I am interested in seeing everyone's tips for eating in restaurants... where do you go, what do you order, and how do people generally react?

To start things off, my suggestion is to Pick the Restaurant!
My best experiences have always been in places that I am certain what to expect. The biggest no-brainer is Spanish tapas, where you can find a multitude of LC dishes a la carte, but stay away from the potato-laden tortilla. This is quickly followed by sushi... try sashimi (without the rice) instead of the rolls, and try pickles, soups, and many serve grilled meats, again a la carte.
In these settings, I am eating no differently than any other customer and I get a night away from cooking!


I have questions about Indian and Chinese--- Beyond the obvious of not ordering naan, rice, or noodles, what about the whole cooking processes? Was that Saag Paneer made with cream or buttermilk? Spare ribs sound great but often have a sweet sauce, meat is covered in cornstarch before being stir fried, and sugar is often a 'secret' ingredient. I feel a bit funny asking how everything is made. Am I being paranoid?

What are everyone's favourites?
thanks!

The wife and I went to Denny's a few days ago and I ordered Steak and Sauteed Shrimp. I told the waiter I did not want any other side orders. He was like, uh, you mean you dont want any bread? What about , uh, soup? I had to repeat myself 3 times before he left. All I want is the Steak and the Shrimp.

When they brought out the food they brought me bread with it. Of course I didnt eat it.

Havuk

Flashes of, "What part of NO don't you understand?"

Sorry about your experience. Makes you wonder why some places stay open when they don't listen to what the customer wants. What if your request had been due to severe allergic reaction? Uncivilized.

Hey... something I forgot to ask in the general question:
Has anyone been really successful in dining at Italian and Tex-Mex restaurants? Salad and fajitas without the tortillas, sure, but what else when you get surrounded by pasta, etc?

I love Italian, so what I do is order pasta dishes with veggies instead of pasta. (I'm familiar to sauces so I know what has carbs and which don't) Alfredo's and thin sauses are good.
Last time I had creme Rosa, which is Alfredo with Red wine. I had it over a broccoli/Cauliflower which they put in a pasta bowl... yum!

About Denny's....

They have a nice Grilled chicken Ceasar salad--- get the dressing in the side (they always put too much on) and tell them to hold the bread. No problem!!

Also out (other places)-- Greek salad (some put potato salad under it, so ask)
Tell them hold the potato salad and bread and dressing on the side. No problem!!

Then theres always steak, prime rib, pork chops, etc. Side salad (ask if they put croutons--cancel them) and a veggie if they have one you can eat.

I think its easier to eat out the LC way than low fat or salt free!!

Happy eating!!
Ellie

That's a great idea about the pasta over veggies, I would have Never thought of that. good call, I will try it at old olive garden next time!.

Taco salad no beans leave the shell, it will get all soggy if you eat slow enough.

Greek salad with gyro meat on the side is filling. no pita

French Onion soup is good, (no bread) or any clear broth soup, heck, I asked for the chicken rice soup without the rice once. yes, it took them 10 minutes to figure out I just wanted a cup of broth!

For chinese, try egg foo young, light on the gravy, wonton broth, sweet and sour meat with the breading off dipped in hot mustard sauce, they usually have seafood of some kind. buffets are huge in florida. buffets are the easiest in most restaurants...

sonny's BBQ smokes their meat and serves it without sauce, the sauce is on the tables, maybe others are that way? ( I often bring in my own lc brand if you don't wave it around the room no one will notice)

Wings..no breading..hot as you can make them, dipped in sour cream.

stuffed mushrooms, or cherry tomatoes chose seafood or cheese stuffing.

Hamburgers..fancy restaurant, no problem, its not called a hamburger anyway and they would charge you extra for the bun. fast food, order a few double cheese burgers plain, Wendys has a grilled chicken breast, no ketchup, I use the bun to hold it, [tear the bun away before you take a bite, toss it, repeat till you have finished the burger. unless some bread police sees the pile of rubble you left in the wrapper, no one will know.]

Never feel funny about asking, if you were allergic you would ask and not feel funny at all, and they get questions all the time and probably don't think anything of it, (down here in geriatric land it would be amazing if the waiter didn't get asked). you can always try to trick them out of the answer...try... "yumm, this (whatever) sounds/looks just delicious, tell, me their secret on how they prepare it? " try to keep a straight face when you do it the first time..laughing gives it away.

My favorites..steak and caeser salad, dressing on side. Then I don't have to think about eating I can enjoy the people I am with..besides after awhile no one will even dare suggest a restaurant that they know won't have good choices.

Hi Odd Sock -
Eating out LCing in the UK is a bit more of a challenge than in the USA, but it can be done. How about a pub lunch or evening meal of steak, or roast chicken. Ask for salad instead of chips. Take the batter off plaice or cod and eat the fish. Shrimp cocktails are marvellous. I probably wouldn't go for the ethnic foods because of the questions about what's in it. Having said that I'm heading out for Balti as soon as I get back! I have friends who'll help me with the details.
Some of the newer "chain" restaurants are anxious to please their customers and you could probably get help there. (Can't rmembr their names right now). I'm not sure if I could deal with a roast beef dinner without roasties and parsnips etc., so I'll probably give that temptation a miss. Although it could be done with sprouts and salad alongside
I'll be looking for your successful sorties into the carb laden world of we Brits. Beans on toast for crying out loud. Lots of people can handle it. I know I can't.
Lots of luck
Jacqueline

I usually go to a steak house like TGI's, beefeater or somesuch, and have steak (choice of about 5 sorts!)or chicken.

