Restraining Order: Eating Healthy at Fashionable Spots

Despite snow last week, swimsuit season is fast approaching. Worried about the extra inches but don’t want to become an antisocial vegan hermit? WWD asked a few of the city’s top nutritionists to pick healthy — but still satisfying — meals at four fashion-favored eateries. It’s as close as you can get to having your cake and eating it, too.

Heather Bauer, RD, CDN founder of nu-train and dietitians Stephanie Middleberg, MS, RD, CDN and Dara Godfrey, MS, RD

“Order two appetizers, making sure one is a salad or a vegetable and the other is protein-based; or just order a main course. If you are still hungry, order a side of steamed vegetables. Also, have your water glass filled at least three times.”

LA GRENOUILLE
ORDER: La salade d’endives, poires et noix au roquefort (endive and pear salad with roquefort cheese); la sole grillée, sauce moutarde (grilled Dover sole with mustard sauce); le poulet paillard with thyme and braised lettuce (from the bar menu).

AVOID: Les quenelles de brochet lyonnaise (although fish can be healthy, “lyonnaise” preparation includes cream, bread crumbs and an onion butter sauce).

FRED'S at Barney's New York
ORDER: Market salad; grilled hen-of-the-woods mushrooms; tuna tartare; roasted asparagus; chicken paillard; pan-seared salmon (with sautéed spinach and tomato-scallion salad).

AVOID: Grilled calamari (it’s lightly breaded) and Mark’s Madison Avenue Salad, because it has a lot of added fats. If you only include one or two fats — for example, the dressing (on the side) and the avocado — this salad could work.

LA ESQUINA
ORDER: Ceviche estilo Acapulco (fish, lime, avocado, tomato, jalapeno); ensalada mixta (cabbage, string beans, cucumber, red onion, tomato, queso fresco and get the mustard vinaigrette on the side); mango y jicama (jalapeno vinaigrette on the side).

AVOID: Ensalada de la casa (it has too many fats in it) and elotes callejeros (it’s corn, but it’s smothered in butter and rolled in cheese).

INDOCHINE
ORDER: Spicy beef salad (dressing on the side); summer roll of shrimp and chicken (try to avoid overdipping rolls in the peanut sauce); steamed Chilean sea bass (in a black bean chili paste, with a sesame-ginger soy broth on a bed of bok choy).

AVOID: Grilled eggplant; steamed Vietnamese ravioli; grilled salmon with teriyaki plum sauce (salmon is healthy, but the sauce is likely high in sugar and salt).