Dining out...Help Needed!?

Question

My mom wants to take me out to lunch at an Italian restaraunt, The Pasta House, and I am trying to maintain my weight by counting calories...Does anyone have any good tips on foods to avoid, and how to make smart selections at an Italin restaraunt?

Or does anyone know of low calorie menu options from The Pasta House?

Thanks so much!

Answer 1

I'm native Italian, so I can help ;)

Avoid olive oil like the plague... 1 tablespoon of olive oil is 135 calories!!! So whatever you ask for add the magic words "without olive oil". If they look at you in a bad way, reiterate your wish

You can have pasta pretty safely (even the regular one) provided you choose a fish-based (or shellfish) tomato sauce to go with it. Another nice choice is ravioli, a kind of pasta with a stuffing (chose a fish-based or vegetable-based stuffing). Of course don't eat too much pasta (like around 3-4 oz).

Other good choices aside from fish and shellfish are raw meat with rocket and parmesan cheese (called carpaccio) or a type of meat called bresaola (VERY low in fats). Don't order a salad because the Italian way of having salads is either with olive oil (AGAIN!) or vinagrette, so it's a lot of calories.

If you manage to convince them to give you some grilled vegetables without oil, go for it.

Good luck!!!

Answer 2

I usually ask for a to-go box when I get my food and put half of it in the box. That why I only eat half of the meal and I'm not tempted to eat more by having it on my plate.

Answer 3

all pasta houses serve salad eat a big one first then op for pasta sauce on the side.