On occasion I ask if they can bring in a meat and cheese plate or something like that. It is always awkward. I bring in protein bars but they don't seem to help as much as you would think.

I still hate long all day meetings and still struggle at them.

jaymo602 wrote: »

I would love to be able to order like that at a restaurant here in Phoenix, but I doubt anyone would comply.

You never know until you try.

Some things they can't change (like sauces already made, or stuff that may be pre-mixed) but a lot of modifications can definitely be made. They want your business.

If they don't try their hardest to comply with your needs, then they risk you being upset and word of mouth can spread fast when it is bad news.

I have been in situations where it was a pop-up restaurant and there wasn't anything low carb available on the menu except for the salad. Even that needed modifications. But I asked the appropriate questions and the chef even came out to speak with me. It's definitely doable.

Don't get put off by going out to eat because you are low carb. If going out to eat is a way of spending time with friends and family, don't deprive yourself. Just do a little research before going.

Vowder wrote: »

I travel frequently on business and often have little say in where we go to eat.

All day meetings are the hardest. They always bring in donuts, fresh fruit, warm cookies, fruit drinks, etc into the meeting room and very little that I can eat.

OMG I know what you mean. I travel a lot, teach across the country, and even when we are organising the events, trying to find venues that will offer or create a menu that I can tolerate, let alone that keeps me satiated and sharp and alert- it's as if some hotels and conference centres don't know what real food is. I am sure that real food costs more than dim sims, and salt and pepper squid, cheesy dips and crackers, sandwiches, muffins and pastries, and i tell them I prefer to pay more for all guests to eat well.. but they often don't have the staff to prepare 'real food'.

I can and do often take my own food, but at the end of a day or 2 or 3 teaching, I can be tired and a bit vulnerable to temptation- which I would prefer not to be staring at me:)

That's great, o.p.!

I rarely eat out and cook pretty much everything from (mostly) whole food at home, so reading this thread was interesting