Dining out on Atkins

08/22/03

GRANT BUTLER

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In the last several years, low-carb diets have become a national phenomenon, with weight-loss wannabes ditching pasta, bread and potatoes from their diets, while bulking up on steaks, eggs and high-fat cheese.

It always sounded pretty gross to me and I'm usually a skeptic of anything that's so overhyped. All that meat? All those fatty dressings and dollops of cream in your coffee? How could it possibly be healthy?

Last spring, after reading numerous stories related to the death of Dr. Robert Atkins, who created the low-carb concept, I decided to give the diet a try. Over the course of three months I've been stunned by how quickly the weight has come off -- yes, I've dropped a lot, but no, I'm not saying how much! I've also been surprised by the lack of any feelings of deprivation -- something I certainly never felt when I followed those hard-core low-fat/high-fiber diets of the 1990s, which always felt about as much fun as a Night Ranger reunion tour.

But what's been the most astounding thing about cutting carbohydrates has been how easy it is to continue regularly enjoying Portland's vibrant restaurant scene without cheating. As Atkins has taken a firm hold on the food world, many restaurants have adapted menus to incorporate low-carb options. If you order wisely, almost every cuisine out there can be enjoyed.

Small plates: The year's biggest restaurant trend makes it easy to control carbs. Small plates focus dishes on two or three ingredients, cutting out potato- and rice-driven side dishes. At Buckman Bistro (213 S.E. 12th Ave.; 503-230-2381), the nifty offshoot of William Henry's elegant William's on 12th, a small green salad can be followed with a sumptuous bowl of mussels sauteed with garlic and white wine. It comes with a toast point you'll want to offer to your nondieting tablemates but the rest of the dish is pure Atkins bliss. The same holds true for the clams in white wine sauce at 750 ml (232 N.W. 12th Ave.; 503-224-1432) and the seared scallops at Tabla (200 N.E. 28th Ave.; 503-238-3777).

Breakfasts: Portland is a big breakfast town. If you can avoid the temptations of waffles and scones there are great low-carb day-starters at diners all over town, including homespun places such as Nancy Lee's (2118 N.W. Glisan St.; 503-241-1137) and Milo's City Cafe (1325 N.E. Broadway; 503-288-6456). The key is to focus on side orders of eggs, bacon and sausage, not combination omelet plates that include hash browns and toast. Bonus: by focusing on side orders you'll shave a few dollars off of the bill.

Beefed-up options: Portland has no shortage of steakhouses, ideal stops for the low-carb crowd. At Ruth's Chris Steak House (309 S.W. Third Ave.; 503-221-4518) the menu is all a la carte, allowing you to pick steamed asparagus or sauteed shrimp to go with that premium rib-eye. Going a la carte can run up a big bill quickly, which makes the open-face pastrami sandwich at Higgins (1239 S.W. Broadway; 503-222-9070) easier on the wallet. Just order it minus the bread and you'll still get a satisfying meal, complete with a salad with hazelnuts and homemade pickles, for less than $10.

Navigating danger zones: If there's a way to enjoy Mexican food on a low-carb diet, I haven't figured it out, since so many dishes are built around tortillas. But other restaurants that seem like they'd be enemy territory can be low-carb friendly. At Sungari Pearl (1105 N.W. Lovejoy St.; 971-222-7327), avoid dishes with breading and forget about rice. But revel in the Tong Tang shrimp, a glorious dish of sauteed vegetables and shrimp with pillows of egg whites so puffy you'll think you're eating a cloud. Or focus on the garlic-fueled sha-cha beef, which pairs tender strips of meat with lightly wokked spinach.

Mish-mas

It seems like when you can't have mashed potatoes, you notice how often they spring up on menus. At such restaurants as Il Fornaio (115 N.W. 22nd Ave.; 503-248-9400) and Wildwood Restaurant & Bar (1221 N.W. 21st Ave.; 503-248-9663), cooks gladly substitute sauteed greens or grilled vegetables for the spuds. But more places are dropping them altogether in favor of low-carb sides. At Fife (4440 N.E. Fremont St.; 971-222-3433), lamb chops and roasted quail -- two dishes that normally might get the garlic-mashed treatment -- are dressed up instead with grilled squash and grilled artichokes.

You've got to be kidding: While carb-cutting is possible at almost any place, there are a handful of places I've temporarily put on my must-avoid list. The dear people at Northwest Portland's Justa Pasta haven't seen me in months. Sure, I could go and have a Caesar salad, hold the croutons. But the thought of passing up the fresh ravioli seems like pure torture. And while everyone in town has been chirping about hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts, I've yet to try them. It's just as well, because after all the hype, I know I'll expect to hear angels singing at the first bite, but it will just be a doughnut -- a good doughnut, perhaps, but a doughnut all the same. I'll try one someday, I suppose, and maybe they'll live up to the hype and surprise me as much as the Atkins diet.