THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 2, 1995 TAG: 9511010045
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO FLAVOR
LENGTH: Long : 183 lines
THE HUMBLE SCOOP of cottage cheese was surrounded by canned peaches, stewed prunes, cubes of Jell-O and, always, plastic-wrapped melba toast. Usually called the ``diet plate,'' this standard restaurant meal for calorie-counters, 1950s-style, might have been garnished by a maraschino cherry - all in an attempt to convince the customer this would be fun.
No, it wasn't much fun to be a dieter, or a health-conscious eater, in the Dark Ages of diet plates.
But the dreary dish of the '50s has come a long way. Updated for the '90s with a new name, look and taste, today's healthful restaurant fare is likely to be as tempting as a gooey dessert. In fact, it might even be a gooey dessert.
Like the brownie sundae at Applebee's, a chain restaurant with locations in Hampton Roads, including Virginia Beach Boulevard in Norfolk. Applebee's sundae is made with fat-free frozen yogurt and fudge sauce and delivers just 2 grams of fat, promises a menu that also features three other items in its ``low-fat and fabulous'' category.
Just about every restaurant menu, from fast food to fancy, offers healthful choices these days. And many chefs are happy to accommodate customer requests to omit the sauce or salt, broil instead of fry, serve the dressing on the side.
``About a decade ago, only the niche restaurants catered to the health-conscious customer,'' said Wendy Webster, spokesperson for the National Restaurant Association in Washington, D.C. ``Now, just about every restaurant offers healthful options.''
This just makes good business sense, Webster said. A 1994 survey by the trade association concluded that 31 percent of consumers are committed to good nutrition. Even though that is a six-point drop from 1992, it is still a significant piece of the restaurant pie, agree those in the industry.
The Oct. 10 issue of Restaurant Business magazine reported that a growing number of restaurant operators ``are convinced that a core group of loyal, educated and committed customers want healthier alternatives.''
At the Norfolk campus of Johnson & Wales University, the trend prompted the introduction of a laboratory course in contemporary nutritional cuisine, about five years ago
``In this class, student chefs learn to do contemporary versions of the classics - like how to make a sauce through a reduction instead of with butter and cream,'' said Tammy Jaxtheimer, the school's director of admissions. ``And they learn how to make a fried chicken, mashed potato and gravy dinner with almost no fat.''
Joseph Zaremski, head chef at the Lynnhaven Fish House, began providing healthful alternatives at the Virginia Beach restaurant a couple of years ago.
Initially, he worked with a local dietitian to reduce fat and calories in some menu items. Then, he submitted the revised recipes to Heart Smart Restaurants International, a 5-year-old company in Scottsdale, Ariz., does laboratory and computer nutritional evaluations of restaurant recipes.
A menu item earns the Heart Smart seal if it conforms to the company's dietary guidelines - no more than 30 percent calories from fat, 10 percent calories from saturated fat, 150 milligrams cholesterol and 1,100 milligrams sodium.
On the menu at Lynnhaven Fish House, the tiny red heart-shaped logo accompanies one vegetable dish, the spinach saute, and five entrees, including broiled scallops, crabmeat Norfolk, fresh flounder, seafood kebab and chilled shrimp with fruit. Customers may ask to see the companion menu, called the Heart Smart Book, which gives nutritional details on each of the items.
``These dishes have been well-received by a number of our customers, especially those with heart problems,'' Zaremski said.
Carlos Murphy's on Military Highway in Norfolk and The Village Inn Restaurant on Independence Boulevard in Virginia Beach, also feature menu items endorsed by Heart Smart.
``The dishes are popular among the seniors who eat here,'' said Village Inn owner Greg Robinson, adding that the fresh vegetable omelet made with a low-cholesterol egg substitute sells especially well.
The Heart Smart designation is just one way restaurants are meeting the needs of the health-conscious consumer.
The restaurant association's Webster said eateries nationwide are trying a smorgasbord of approaches, including varying portion sizes, offering more meatless main dishes, cooking to customer specifications and expanding appetizer menus for the diner in search of a mini meal.
Hampton Roads restaurants are keeping pace with the trend.
Many regulars dine at the Lucky Star on Pleasure House Road in Virginia Beach because ``they can eat well without packing it on,'' said restaurant co-owner Butch Butt.
``We have neighborhood customers who eat here several times a week because they don't cook at home,'' Butt said. ``Often they've just come from a workout at the gym. They don't want a heavy restaurant meal so they might ask for smaller portions, or just have an appetizer and a salad, no entree.''
