ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, September 25, 1996 TAG: 9609250065
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press WASHINGTON
Beware the big, dripping mushroom cheeseburgers in restaurants like Applebee's, Bennigan's and TGI Friday's. Just one of them is worse for you than a Big Mac plus banana split plus doughnuts.
So says the consumer nutrition group that previously frowned on Chinese and Mexican food and regards fettucine alfredo as gastronomic suicide.
The target in the new study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest is the kind of food served in ``dinner house restaurants'' - Buffalo wings, stuffed potato skins, and bacon and cheese grilled chicken sandwich.
``I'm sorry to say that casual dinner houses make even fast food look good,'' Jayne Hurley, senior nutritionist for CSPI, said at a news conference Tuesday.
About that mushroom cheeseburger: ``Get it with the onion rings,'' Hurley said, ``and your plate will have 1,800 calories and the fat of five strips of bacon, plus four Dunkin' Donuts chocolate frosted doughnuts, plus three slices of Domino's Hand Tossed Pepperoni Pizza, plus two Dairy Queen banana splits, plus a Big Mac.''
Don't even think about the fried mozzarella.
The food tested came from these restaurants: Applebee's, Bennigan's, Chart House, Chili's, TGI Friday's, Grady's American Grill, Hard Rock Cafe, Houlihan's, Houston's, Marie Callender's, Planet Hollywood, Red Robin and Ruby Tuesday. CSPI mixed equal portions of the same food and sent each composite to an independent laboratory.
``CSPI's method of analyzing food is highly suspect,'' said Biff Naylor, chairman of the National Restaurant Association, criticizing the composite testing. ``This information ... only serves to scare and confuse diners.''
Peggy Marshall, spokeswoman for Bennigan's said: ``I think people don't like the concept of the food police. Consumers today ... understand the difference between a mushroom cheeseburger with onion rings versus ordering grilled chicken with vegetables.'' Bennigan's includes reduced-fat entrees in its Health Club menu.
An average order of 12 Buffalo wings will use up three-quarters of the day's quota of fat and sodium, Hurley said. Adding the bleu cheese dressing means 80 grams of fat - more than an entire Boston Market roasted chicken, skin included.
LENGTH: Short : 49 linesby CNB