Post That Nutritional Info!

Hooray for HoneyBaked Ham!

Ryan’s mom sent us home with a large bag of leftover HoneyBaked Ham from yesterday’s big Easter lunch. Ryan enjoyed a big ham and cheese sandwich for dinner last night which inspired my lunch today.

I wanted a ham sandwich!

Monday's Lunch

I enjoyed my sandwich with a side of roasted turnip fries and ketchup.

Turnip Fries + Ham Sandwich

For dessert I dug into my Easter candy and enjoyed two Dove dark chocolate eggs.

Dark Chocolate Eggs

So smooth and so creamy!

Free Chavrie Goat Cheese

Are you a cheese love-ah?

Chavrie Cheese

Click here to receive a free sample of Chavrie goat cheese. Yum!

Posting Nutritional Information

How did I miss this!?

Apparently a couple weeks ago, a new health law was passed that will require chain restaurants with more than 20 locations, such as Starbucks and McDonald’s, to post calorie information on their menus and drive through signs.

Additionally, nutritional information must be displayed for foods sold in vending machines.

This information should be available as soon as 2011.

How do you feel about restaurants posting nutritional information?

I think this is awesome. With the growing rate of obesity in the United States, I think it is so important for people to have adequate nutritional information to make educated decisions about what they choose to put into their bodies. Whether they choose to ignore the information is up to them, but at least it’s out there and visible.

The Capital Grille Nutrition Facts

I am not someone who is on the fence with how I feel about restaurants posting their nutrition facts for the public to see.

I think it’s so important for Americans today to understand exactly what they’re eating. With nearly 35 percent of Americans falling into the “obese” category and another 32.7 percent classified as “overweight,” our society needs to take a proactive approach to encourage healthier living.

Do you think a multi-chain restaurant’s nutritional information should be available?

I will often email a large restaurant requesting nutritional information before going out to dinner. I do this not because I think they’ll give it to me, but to (on some small level) communicate that there are Americans who want this information.

Most of the time I get the obligatory “Our chefs can accommodate special requests” email, but every once in a while I get lucky. After emailing The Capital Grille, I received three PDF attachments with lunch, dinner, dessert and drink menu nutritional information. Jackpot!

The Capital Grille

I immediately responded enthusiastically, thanking the man who followed up with me so quickly. Terrible nutrition facts to not deter me from going to a restaurant. They help me examine then menu and understand what I will be eating when I select specific menu items.

Many of the items on The Capital Grille’s menu fit easily into a healthy-living plan, and others can too since healthy living, in my opinion, encourages moderation and indulging once in a while.

Since The Captial Grill does not post their nutritional information online, I thought you might enjoy looking through highlights of The Capital Grille’s nutritional information:

Appetizers

(Menu Item, Calories)

• Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, 360
• Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella with Vine Ripe Tomatoes, 680
• Smoked Salmon, 520
• Lobster and Dungeness Crab Cakes (with tartar sauce), 420
• Shrimp Cocktail, 120 (with cocktail sauce add 80 calories)
• Pan-Fried Calamari with Hot Cherry Peppers, 1,200
• Cold Shellfish Platter, 340 (with sauces add 80 calories)
• Grand Plateau, 780 (with cocktail sauce add 80 calories, with mustard sauce add 240 calories, with crab butter add 390 calories)

Soups and Salads

(Menu Item, Calories)

• Cup of Clam Chowder, 280
• French Onion Soup, 530
• Caesar Appetizer Salad, 790
• Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing, 420
• Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil with Balsamic Chopped Salad, 410
• Field Greens, Fresh Herbs, Tomatoes, 200
• Wedge Salad, 915

Chef’s Suggestions

(Menu Item, Calories)

• Seared Tenderloin with Butter Poached Lobster, 840
• Cedar Planked Salmon with Tomato Fennel Relish, 520
• Bone-In Kona Crusted Dry Aged Sirloin, 980
• 10 oz Sliced Filet Mignon with Cipollini Onions and Mushrooms, 440
• Porcini Rubbed Delmonico, 1,400

Main Courses

(Menu Item, Calories)

• Dry Aged Sirloin Steak (14 oz), 670
• Dry Aged Porterhouse Steak (24 oz), 980
• Dry Aged Steak au Poivre with Courvoisier Cream, 940
• Filet Mignon (10 oz), 370
• Filet Oscar with Dungeness Crab, 640
• Delmonico Steak, 1,070
• Veal Chop with Roquefort Butter, 690 (without butter, subtract 230 calories)
• Roasted Chicken, 1,500
• Double Cut Lamb Rib Chops (4), 860

Seafood

(Menu Item, Calories)

• Broiled Fresh Lobster (per lb), 120 (with 2 oz. butter add 420 calories)
• Grilled Swordfish with Lemon Shallot Relish, 530
• Sesame Seared Tuna (Tuna, 290, Gingered Rice, 160, Wasabi Oil, 160)
• Citrus Glazed King Salmon, 440

Side Offerings

(Menu Item, Calories)

• Fresh Asparagus (12 spears), 40 (with Hollandaise Sauce add 200 calories)
• Roasted Mushrooms, 300
• Sam’s Mashed Potatoes, 690
• Lyonnaise Potatoes, 930
• Au Gratin Potatoes, 1,590
• Sweet Onion Rings, 900
• Fresh Creamed Spinach, 720
• Parmesan Truffle Fries, 950
• Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese, 1,560

Desserts

(Menu Item, Calories)

• Double Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich, 1,040
• Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, 1,310
• Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake, 740
• Key Lime Pie, 920
• Cheesecake with Fresh Seasonal Berries, 820
• Coconut Cream Pie, 1,020
• Classic Crème Brulee, 400
• Fresh Berries in Vanilla Cream, 200
• Fresh Strawberries Capital Grille, 290
• The Capital Grille Handcrafted Ice Cream, 320
• Chef’s Seasonal Fruit Sorbet, 160

***

Phew! That was a lot of copy and pasting!