The restaurant, which specializes in American regional cuisine with emphasis on local, seasonal ingredients, gladly accommodates special requests. But good nutrition is a key ingredient in the entire menu, Butt said.
``We use high-grade canola and olive oils and we grill or pan-roast our vegetables,'' he said. ``We are heavy into herbs and this allows us to use very little salt.''
A similar philosophy prevails at Pasta e Pani, on Laskin Road in Virginia Beach. Co-owner Maria Serpe said the entire menu is nutritionally enlightened, even though only seven items are listed under cucina leggera, which means ``light cooking'' in Italian.
``Everything we do could be called `light,' '' Serpe said. ``We use fresh vegetables and herbs and cook all sauces to order. We grill or saute, never deep-fry.''
At Elliot's, on Colley Avenue in Norfolk, healthful choices are sprinkled throughout the menu. The gardenburger, a grilled patty made of vegetables, grains and nuts, has had a steady following for years, according to owner Elliot Juren.
At Cafe 21 on 21st Street in Norfolk, one shrimp and one chicken entree are designated ``light pasta'' on a menu that offers many meatless dishes.
Bennigan's at Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach lists five entrees under the menu heading ``Bennigan's No Sin.'' The chain restaurant's fare includes a turkey burger, char-broiled chicken breast and a vegetable lasagna.
Like others in her field, dietitian Kathleen Zelman is glad it's getting easier for the American consumer to eat out and eat light at the same time.
But, she warns, until nutritional claims in the restaurant industry are regulated on a federal level, it can be difficult for the consumer to know what's on the plate.
``Sometimes, when the menu says `light,' the customer is a the mercy of the chef's interpretation of the word,'' said Zelman, an Atlanta-based spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. She added that because many fast-food chains have subjected their menus to professional nutritional analyses, the consumer is usually able to trust what these restaurants claim. But this is not true at all eateries.
``This doesn't mean that chefs are back in the kitchen trying to trick people in the dining room,'' Zelman explained. ``There is still a great amount of confusion about fats, calories, cholesterol, and the chefs are learning along with the rest of us.''
While the Food and Drug Administration has regulated labeling on grocery-store products, it has not released guidelines on menu terminology - although menus come under the jurisdiction of the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act.
``The issue has been put on the back burner, probably because it's going to be so hard to regulate,'' Zelman said. ``How do you police every mom-and-pop restaurant?''
When the FDA releases guidelines for nutritional claims on restaurant menus, the American Heart Association will introduce a menu certification program that conforms to those definitions, said Vicki Anderson, a spokesperson for the Dallas-based association. This might be as soon as early 1996, Anderson said.
As in the ``Heart Smart'' program from Arizona, menu items that are heart-healthy, according to the heart association definition, will be designated with a special symbol. The association program also will include chef and wait-staff training, Anderson said.
At the 477 Olive Garden restaurants across the country, including four in Hampton Roads, low-fat dishes are tagged with a ``garden fare'' logo on the menu. The restaurant defines ``garden fare'' as dishes with less than 30 percent calories from fat, less than 10 percent from saturated fat, with no more than 600 calories at dinner and 400 calories at lunch. For interested customers, a special pamphlet gives a nutritional profile on the dishes.
Garden-fare items such as capellini primavera (angel-hair pasta tossed with sauteed vegetables and sun-dried tomatoes) have a faithful following, said Cathie Weinberg, spokesperson for the Orlando, Fla.-based company.
But the most popular item in the chain's 13 years has always been lasagna, Weinberg said. Described as a ``rich layering of lasagna noodles, meat sauce and four cheeses,'' the dish, needless to say, does not carry a garden-fare seal.
``For most people, dinner out continues to be an escape,'' Weinberg said. ``In a restaurant, most customers don't want to think about fat grams and calories any more than they want to think about washing dishes.''
The Virginian-Pilot's Fitness Quest is a six-month project to inspire our readers to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Through the end of the year, we are focusing on health, exercise and diet, as well as reporting monthly in the Real Life section on four people's quest for fitness. To join Fitness Quest or share your story, call Infoline at 640-5555 and then press BFIT (2348). MEMO: Mary Flachsenhaar is a free-lance writer living in Norfolk.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/The Virginian-Pilot
Seafood Kabab
This tasty ``Heart Smart'' dish at the Lynnhaven Fish House has been
well received, especially by older patrons.
Spinach Saute
The Heart Smart Book provides nutritional details of dishes, such as
this one from the Lynnhaven Fish House.
The Olive Garden offers special low-fat dishes marked with a
``Garden Fare'' symbol.
by CNB