Also there's carveries, huge amounts of meat, hold the gravy (or have a tiny bit if you've the spare carbs) and you serve your own potatoes and veggies, so can choose. Carveries are usually pretty cheap too!

If people are going down the chip shop, then order 2 pieces of chicken no chips, with maybe a pickled egg or if you're strong, a bit of fish and pick the batter off

Thanks for all the relpies so far!

UK tips are greatly appreciated especially! I was wondering if there was life after chips! AAAAARRRRGGGG!!

I always wondered how to eat a hamburger gracefully. My one experience was to order a double meat, take the meat out of the bun, and then turn them inward so the cheese and mayo was on the inside and eat it like a sandwich. Not very pretty. Needless to say, I have avoided such forays since! hahaha!

French onion soup, Italian veggies, greek salad with gyro meat... mmm, my options are growing!

Wow, I am sooo dense...
I am learning a great deal about the UK and Australia and all, and how different the world is, it makes for some very different challeges. Thanks for the opportunity to share.
Jane

This is my favorite 'safe' way to dine out, now.

Here in Sacramento CA, we have several 'mongolian BBQ restaurants: Picture a buffet or Smorgasboard table. You grab a bowl, and file past binsof finely sliced frozen meats (pork, beef, turkey, & lamb, usually), then various veggies( celery, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes, cilantro, cabbage, those tiny ears of corn, noodles, etc.), then various oils & sauces (wine, vinegar, ginger, hot oil, sesame oil, teriyaki, lobster sauce, etc), then hand your bowl to a guy slaving over a big, round, flat griddle. He may add some water, and then dumps your bowl on the griddle, & shepherds it around the circumference of the thing, basically stir-frying or saute-ing it for about a minute and a half, then plops it back in the bowl & hands it back to you.

These are generally all-you can-eat operations, so I go up 2 or 3 times, picking 'safe' stuff (lots of meat, then cabbage, onions, mushrooms, & cilantro makes up my usual bowl) I add a tablespoon of cooking wine, some hot oil, some sesame oil, & usually about a quarter teaspoon of crushed garlic. DW & I have water, & tea w/dinner, we tip the cooks a dollar or so each 'pass', & we still get out of the place for under $20, full as we'd like to be!

If you can find a place like this in your area, I heartily recommend trying it out. Places like this aren't terribly elegant, but they make for a satisfying meal that you have complete 'control' over, at a price that makes you grin . I don't mind paying top dollar for a nice piece of prime rib in a downtown linen-tablecloth restaurant, but paying that much folding money makes it real hard toss away the steamy baked potato that I love so much!

Sounds wonderful. I have seen them occasionally around the UK, one near Covent Garden and another in Newcastle spring to mind immediately. For some reason, I've never concidered them. Maybe because I always think of all the sugary sauces that you get with BBQ, but now I will definitely take a look next I go by!

A GF and I went out to a nice steakhouse (The Keg)

Anyway I got the top sirloin, explained to the waitress that I was on a special plan, and she told me to take a look at the menu and see what else I could substitite for the corn and the potato, so I got a side cesar, and about a cup of sauteed mushrooms, it was really yummy. Places like that I usually am only there for the steak anyway and I was prepared to only eat the steak, but that was a bonus for sure!

I think that in this day and age with all of the special plans and allergies out there that people have, resturants must adapt or die out!

being in Singapore and surrounded by lots of chinese foods and many other int'l cuisines ....one can imagine how to avoid those complex carbs in order to lose weight steadily.

read carbavoidr's suggestion for eating a burger....sounds interesting ...for me, in order to eat it gracefully.....usually i will throw away the bottom bun because it is quite clean without the sauces....the only problem i have is to avoid eating the top bun with those sticky ketchups, mustard...maybe i shld tell the fast food crew to specially prepare my burgers.

and coz the burger has a wrapper....usually i use the wrappers and spread them out so as to cover the art of juz picking out the meat patties and wasting those buns. end up sometimes my nose gets the ketchup. i have to get the napkins on guard to wipe them away when i am done with my 'art-making' ...i put back the bottom bun with the crushed up top bun into the wrapper....so at least the bread police may not be able to detect any mess....but a molehill on my tray.

juz as anyone else, at a sushi bar i will prefer to eat sashimi or soft shell crab......but sometimes i still have one or two rice rolls. wonder if anyone tried the steamed egg dish....it may have some carb contents but certainly great.

Snoopy, thanks for the Mongolian BBQ idea. I associated BBQ with the sugary sauces as well. I did a search and I have a Mongolian BBQ restaurant only a mile away from my house! Tonight, I will try it out.

Thanks again!

Julie